The Ultimate Press Release Website List for 2021

Finding a PR distribution platform can be intimidating due to the heavy use of biz speak, acronyms, sometimes opaque pricing models, and hidden fees.
This post is for you. A comprehensive list of all the PR distribution platforms we could find on  the web. Are there more? Sure, new services arrive all the time. Some go under too. That said, this is a good point of reference for press release website list for 2021.

When it comes to sending press releases in 2021, where are you going to turn? We’d hope you’d consider the choice small business tool for sending quick and powerful releases at a reasonable price – Faselis Growth. But hey, maybe you want to get the lay of the and see what’s out there as a whole. We get it, and thus we’ve put together a big heaping list of all the major PR distribution platforms online today.

1 – Media Monitoring vs Distribution

The websites listed below are tools used to send a press release out. There are many tools that offer media monitoring, social listening, analytics, press room features, and many more PR services that are not directly aimed at sending releases. This list doesn’t include them, though a few of the companies we list do offer some of these services.
For your clarity and the sake of our blogger’s fingers tapping the mechanical keyboard, we’ve only focused on press release distribution services that are hosted on the web. As in, services where a user can purchase a service to send a press release online.

2 – Ultimate List

We weren’t going to hold back on you, like our last post, where we listed only the top seven national distribution newswires. This one is every conceivable PR distribution service we could track down, in one place, for your enjoyment.
Brand: Faselis Growth
What’s better than a single plug at the start of our post? Another shortly thereafter. Faselis Growth is an excellent tool for creating, distributing, and monitoring opens of company press releases. Aimed at startups and small businesses, the service is easy to use, fast to learn, and simple to track results from.
Brand: Accesswire
A service that offers unlimited word count, links, images and targeted distribution to many different key industries online. The company bills itself as the only unlimited PR distribution tool in that regard. Though others seem to offer very similar features, like unlimited word count or images.
Brand: Business Wire
Old faithful, and favorite of investors doing legally required IR releases, as well as SMB’s alike. Business Wire offers an updated distribution system, as of 2020, that makes it quick and efficient to send releases to very targeted and segmented lists. Membership can take a little while to get going, but once the account is set up it is a fairly simple platform to use.
Brand: Newswire
Built as both a standalone newswire and one on top of the PR Newswire network, the company offers tiered distributions that are simple to analyze and pick from. Newswire offers social integration with the higher ticket packages complimentary.
Brand: Send2Press
A value-focused three decade old PR distribution tool that offers a variety of services. Transparent on pricing and what is included, Send2Press also is one of the few distribution companies to offer press release writing as well.
Brand: News Direct
A newcomer to the field, News Direct offers a model attractive to those interested in sending out images, videos, audio or other multimedia assets directly to the press, without, say, sending a written release alongside the asset. The company will walk you through a demo or have a call with you, and then get you set up to distribute.
Brand: PR Newswire
What might be the most famous of the newswires, PR Newswire, now owned by Cision, offers a suite of tools for sending out releases to targeted media lists, specific industry pubs, and even on a billboard in Times Square. The service requires a membership fee, and some paperwork to get started, but once you’re up and running it is fairly simple to send and monitor releases.
Brand: PR Web
A user friendly PR distribution tool to send press releases for publication online. With a focus on value and online syndication, the tool is as much of a content marketing tool as it is an actual press release distribution service. PRWeb is a good way to build brand awareness online if, say, you had people searching your brand name, and wanted something particular to show up when such a search occurred.
Brand: Prowly
Media database with email pitching and open monitoring features. This premium service offers a monthly rate for those interested in high touch pitching directly to the media with specialized features, like one that allows for embedding of press releases into an email body.
Brand: Prezly
Another brand that ends with ly, the Prezly tool allows for media pitching from the inbox. Also, the tool enables users to publish press releases to their online press rooms, track communications, personalize media pitches and log press coverage as it arrives.
Brand: Pitch Engine
What about PR in the age of the smartphone? Pitch Engine seems to answer this question well with a suite of tools for the PR pro. Pitch Engine allows users to create micro pitches, called a tiny pitch, from their phones, as well as compose multimedia rich pitches in an editor to send out via their own service, and as an email pitch.
Brand: Press Page
For those in need of a full scope media management software, Press Page is worth a look. The software offers a robust media list of over 800,000 contacts, and drag and drop press page capabilities, along with other features like social media distribution and analytics.
Brand: PRLog
Free press release distribution via a clean interface that speaks of a simpler era of UX, though maybe not intentionally designed as such. The site boasts that most of the services offered are free, and is built for small businesses and orgs that need a press release distribution tool that doesn’t cost anything, which really is praiseworthy. Digital high five.
Brand: PRGloo
Format your news releases, build influencer lists, and of course send them out via email. PRGloo offers a tool to run PR campaigns online without having to go and use a bunch of other tools.
Brand: Wiztopic
Build newsrooms and harness social media audiences with Wiztopic. The tool puts a premium on inbound marketing asset creation like newsrooms, and networking via social media to activate key influencers.
Brand: 24-7 Press Release Newswire
Send your press release to the media for publication, or even just to their own website. The 24-7 Press Release Newswire tool targets the value-oriented PR distribution user, with a range of services by pricing tier to reach the media, including getting news published with the AP.
Brand: PRNews.io
Innovative approach to PR distribution: pay to post. This is really not as controversial as it might appear, since many of the established PR distribution platforms buy paid content spaces for their clients. PRNews.io simply cuts out the middleman, and allows you to directly buy an advertorial or press release post on sites like Reader’s Digest and Bloomberg.
Brand: IssueWire
Value-focused PR tool for distribution to online outlets. Ability to add on multimedia as well. Boasts of getting users featured on Google News, Yahoo, and more.
Brand: NewswireJet
If online exposure is your aim, NewswireJet has you covered. There are several packages the site offers with guaranteed placement on popular online media websites like the CW, Yahoo, and Google News.
Brand: PRLeap
When one is not enough, PRLeap offers agency packages of up to 12 press release distributions per year. All press releases are optimized for viewing on all manners of devices from iPads and tablets to cell phones, and even us dinosaurs using a desktop can see the release well. Further, PRLeap offers distribution to 100+ media outlets and online placements standard with every order.
Brand: Ereleases
Established player for many years now in the online PR distribution space. Leverages PRNewswire’s technology for some distributions, and offers add-on services such as writing and editing.
Brand: Metro Monitor
Don’t let the name fool you, the Metro Monitor team will do more than monitor your media placements, they’ll send out press releases on your behalf as well. With a media contact database and tools to leverage the local or national target media of your fancy, Metro Monitor is at your service.
Brand: PR Wire Pro
The award for the use of largest headline font goes to, PR Wire Pro. In all seriousness, the site offers a standard online distribution with links and images, as well as price breaks on larger orders of online PR distribution. The service boasts a reach of over 250 media outlets.
Brand: AIO Newswire
If SEDAR and EDGAR are familiar names to you, then look no further than AIO Newswire. A financial newswire service to achieve regulatory compliance. Further, you can reach over 250 media outlets with AIO Newswire, and if you need help with press release writing, they handle that as well.
Brand: GlobeNewswire by Intrado
Press release distribution to the U.S. and around the world. Use multimedia, get editorial support, analyze performance of the PR, and much more. The GlobeNewswire PR distribution tool also allows for press release distribution on financial regulatory filings as well.
Did we miss one? Please comment and let us know and we’ll add it to our list.

3 – Key Takeaways

There are no shortage of options when it comes to PR distribution services online. It seems that most fall into one of about four categories.
Firstly, there are pure play online PR distribution services that act as paid content placements on reputable news websites. Benefits include lower cost and quick distribution. Pitfalls include no real earned media stories as a result.
Secondly, there are SaaS services that offer PR distribution as a piece of a larger software puzzle that provides media monitoring and online newsrooms. Benefits include integration to larger software suites, and more efficient workflow. Downsides could be cost and reliability of the media contact database supplied.
Thirdly, a crop of new offerings provide help with the PR process from A-Z, and focus on connecting with journalists directly via the inbox. Benefits include cost and speed of use, as well as increased chance for actually getting an earned media placement. Downsides include little to no online syndication on the paid content placement sites like AP, Yahoo, etc.
Finally, the big name players, offering a hybrid solution putting the press release through an actual newswire, as well as in the reporter’s inbox. Upside includes large reach, and potential for earned media. Downsides include cost and complex nature of onboarding.
Bio-
Clark Covington is a 17-year PR industry veteran. Covington’s firm, Brand Exercise, has helped land placements for clients on NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, CNN, and BBC, on shows like Today, Undercover Boss, and Shark Tank. Covington has also worked internally on PR teams for top-50 university Northeastern and national magazine Autoweek.

by Clark Covington