Nathaniel Fried
After writing a press release, the next step is to distribute it. Some marketers are encouraged to use a free press release distribution service in order to save their budget on distribution.
Others may pitch their story directly to reporters. Another option that can help you in distributing releases and give more results is the use of paid press release service. But how are you going to choose a paid distribution platform?
Here is a list of factors that you need to consider to help you in choosing the right distribution service:
1. Pricing
When it comes to getting a wire service, the adage “You get what you pay for” is true. You must pay attention to what these platforms tell you.
If they say they can provide this and that, they mean it. When you pay a distribution of your release to hundreds of media outlets, you’re surely going to get it. If they say that you’re going to be visible on the search engines, you’ll be seen on the search results.
Ask them proofs of their work. Read reviews. You can definitely see lots of feedback or reviews on platforms.
In this digital age, it’s impossible not to see reviews of a site, especially if they are offering products or services. Check how their customers react to their plans and pricing.
Did they comment that the cost of their plans are too expensive or it is affordable? Checking the feedback can help shape your decision whether you are going to get service.
But of course, before considering others opinion, you need to know your own budget. Can you afford a single, monthly or annual plan? Can you afford the plan that you are interested in?
Aside from affordability, is it going to give you a good ROI? You should not forget that you’re doing business. Even you have other goals to prioritize, you cannot exclude getting a good ROI.
If not, there are plenty of options for you in the market. Weigh the cost in consideration if they can provide you your target goal.
2. Features
Paid press release services offer different features. What features matter to you?
Is multimedia inclusion important for you? How about social media integration? Do you need more than one hyperlink?
Do you consider owning newsroom important? How about industry-targeting? These features may be important for others but not for you.
Check your needs. Go back to your goals. If you want to boost your traffic and sales, what features can support it?
This is perhaps one of the most important reasons why you’ll consider getting a service. If you book a service without considering the features, you’ll likely to have a failed campaign and poor return-on-investment (ROI).
3. Goals
Before you even craft a press release, you must have a goal in mind. It must be your priority when writing a release.
Do you want to earn media coverage, boost site traffic, visibility, and sales? Do you want to build brand awareness? Do you want to increase conversion rates? How about building credibility?
It’s better if you have a single goal in mind rather than working on multiple goals. Focusing on one goal boost your chance to succeed. If you have more than one goal, there is a probability that you’ll get confused on what to work on.
Ideally, one press release must have one goal. If you want to reach another goal, issue another release for that.
Here are examples of goals for your next release:
- To boost online visibility. The press release distribution site must help you reach sites that are relevant to you. Check a service that has a network of media outlets and journalists. Do they deliver your news directly to their newsrooms and editorial systems?
- To boost visibility. Your news must appear on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Can the service provide this visibility? Remember that nowadays, customers search online first before buying anything. They give valuable weight on the content they read online.
- To earn media coverage. Pitching journalists is a great way to earn publicity. However, using a platform for distribution can also help you achieve it. Check a platform that has a network of media outlets and RSS subscribers. Your news reaches them without the need for much effort from your side. If you have a well-written release, they are more likely to consider it for coverage.
- To improve conversion rates. Sending your news in front of your target audience can help you boost quality leads. Reputable distribution services offer to target that enables them to send your news to your target audience. This means that more people who care about your offer can read and engage with you.
- To boost site traffic. If you want to increase site traffic, using a distribution service that ensures the optimization of your story can attain it. When your news appears on the search results, more people can see your news. More people can reach and visit your site who are more likely to convert as buyers.
4. Audience
Another important consideration is your audience. Check if the service can reach your target audience.
You need to know if they can reach them. Does the service offer industry-specific targeting or geographic targeting?
Does their network provide access to your relevant media? For instance, check if they provide access to local, regional, or national media outlets. If you’re particular with industries, do they offer a connection with relevant reporters and influencers under the same industry?
If a service can’t reach your intended audience, you don’t have to worry because there are lots of options in the market. There are services that provide access to your relevant industry, media, and publications.
5. Expectations.
You have expectations. Can they provide your expectations like 24 x 7 chat or email support, approachable customer service, better user-experience, easy and fast PR submission, fast turn-around time, or professional editorial guidance?
As a marketer, you need to list down your expectations in a paper and check if they can provide it. If you’re not going to have your own standard, it just means that you don’t know what you are doing, or what you want to achieve. It must be clear right from the start what you want in a distribution service.
6. Report.
After the distribution, they must generate an analytics report or monitoring report for you. As much as possible, ask them how they are going to measure the success of your campaign right from the beginning.
Reports must be included in the plan. It provides valuable insights into your content and distribution efforts. You would know your ROI, and what works or not.
You would know how many likes, shares, or comments it received online, where it is published, how much engagement you have, or how many views it received. You can monitor different metrics that matter to your campaign.
These metrics give you insights on how you can improve your next campaign. It tells you the factors that are important and those that must be eradicated from the process. When you know how it worked, you have can have a better approach to your distribution.
7. Media pickup
One factor that you need to consider is choosing a service that has a proven record of achievement with the media. The service must have good relations with them.
Are they considered a good source of information? Pick a wire platform that provides direct delivery of your story to the media’s newsrooms and editorial systems.
If you’re choosing any service despite the fact that you’re working on your media coverage, your goal is impossible to achieve. Don’t forget to check their previous work.
8. Brand engagement.
One factor that you need to know is how they are going to share your content to different social media sites. The service must have a good industry-specific list and built-in social sharing button to boost engagement.
Does the service offer the inclusion of visuals like images, infographics, and videos? If they include it in their plans, your brand will have better engagement with the audience.
When an audience read your content, they are more likely to share it if it has interesting images or videos. Once they share it on their social media channels, you’ll improve your brand engagement over time.
If this factor matters to your business, but you forgot to consider it when you chose a distribution service, you’ll miss the opportunity to improve your engagement.
9. Special offer.
Not all services offer add-on features without the need to pay extra. For instance, some services offer the addition of words in your content without the need to pay more. This is impossible for other services.
There are some services that offer added distribution, free editorial assistance, or writing service. These are the add-on that you must consider if you need it in your campaign. Pay attention to these perks to maximize the value of your distribution.
10. Testimonials.
Before booking any service, ask for their customer testimonials. A reputable and trustworthy distribution platform will always have testimonials from their past clients.
It’s how you can gauge their work. If they can’t show you anything, move on to the next distribution site in your list.
These 10 factors can guide you when you don’t know how you’ll make up your mind in choosing a press release service. It shouldn’t;t be hard if you already know what to look into.
