PR Newswire Reviews and Ratings

Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Score

8.3 out of 10

Community insights

TrustRadius Insights for PR Newswire are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.

Pros

Intuitive and user-friendly interface: Users have praised PR Newswire for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, with multiple reviewers stating that it simplifies the process of setting up a news release for distribution. The website's layout and navigation make it easy to upload press releases and save selections from previous distributions, saving time and effort.

Comprehensive visibility reports: Several users have appreciated the comprehensive visibility reports provided by PR Newswire. These reports offer valuable insights into the performance of press releases, including where they were distributed and their reach. This feature helps users identify target reporters for future releases and demonstrates the service's credibility.

Helpful customer support: Many reviewers have commended PR Newswire's customer support as helpful and personalized. One user highlighted the helpful step of receiving a call from an account representative to confirm everything was set before official distribution via the web portal. This personal touch adds value to the user experience without adding unnecessary complexity.

Reviews

15 Reviews

Long-time PR Newswire User

Rating: 8 out of 10

January 16, 2024

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use PR Newswire for wire distribution in the US to help us get the word out about new products and services. We typically use US1 and add additional targets based on the content of the release. We have typically only found success with wire distro in the US and do not put releases over the wire in our global regions.

Pros

Good distribution coverage
System is easy to use
Support staff is helpful

Cons

Quick turnaround releases can be harder to get through approvals
Billing has been a problem, getting billed for individual releases when they are already under contract. The account team is quick to try and fix but the wrong bills kept coming-- issues from their accounting department that were very disruptive and slow to get the paperwork trail fixed

Likelihood to Recommend

PR Newswire is a good fit for anyone wanting larger traditional press release coverage. More expensive than those using just email distro lists but coverage always ranks higher. It may not be good for very small companies with limited budgets to put towards releases. Those may want unlimited service of others with smaller reach, but won't make you pick and choose what news you can send out based on the size of the release package you can afford.

Verified User

Director in Marketing (1001-5000 employees)

Vetted Review

15 years of experience

Very good if used properly (part of an overall distribution plan)

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

August 5, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use PR Newswire to distribute some of our client news stories and key updates. It helps us increase the distribution of our business communications for those clients. Doing so also provides some additional benefits to our clients that are not directly related to comms distribution (such as SEO as well as referral traffic to the website).

Pros

Increases visibility of the message/communication.
Increases SEO visibility (backlink).
Referral traffic to the website.

Cons

Offer other ways to amplify the message/article.
Isn't free to use.

Likelihood to Recommend

PR Newswire is well-suited if you generally release lots of news pieces throughout the year. Having lots of news pieces/articles means that you can build up the number of articles on the service, and therefore use the platform to increase your own visibility on search engines. Without a consistent stream of news stories etc. it likely isn't going to be worth the investment. The SEO/referral traffic benefits (which you might experience) are just indirect benefits, and shouldn't be considered as a primary reason for using the services.

Verified User

Manager in Marketing (1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

6 years of experience

Valuable Tool For Agencies or Companies Who Send Out Many Releases

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

August 3, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Press releases are constantly used as part of our communication strategy, on behalf of our wide range of clients. Disseminating info using this service takes a lot of the work out of the process. We simply need to create a solid release and spend very little time on getting it out to the right people. The time and cost savings make it a no-brainer!

Pros

Simplifies the send out process and makes it easily repeatable.
Reduces the time and energy it takes to get the word out to the right people.
Backend dashboard is easy to use and provides all the info you need.

Cons

Cost was high when we only sent our releases for smaller clients.
Adding video and photos adds to the cost
Not able to easily target only specific outlets, or restrict others to reduce costs.

Likelihood to Recommend

For agencies or companies that send out a lot of releases to a wide range of outlets, the cost of the service is well justified and offers a lot of value. For some of our smaller clients who do not need to reach as far, the cost can sometimes be prohibitive based on their goals and ROI.

David Fox

President | Sales & Marketing Advisor in Marketing at Spider Marketing Group (1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

7 years of experience

View profile

Considered the gold standard in newswire distribution, but be careful about being held to their personal editorial preferences

Rating: 6 out of 10

Incentivized

July 30, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our agency uses PR Newswire to distribute news for our clients over the wire. It is exclusively used by our PR division as a way to memorialize news and announcements, have the news populate Google and other news alerts, and tie the news to the ticker symbols for our publicly traded clients. It ensures that there is an official, searchable and findable record of news that's been announced for and about the company and its stakeholders.

Pros

Making news searchable and findable, populating automated news alerts for those who follow certain companies and/or industries.
Ensuring that news is issued in a way that satisfies legal and regulatory requirements for publicly traded companies.
Ensuring that all content distributed through the platform is editorially sound and free of grammatical errors.

Cons

Lately, we noticed that PR Newswire has been holding up distributions for more than one client due to its in-house editors taking personal issue with the content of the news being shared. That's a critically bad issue.
The automated reports are very in-depth, but they lack context regarding what the numbers really mean. I would love to see greater analysis, not just numbers reporting.
Customer support (non-editorial) needs a bit of an overhaul. Since being acquired by Cision, the customer service has gone downhill.

Likelihood to Recommend

PR Newswire is a terrific solution for ensuring that news is distributed in a way that is findable and searchable. It also automatically ties the news to ticker symbols. It's not a useful or meaningful solution for actually securing news coverage. It still requires picking up the phone and pitching media.

Verified User

Vice-President (51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

15 years of experience

Stay with the best, forget the rest

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

July 14, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

PRNewswire is used by marketing to publish press releases for the organization. We use it as a one stop shop for ensuring distribution across the United States media outlets. It helps us quickly and easily get the word out about our current and upcoming initiatives with our target prospects and clients in the healthcare industry.

Pros

It is very easy to use
The customer service is done in person over the phone rather than all online
It is customizable every time you use it
It is thorough

Cons

The pricing of various components are complicated to understand
I'd like more consultation on which types of press releases deserve more outlets
A monthly report would be nice

Likelihood to Recommend

I feel that PRNewswire is well suited to use for publishing press releases on an ongoing basis. It is the gold standard among distribution of communication to media outlets. The pricing of various options can be complicated though and one needs to consult ones contract to know what is included versus what is extra.

Leslie Groves

Head Of Marketing in Marketing at HealthCrowd (51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

View profile

PR Newswire allows you to decide where your information will go

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

July 13, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our organization relies on PR Newswire for all of our over-the-wire press releases. We utilize the US and Canadian distribution in order to reach both our English-speaking and French-speaking audiences. This includes the translation services that PR Newswire provides. We are currently in the discussion and planning phases of implementing additional PR Newswire/Cision services to round out our initiatives.

Pros

Translation Services
Over the wire distribution
Finding resources to further expand our reach

Cons

Contract negotiation
Client Management
Communication with customers

Likelihood to Recommend

PR Newswire is well suited for those who are looking to communicate with a broad audience but require the ability to specifically focus on a particular demographic. Press releases are only as good as the people they reach and while it's important to reach as many people as possible in some instances, it is also vitally important that you reach the correct people. For those who use PR Newswire, it is important that you select the correct package in order to reach the right area of focus.

Ashley Taylor

Director of International Branding and Marketing in Marketing at Allied Dispatch Solutions (201-500 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

View profile

PR Newswire Offers Great Customer Service!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

December 4, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

PR Newswire is a great tool for our client launches and announcements.

Pros

PR Newswire has great customer service that is willing to walk you through each step.
Distribution site is very user-friendly.

Cons

The costs tend to add up if you plan to include a logo and image.

Likelihood to Recommend

PR Newswire is an ideal tool for wire distribution as they have really structured it to be incredibly user-friendly. I've done a lot of wire releases in my career and I somehow get anxious to do them - but PR Newswire makes the process super simple.

Verified User

Manager in Marketing (11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

12 years of experience

PR Newswire is dishonest and I recommend searching elsewhere...

Rating: 1 out of 10

November 27, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We used PR Newswire to release a couple of press-releases in 2019. We are a small business, so when a release is made, it is for the entire organization. We like to get increased exposure on newsworthy events/updates happening within our organization, and that is why we chose to use PR Newswire.

Pros

They are really good at trying to upsell you and take your money.

Cons

The company, from my experience, is unethical. They tell you one thing and then do another. They publish releases then take them down shortly after the money has been paid.
If PR Newswire is well connected to your competitors, I believe you don't get the exposure you should and you are more likely to have your press-releases rejected.
This company, in my opinion, is as corrupt as they get. Run as fast as you can.

Likelihood to Recommend

I don't really think PR Newswire is ever appropriate after finding a new company (who I will not name in this review). I recommend looking at similar companies in this space. There are companies out there who get a similar exposure, are a fraction of the cost, and provide 10x more excellent customer service.

Verified User

C-Level Executive in Corporate (11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

PR Newswire CAN be good for larger companies or bigger news announcements, but it can be pricey

Rating: 6 out of 10

Incentivized

May 5, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use PR Newswire in my business to issue clients' press releases on a wire service. I have my own account but I also sometimes help clients set up an account under their own business name.

It helps further the reach of a press release. While a wire service doesn't do the job of a PR consultant who would pitch the news to journalists, it does help cover the bases. It also helps boost SEO.

Pros

I think PR Newswire's reach is very good. It's a well-known service that's been around a long time and has a solid reputation. You can trust it.
I think PR Newswire helps increase the visibility of news. So although I would also recommend pitching the news, using a wire service, particularly when there's major news to announce, can help in spreading the word.
It's pretty easy to use. You may need someone to walk you through it at first, but you can save distributions and so forth so that it gets easier over time.

Cons

Pricing. It's VERY expensive. This is why it's difficult to recommend it to any clients on a budget. Smaller businesses and startups would be hard-pressed to pay hundreds of dollars to issue a press release. And the pricing goes up if you want to include a photo, etc. There are competitors who will do it for less.
They also want to charge you a fee just to have an account, whether or not you use it. That seems like it's not a good practice.
While they've made it more streamlined to use, they could do a better job of including which trade publications you can reach, etc. I feel like it used to be easier to pull a list of those -- now they seem harder to find. Trade publications are important for clients that play in vertical markets.

Likelihood to Recommend

If you're a big company with a big budget, by all means, PR Newswire is a good fit. And if you're a company making a major news announcement, it might be worth it to use PR Newswire. Sometimes, if it's an acquisition, etc., it would be a good idea, and if you have a partner who can help split the cost, that might be a good scenario.

I'd say for a smaller company or startup, you might want to look at a competitor that's less costly, or skip the wire and pitch the news. There are even free wire services to try.

Michelle Messenger Garrett

Writer/Content Creator/Public Relations Consultant in Marketing at Garrett Public Relations (1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

20 years of experience

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