PRWeb vs PR Newswire – (PRWeb & PR Newswire Alternatives, Costs, & Review)

Overview: PRWeb vs PR Newswire

When it comes to press release services, you might be asking, “What is PRWeb? Does PRWeb work? And even if PRWeb is worth using, are there better alternatives?” Without a doubt, the most popular press release service for years has been PRWeb, but there are PRWeb alternatives worth looking into before you issue your press release. There is a wide range of PRWeb and PR Newswire competitors ranging from free to very expensive.

We’ll be comparing two of the most popular PR services, PRNewswire vs PRWeb, and covering a few PR Newswire reviews to help you make the best decision when it comes to using a press release service.

In recent years, press releases have been a way to increase search engine ranking, but with updates to search engine algorithms, press release and wire services are decreasing in popularity. Should you use a press release service for your business? Does PRWeb work as a marketing strategy to increase SEO? What about PRWeb alternatives?

In the end, it comes down to your particular goals for your press release; some press release services are better for certain business goals over others.

What Is a Press Release Service?

Image Source: PRWeb

PRWeb and PRWeb alternatives are press release services that distribute press releases to their networks of newspapers, journals, journalists, and bloggers. PR professionals and businesses alike use PRWeb and other press release wire services as part of their marketing efforts.

Press release and wire services distribute press releases to a large list, sometimes more than a quarter of a million publications, websites, and individuals on your behalf.

Wire services, like PRNewswire and PR Newswire competitors, do not ensure that your press release will actually be read, reported on, or picked up by any publications, so the return on your investment in a wire service can be difficult to judge. When it comes to comparing PR Newswire vs PRWeb, it seems at first glance to be a numbers game of getting your press release in front of the most people.

But what makes a good press release service? Is it more than just numbers?

Does PRWeb Work? What about PRWeb Alternatives?

If you’re asking, “What is PRWeb?” your next question is likely about the success of using press release services and whether PR Newswire competitors actually work.

Press release distribution services, also called wire services, have been around long before online publications, digital marketing, search engines, or social media.

The phrase wire service conjures up old-fashioned machines tapping out messages, printing out short bursts of news in a newsroom. But in today’s fast-paced world, does PRWeb work?

There are a lot of PR Newswire reviews and articles about using PRWeb as part of your marketing strategy. Some are positive and answer the question “does PRweb work?” somewhat, but it’s hard to gauge if top press release services or PRWeb and PR Newswire competitors are a good choice for your business. It’s also hard to tell if PR Newswire is a good PRWeb alternative.

One press release from PRWeb is a great example that PRWeb does indeed work — although it’s not quite the shining example you’d see a press release service brag about.

In 2012, one PRWeb user used the wire service to distribute a fake news story about Google acquiring a company called ICOA. The CEO of ICOA speculated that the fake news story was planted to boost ICOA’s stock in a trading scheme. In any case, the story was reported by a huge number of media outlets, ranging from industry publications like TechCrunch to The Associated Press.

Although the story was fake, it’s hard to deny the ability of PRWeb to get a story in front of the right journalists and newsrooms.

PRWeb and PRWeb alternatives are clearly powerful tools to disseminate stories and attract attention. In the case of the fake Google acquisition story, journalists who fell for the fake press release missed tell-tale signs of a poor quality press release, some experts say, such as grammatical errors, no contact information for representatives of the companies, and no biographical information about either company.

If such a poor press release can be so successful, a well-written and attention-grabbing press release might gain even better results. It’s clear that PRWeb does work — but what about PRNewswire and PR Newswire competitors?

There are a number of reasons why using press release services can be beneficial to your business, ranging from building brand awareness to getting financial statements to investors and the public. Sites like PRWeb, PRNewswire, and PR Newswire competitors are best used for routine press releases, like financial statements and announcements that are newsworthy that might intrigue journalists, newsrooms, and social media users into paying attention.

Using them for your business comes down to what your particular goals are for the news in your press release. And before using a distribution service for your press release, you have to figure out which one is right for you; this is crucial to your success.

Not all press release services are the same. Reading PR Newswire reviews can be helpful in making your decision, but doing a head-to-head comparison of the two most popular services is even better.

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Comparing PR Newswire vs PRWeb

PRWeb and PR Newswire are both paid services. PRWeb and PR Newswire competitors range from thousands of dollars for a single press release to free services, all with a wide range of reach, quality, and ease of use. When looking at PR Newswire vs PRWeb, it’s important to look at each service’s abilities to help your business achieve your goals.

We’re comparing two of the most popular press release services to help you decide which one is right for your business goals. We’ve taken a look at PRWeb and PR Newswire reviews and information about each service to help you decide which wire service to go with.

Reach: PR Newswire vs PRWeb

One of the biggest factors in the success of press releases is how many people they reach. If you’re looking to get your message out to as many people as possible, it’s important to compare the potential reach of PR Newswire vs PRWeb.
Why potential reach? Again, press release services distribute your release but don’t assure it will be read or seen. The more people your press release could be seen by, the better off you will be when it comes to reaching the right people. When you’re trying to answer “Does PRWeb work for my company?” it’s important to understand who you’re trying to target and pair your goal with the right press release service.

PRWeb sends releases to “30,000 journalists and bloggers and hundreds of news sites including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune as well as local news outlets across the USA,” as they state on their website. As well, they send your release to industry-specific sites and news feeds of more than 250,000 RSS subscribers, both at certain price points.

On the other side of the coin, PR Newswire’s network is built of websites, newsrooms, news content systems, and a social media distribution network. They highlight their focus on financial and business news sources, including Yahoo! Finance, MarketWatch and Business Journals. Another option is iReach, PR Newswire’s online-only content distribution network. The network reaches over 1,400 sites, including Yahoo!Finance.

PRWeb seems to be focused on consumer-focused news sources for the general public, rather than a smaller, focused niche on business news like PR Newswire. PRWeb alternatives also often have their own particular niches too.

PR Newswire vs PRWeb: Both have great reach, but you should use PRWeb for press releases relevant to the general population and PR Newswire for financial and business focused press releases.

Costs: PR Newswire vs PRWeb

For most businesses, it comes down to the cost of PRWeb, PRNewswire, and PRNewswire competitors.

PRWeb is a more straightforward option, offering plans starting at $99 and going up to $369 for the highest distribution amount. The lowest priced plans only get you a press release on their site and “release visibility in search engines and on news sites,” which sounds vague and rather unhelpful. Your press release will only be sent to what PRWeb calls “premium news sites” at the $249 and $369 pricing levels.

PR Newswire, however, has a few options for pricing that can be confusing to digest and difficult to pin down. The traditional PR Newswire service is only open to premium members with an annual subscription of $195 or $249 with annual renewal options. After becoming a member, there is additional costs per press release based on the amount of reach and targeted demographic information for publications and newsrooms.

Pricing for PRNewswire’s iReach focuses on the network and multimedia content included in your press release. For the lowest level at $129 per release, your press release is shared on the iReachContent.com website as well as Yahoo! Finance, but at the $299 and $399 levels, your release will be distributed to the iReach network.

PR Newswire vs PRWeb Cost: If you’re looking to pay a smaller amount for the greatest possible reach, PRWeb wins this one. PRNewswire’s options and pricing are difficult to understand, on top of their lower reach.

Image Source: BigStock

SEO Value: PR Newswire vs PRWeb

When doing research into press release serviecs, you’ve likely come across discussions about the SEO value of places like PRWeb and PRWeb alternatives. Press release distribution services have been used as an effective SEO technique in the past, but recent updates to search engine algorithms have ended the effectiveness of press releases as a way to build backlinks, according to experts.

Even Cision, the company that owns PRWeb, states on their site that “SEO is an outcome of using PRWeb properly; not a direct benefit.” However, Google recently quietly made a change to their algorithms, according to the Business Journals. The change only affects Google “In the News” section, which also shows results from non-journalistic websites such as Reddit and blogs and even press releases.

Another caveat is Google is on the watch for spammy, poorly written press releases. Is there SEO value in doing well-written press releases? Maybe. If it’s a way to get your company at the top of Google results, it might be worth trying, but you must understand press release limitations.

PRWeb still focuses much of their marketing on how their press releases are search optimized. PRNewswire also focuses some of their marketing on search visibility too, although to a much lower degree. From an SEO expert’s perspective looking at SEO data, PRWeb lost a significant amount of authority practically overnight in 2014, likely due to spammy press releases.

Since Google is combatting spam with updates, whether or not your press release will bring your SEO value comes down to the quality of other press releases in both PRWeb and PRNewswire’s networks.

Both networks have quality guidelines and content checks in place to maintain quality standards. PRWeb has an extensive list of their rules for press releases, as does PR Newswire. When it comes to quality press releases, PRWeb offers release writing services for $325 per release. PR Newswire does not appear to offer a similar service.

PR Newswire vs PRWeb SEO Value: PRWeb seems to be the winner with more extensive outlined guidelines for releases and release writing services.

PR Newswire vs PRWeb : Who Wins?

In the end, choosing the right press release service comes down to your business. If you need to release financial data or have the skills to write an attractive, well-written press release, PRNewswire might be the better choice.

For consumer-focused news items or more guidance on writing a successful press release, PRWeb might be the one for your business to choose. Overall, your goals for your press release should dictate which of the two press release services to use.

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