Free press release distribution services that are available to the general public have the following advantages:
Issuing of press releases is a common strategy among business entities, organizations as well as individuals in disseminating information within the media and the general public. To some extent, paid distribution services can be costly, but similar to the free services, they provide the same basic advantages at no charge. Here are some of the main benefits of the free press release distribution service below.
Wider Reach and Exposure
As an advantage of using a press release service, whether free or paid, the main advantage is the ability to reach out to a large number of people. Emailing the release to specific reporters can be done but use of a distribution platform will take the release to thousands of journalists, bloggers sites, websites and others all over the world. This markedly increases the possibilities of reaching as many people as possible.
Most of the free service providers can provide almost equal coverage like paid ones and some of them claim to have access to more than 30000 media outlets and platforms. On the other hand, paid services are designed to maximize the potential of a free distribution network which can compensate for the lack of extras such as guaranteed postings and tracking of placements. To a large extent, success in getting the news out there means that as long as your news is timely, newsworthy and well written, there are high chances that it will get out there organically.
Search Engine Optimization
The other benefit of free press release distribution is the SEO benefit this is because, so many sites post the press release and this make the site to rank high. Isolating your press releases to specific websites of your niche ensures that content is syndicated to Google and other search engine platforms. This can enhance the general perception and traffic to your website whenever individuals search for keywords and topics connected to the news.
With the free platforms, you can add links to backlinks that lead users to your company website. Linking is one of the most critical components of increasing positioning in the higher ranks of a search engine. The more quality sites are available to host the release, the more links you get in return.
Ongoing News Platform
Unlike a one-time bulletin, press releases offer an extension of news that offers continual value to a press release provider. Once your release is out there and picked up by other sites, it becomes a continuously available and easily sharable one. Moreover, your content will remain capable of driving search traffic, social shares, backlinks and latePick-up from discovering journalists over time.
This means that for one press release you get exponentially more exposure than over the course of months, or years. This is made easier by free distribution where you can highlight achievements and promising developments, announce uplifting news, keep the population informed and remind the population of pertinent messages through items that are timeless online.
Entertainment & Communication Channels – Mainstream and Niche Media
In general-new or specialized industry-trades, a free press release service provides you with the opportunity to reach both broad-casting and narrow-casting media at the same time. It includes broad cyclical media like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox stations as well as sites primarily concerned with technology, business and science, fashion and others.
This means that you get to narrow it down to the kind of journalistic vocabularies and interests you want to tap depending on your goals and at the same time benefit from wide-ranging traffic. The broad and narrow coverage from generic and targeted media make it possible to have more placements that fit your preferred audience.
Understanding Release Performance
Unlike many of the other free distribution platforms, most of the tools for analytics and performance tracking are not as advanced as with the paid services, but the majority of the platforms offer basic tools for determining reach. Additional features such as release view counts and the linking could provide information on pick-up activity and referral traffic respectively.
There are also confirmation lists offered by free services, which state the sites that have picked up your release in terms of specifics and placements so that you can compare against your media list. It can also be useful to analyze links and campaign tags for downstream traffic and exposure, if they exist on the website.
Creation of Brand Awareness and PR Management
Regular press releases as a form of publicizing your company or product keep branding and presence in the media map real. Free distribution allows them to remain involved in the news cycle regularly as it often happens. This helps in establishing brands based on the concepts of innovation, thinking, growth as well as community value.
Moreover, publicity gained through the releases that are sent out provides strong third-party endorsement and PR advantage. Newspaper or TV reports on respective outlets in placements highlight your accomplishments through third-party content and thus are credible. On the ‘owned’ channels, the content could then be repurposed, for instance, on social media and in emails.
Budget-Friendly Solution
For the small business, non-profit and individual, free press release distribution can be a cost effective and efficient PR tool in relation to paid press release services which can range from a few hundred dollars per release. The zero-cost enables one to post and advertise as many news items as desired depending on the timetable and the frequency to adhere to.
Holding back on distribution costs allows for more funds to be directed towards other areas that are equally important such as creating effective press kits, surveys and marketing. For organizations and individuals not able to spend much money on their communication needs, free platforms ensure that press releases can be used as a way of marketing and gaining visibility and engagement.
Key Takeaways
Some of the inherent advantages of free distribution channels such as the broad reach, search visibility, constant brand impression, and minimal cost can be compared to the prices of paid services in certain circumstances. So overall, the effectiveness of press releases is more about the news value and the appeal of the content than the distribution medium.
More time and energy should be invested in developing high-quality press releases that convey worth to specific public to increase the likelihood of getting attention. Coupled with the free distribution and openness of media with enlarged syndication, this makes for a powerful PR weapon that can be used in earning visibility and acclaim.