2017 RANKING
TOP RANKING BEST FREE PRESS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Finding the Best Free Press Release Distribution Service in 2017
Press releases are an essential aspect of modern marketing and advertising, though they are not always the most affordable option.
Thanks to the rise of free press release distribution platforms and free PR distribution sites, it’s now possible to get your content to a very extensive network all over the world, with minimal investments of time or money.
When you utilize press releases, you’re giving yourself, your business, and your brand the benefit of having a multi-faceted, multi-channel, robust marketing campaign approach. Press releases also allow you to maximize your impact and visibility.
For those on a budget–or who want more experience writing a press release before opting into a paid service–a free PR site is an excellent option.
When selecting from the free press release service providers, you gain access to an excellent foundation from which to begin your PR-based marketing.
These free release services often serve as an excellent learning opportunity to discover how to hone your writing and distribution techniques and ensure that, once you do move to a paid distribution option, you will have mastered the art of structuring and writing a press release.
With many of the best free press release distribution sites, you’ll find great features, including guides to writing the perfect PR, customer support, and search engine indexing.
Some of the free press release sites on our ranking also include advanced features such as the availability of live URLs and the ability to add images and videos within your press release.
Award Emblem: Best Free Press Release Distribution Services
AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 5 Best Free Press Release Websites
List is sorted alphabetically (click any of the below names to go directly to the detailed review of that free press release site).
Click here for 2016’s ranking of the Top 3 Best Free Press Release Distribution Services
Top 5 Best Free Press Release Distribution Sites | Brief Comparison & Ranking
Best Free Press Release Distribution Services | Highlighted Features |
| Free-Press-Release | Straightforward, convenient process |
| Newswire Today | Transparent expectations regarding submissions |
| Online PR Media | Online PR Media news widget |
| PRFire | Proven success with Google search visibility |
| PRLog | Robust analytics & reporting |
Table: Top 5 Best Free Press Release Services | Above list is sorted alphabetically
What Are the Benefits of Free Press Release Distribution?
When you consider press releases, if it’s not a content format you’re familiar with, you might think of traditional methods, which include writing a press release and then working with journalists and local media outlets to ensure it’s distributed.
Now, however, thanks to the rise of digital marketing and, more specifically, free press release websites, businesses, brands, and even individuals submit press releases for different purposes. Yes, exposure is still part of it, but so are other factors such as SEO.
The benefits of using a free press release distribution site include:
Exposure
Exposure is still an essential element of free press releases, but not in the traditional sense. Now, even with limited or almost no resources or budget, free press release sites make it possible to create a free press release and have it distributed all over the world.
Free press release distribution is a great way to drive traffic to your websites or social profiles and get people talking about what you’re offering.
Authority
Any time you’re creating contact that is original, you’re establishing yourself as an authority in your industry. You’re positioning yourself as an expert in your niche, and that lets you build a sense of trust and loyalty among your clients and potential customers.
For this reason, free press release distribution platforms are great tools to use when looking to enhance authority.
Audience Targeting
Regardless of your marketing and advertising goals, you want to reach your audience in broad ways because it’s often not enough to go through one or two channels.
Using a free press release service lets you target a wider audience, whether your goals are driving traffic or sales.
Budget-Friendly
Free press release distribution services often present one of the most affordable content marketing options.
Aside from the cost of having the press release written, you’re spending nothing else if you’re using one of the free press release services, yet there’s the potential to benefit from the extensive exposure.
See Also: What Is a Press Release? Guide to Writing Good Press Releases
How Do Free Press Releases Impact SEO?
Free press releases can be an important part of a larger SEO and marketing strategy. They can be a great complement to other search engine tactics and can bolster your social media profiles, blogs, and other content marketing tactics.
Image Source: BigStock
With that being said, a few years back, Google started to realize that paid and free press release distribution services were simply being used as a spam tactic, so it has taken a more hardline stance on using them.
The best course of action to avoid penalties from the use of PRs that could seem like spam to Google bots is to create high-quality content that has real, timely news relevance.
For example, use a free press release when you want to announce a new product or service, or perhaps let the world know your business has been selected for a prestigious award.
This will ensure that the SEO value comes from the natural use of keywords, and it will help you gain more exposure in search engines. Other SEO benefits that stem from the use of distributing free press releases include natural link building and referral traffic.
How Do You Write a Press Release for Distribution on Free Press Release Websites?
If you’re considering the use of a press release distribution free service, one of your primary questions may be how to go about putting together the content and writing a press release.
Below are a few tips that can help you get started on writing a free press release, regardless of industry:
Know the Structure of a Press Release
While content, like blogs, may allow for plenty of creativity in style and structure, the same isn’t true when writing a press release. Paid and free press releases all should follow a set format which includes the headline, intro, essentials of the story, quotes, and then a brief ending.
This format is important because it’s what journalists follow when they create a story, so if you want your PR to be picked up after using a free PR distribution service, make it as simple as possible for your audience.
Target a Specific Audience
The more specific you can get while writing a press release, the better results it’s likely to have. Finely tune your content to your audience even before you decide on the free PR site you’ll use to distribute it.
Define Your Angle
An angle is an essential aspect of writing a press release, and it’s often what determines how much coverage your free press release will get. Try to use your free PR release to create an angle that readers will find valuable, newsworthy, and timely.
For even the best free press release sites to be truly effective, your angle for your free press release should also be extremely unique and something that’s going to hold broad appeal.
What’s the Difference Between Paid and Free Press Release Services?
This is one of the most common questions about free press release distribution. How do you know the differences between a premium paid distribution service and sites that offer free press release distribution?
The obvious difference is, of course, pricing. Many companies don’t have the budget to spend the hundreds of dollars it can cost to distribute a single release on a premium paid site like PRWeb.
These sites often have tiered pricing levels, and the top packages are hundreds of dollars, not including the cost of writing the actual release.
A premium website, however, will aggressively pursue journalists and work to ensure clients receive traffic for their PR, but this might not be necessary if you’re announcing a minor bit of news that doesn’t require such a large-scale PR effort.
Using a press release distribution free service can be ideal if you want to announce a minor bit of news or information or if you’re willing to put in the effort to also cross-promote your free PR on other channels.
As an additional note, even when you pay the high cost for a premium service, you may still not get the level of publicity that you want, which is why many people will research free press release distribution and free press release sites before investing in the high costs of a paid service.
All-in-One Change Management Tools
Top Rated Toolkit for Change Managers.
Get Your Change Management Tool Today...
AdvisoryHQ’s Selection Methodology
What methodology does AdvisoryHQ use in selecting and finalizing the credit cards, financial products, firms, services, and products that are ranked on its various top-rated lists?
Please click here “AdvisoryHQ’s Ranking Methodologies” for a detailed review of AdvisoryHQ’s selection methodologies for ranking top-rated credit cards, financial accounts, firms, products, and services.
Detailed Review – Top Ranking Best Press Release Distribution Free Services
Below, please find a detailed review of each press release site on our list of top free press release websites. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these free press release services to score so high in our selection ranking.
Don’t Miss: Ways to Find the Best Press Release Templates, Examples, Samples, and Formats
Free-Press-Release Review
Free-Press-Release.com is a service that helps clients gain viral exposure. The site has more than 800,000 registered users, is responsible for more than two million online press releases, and works with over 7,000 partner websites.
This leading site for the distribution of free press releases was founded in 2001 and has since become a top multi-channel press release website.
Members of the Free Press Release community include individuals as well as international corporations and even government entities.
Some of the partners of this free press release service include Google, Reuters, International Business Times, Yahoo! News and Market Watch.
Key Factors That Enabled Us to Rank This Website as One of the Top Press Release Distribution Services for 2017
The list below highlights some of the reasons Free-Press-Release.com was included in our ranking of the top 2017 free PR distribution sites.
Improved Effectiveness
The goal of every service provided by Free Press Release is to help clients succeed in their goals.
It’s with that in mind that Free Press Release features advanced options to improve the effectiveness of each release distributed through its site, and many of these important options extend to the free press releases.
Improved effectiveness features offered to free release clients include access to an advanced press release management system, SEO tags, and in-page share buttons.
Also part of the free PR services is permanent hosting of your free press release, so it will always be available on the site.
Convenience
When you’re narrowing down your options and selecting the right free PR distribution site for your needs, you likely want a provider that is convenient and is going to make the process as simple and as streamlined as possible for you.
This is a key consideration with all package offerings available on Free-Press-Release.com, including its free release services.
Convenience-based features available to free PR clients include email spam protection, the option to reserve your date of release, and options to manage your press release after submission, including editing or deleting it.
You can also move between packages and select a premium option if you’d like, or move from a premium to a free press release service.
The Process
Going along with the emphasis on convenience, the process used by Free Press Release is incredibly straightforward.
Important elements of the process used by this free press release service include:
- Reliability: As a popular free press release distribution site, there is a focus on reliability at Free Press Release. This site has also been in operation for many years, and it has built an extensive, quality network and user group.
- Safety: Free Press Release takes every possible measure to make sure security and financial information are secure for clients and also to protect against spam.
- Effectiveness: The entirety of the free press release distribution process takes less than 24 hours, and you can select a release date in advance.
Search Engine Visibility
Regardless of the package you choose from Free-Press-Release.com, including the free press releases, you’ll receive the advantages that come with visibility through indexing on the main search engines.
You will improve your likelihood of having your free press release become highly ranked on the world’s top search engines, including Google.
This is the best way to ensure that it’s being seen and recognized by journalists, bloggers, clients, influencers, and other relevant parties.
Related: How to Submit a Press Release | Guide | Top Ways to Submitting Press Releases
Newswire Today Review
Operated by Limelon Advertising & Communications Co., Newswire Today has been a leading free press release distribution service since 2005.
Their mission is to provide media access for each and every organization, regardless of size or location.
Free press release distribution services from Newswire Today allow subscribers to access a comprehensive network of corporations, PR agencies, market research reports, business journalists, freelance writers, and news content providers.
Key Factors That Enabled This Free Press Release Distribution Site to Rank as One of 2017’s Best Free Press Release Services
The features and offerings below represent some of the reasons why NewswireToday.com was selected as one of the top 2017 press release distribution free platforms.
Your Contribution
As a top free press release service, Newswire Today operates with a core set of submission expectations, called Your Contribution. These include:
- Write compelling articles: All free press releases submitted should be engaging and valuable.
- Carefully edit prior to submission: Newswire Today is not responsible for content, accuracy, or liability.
- Open communication: This free press release platform welcomes any comments, questions, or concerns, and considers all input valuable.
These standards for writing a press release are valuable, since they establish open and transparent communication between this free press release distribution platform and their subscribers.
Expectations are clear for writing a press release, making it easy for anyone to start submitting content to this top free press release distribution site.
Guideline Principles
The best free press release sites will not only create exposure, but they will also do it in an ethical, value-based manner.
As a respected provider of free PR services, Newswire Today makes a very clear statement on what their journalistic ethics and values. Called Guideline Principles, these values state that:
- Press releases intended to cause harm or damage to a third party will not be distributed
- Improperly formatted releases will not be published
- Activism or blog content will not be published
- Press releases posted by distributors of network marketing organizations will not be published
- “Commercial” press releases will not be distributed
- Press releases that link to an online store, paid membership, or contest will not be accepted
What truly stand out about these principles is that they set a core standard of quality and reliability, enhancing the value and authority of the free press release distribution service.
Affordable Pricing Structure
As a free press release distribution service, Newswire Today offers a free basic submission service, providing top press release distribution services for an affordable price.
With the basic submission service, your free press releases will:
- Be published in the order received
- Be distributed across Basic RSS
- Be supported by third-party ads
For those who prefer to expand their outreach beyond free press release distribution, Newswire Today does offer a range of paid services, pictured above.
Popular Article: How to Send a Press Release | Top Ways | Guide to Sending Press Releases
Online PR Media Review
Online PR Media, one of the best free press release sites, was founded by media and journalism experts Christine O’Kelly and Tara Geissinger.
The two have more than 15 years’ experience creating and implementing press campaigns, and with that knowledge and experience, they sought to create a press release distribution site with essential, desirable features that was also affordable.
The Online PR Media concept is based on bringing together elements of traditional public relations as well as modern digital and SEO marketing principles.
Key Factors That Enabled This Free Press Release Distribution Site to Rank as One of 2017’s Best Free Press Release Services
The features and offerings below represent some of the reasons why Online PR Media was selected as one of the top 2017 free press release sites.
Optimization
Online PR Media isn’t just a service for free press releases. The site also offers paid options, but, regardless, clients who opt for press release free distribution options still receive the benefit of optimization features.
These include an optimized page title and meta tag, which are based on your headline and release summary.
Optimization features help you gain SEO traction and visibility through free press release distribution. They will also help you gain a better understanding of what people are searching for as it pertains to your industry.
Submission Guidelines
When you’re submitting a press release, whether it’s a free PR or you’re paying for a premium service, it’s essential that it meet particular guidelines.
Guidelines are outlined to both promote the release and gain visibility for a free PR, but guidelines can do much more than that. Free press release guidelines can help clients create a message that’s going to serve the needs of journalists, influencers, and other people who could pick the release up for publication.
With that in mind, Online PR Media is a unique free press release distribution site because it has a very specific set of editorial guidelines to help clients with the writing process.
These guidelines for paid and free PR services include the following:
- Free press releases must have proper attribution
- The free PR must have a legitimate news angle
- It must have an objective tone
- It can’t be a duplicate of a previously submitted release
Having these guidelines in place help ensure that clients aren’t wasting their time creating a press release that isn’t going to have an impact or won’t be appropriate for publication.
News Widget
The Online PR Media News Widget is a signature offering from this premium and free PR distribution site.
The News Widget can be embedded on your website or blog so you can showcase your company’s news, updates, and achievements. You can customize it by selecting the colors, font size, and width so it will match the rest of your website branding and then generate the code.
You can also decide whether or not you’ll display all of the news available on Online PR Media or just the press releases you’ve submitted.
Image Source: OnlinePRNews.com
Live URL Link
Available to all clients of Online PR Media, including those customers who opt for the free release option, is a live URL link. This is beneficial because it can be shared with clients, stakeholders, partners, and other interested parties.
It’s a great free PR tool to attract new traffic to a website, and many users also put the live URL link in other places, such as their blast emails and newsletters.
It’s just one more way using Online PR News lets clients improve their visibility and make the most of each press release they create and distribute through the free PR site.
Read More: Press Release Submission | Ways to Find the Best Press Release Submission Sites (Free & Paid)
PRFire Review
PRFire is a leading public relations and online marketing service, dedicated to creating connections between their customers and the media.
While operating under the same company, there are two versions of this free press release distribution: free content distribution and paid content distribution (targeted). Both offer different services for different business needs, creating a versatile free press release service.
Based in Manchester, UK, this free press release platform is open for any and all press releases, regardless of country of origin.
Not only do they provide free press release distribution services, but for an additional fee, they can also help create press releases, making them an incredibly versatile free press release distribution site.
Key Factors That Enabled This Free Press Release Distribution Site to Rank as One of 2017’s Best Free Press Release Services
The features and offerings below represent some of the reasons why PRFire was selected as one of the top 2017 press release distribution free platforms.
Category Separation
Both paid and free press releases on PRFire are separated into categories, making it easier for journalists and media outlets to access press releases within a specific interest.
As one of the top free press release sites, this categorical separation provides organization and helps subscribers to naturally advertise each free press release within a certain category.
A few examples of free press release distribution categories on PRFire include:
- News
- Business
- Agriculture
- Technology
- Economy
- Awards
- Charity
- Arts & Entertainment
- Education
- Health
- Travel
Proven Success with Google Searches
In an analysis of free press release distribution websites by Vitis Public Relations, PRFire was reviewed as the Best Free Press Release Site for Appearing in Google Web Searches.
As reported by Vitis Public Relations, all three accepted free press releases through PRFire showed up on the first page of Google search results.
From an SEO standpoint, this is huge — particularly considering that this analysis was ran using the free version of PRFire.
With proven success, PRFire is one of the best free press release sites to consider when looking to increase visibility on Google.
Online Advertising
For some, the purpose of creating a free press release is in line with creating a commercial or a newspaper advertisement. Of course, the catch is that this is not always available within free PR services, and can be costly for new businesses or service providers.
Part of what makes PRFire one of the top free press release sites is that it offers a quick and affordable way to provide online advertisement through their “Infographic/Image/Video” newsfeed.
Here, you can find background descriptions of local businesses, detailed service listings, and articles on an array of consumer topics, creating a valuable repository for all types of free press releases.
Related: Press Release Guide for Issuing Press Releases (Media, News, Business News)
PRLog Review
PRLog.org is a well-known free PR distribution site and submission service that offers options for online press release submission as well as press release distribution.
PRLog is designed to help businesses of all sizes, from small to large, with their online marketing, and the website offers services including not just press release distribution for free but also press room hosting, a business directory, job listings, and an expert directory.
As well as offering one of the best free press release distribution services, PRLog does also have paid and premium options available in a variety of pricing tiers.
Key Factors That Led Us to Rank This Website as One of the Free PR Distribution Sites for 2017
Below are unique aspects of PRLog leading to its selection as one of 2017’s best free press release distribution sites.
Social Features
Social sharing and visibility are important components of successful free press release distribution, and PRLog gives free PR customers a variety of social features. These include:
- Social sharing
- Embedded widgets
- Email widget
- OR code
- Automatic Twitter posting
- Automatic Facebook posting
What’s unique about these free PR social sharing features is that they’re the same as what premium paid customers receive on PRLog if they opt to upgrade from free press release distribution service.
Analytics
A valuable part of creating and distributing press releases is having the ability to track and analyze how they’re performing. This lets you see what works and what doesn’t as well as what’s resonating with your targeted audience.
The problem with many free press release sites is that they don’t offer robust analytics and reporting, but this isn’t the case with PRLog.
You can use advanced analytics tools, including the ability to see the number of unique and total hits your free press release gets, Facebook Likes, Tweets, Google +1s, and also the LinkedIn shares.
Additionally, with a free PR account from PRLog, users have the ability to see the search phrases that are most commonly associated with their free press release, which will help them more efficiently create future press releases for SEO purposes.
Videos and Images
If you were to ask many content and digital marketing specialists their thoughts about free PR distribution sites, they might mention that these free options don’t support images and videos.
This doesn’t hold true for PRLog, which is a key reason this site was selected as one of the best free press release services.
With free press release distribution services from PRLog, users can take advantage of not only a search optimized webpage and PDF/print version but also search optimized photos, video embedding, and formatting support.
Free Wealth & Finance Software - Get Yours Now ►
Conclusion – Top Free Press Release Services
Press releases are one of the most engaging ways to gain visibility for a business, advertise to potential clients, and stay relevant in the constantly changing online world.
To make the most of your press releases, it’s important to find a distribution service that meets your needs. For many, free PR services provide the perfect solutions for affordability, visibility, and efficiency.
The above free press release submission sites offer options for distribution of free press releases, which can be an excellent choice for anyone seeking a budget-friendly way to get a message or newsworthy story to the public, as well as to influencers and journalists.
Once you’ve tried these free press release sites, which represent the best free press release distribution platforms, you then have the option to move to their paid services, which offer more features, more visibility, and improved tools.
Regardless of whether you’re using free PR services or premium options, the above sites are leaders at what they do, with extensive networks, simplicity in the submission process, and additional guides and resources to help clients create the best possible content and maximize the impact of each PR they distribute.
AdvisoryHQ (AHQ) Disclaimer:
Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.
Note: Firms and products, including the one(s) reviewed above, may be AdvisoryHQ's affiliates. Click to view AdvisoryHQ's advertiser disclosures.
