Long-time PR Newswire User
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 …
Starting at $199 per release
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Recent Reviews
Reviewer Pros & Cons
Pricing
Newswire Digital
$199
Cloud
per release
Newswire Digital Plus
$449
Cloud
per release
Newswire State
$499
Cloud
per release
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Product Details
- About
- Tech Details
What is PR Newswire?
PR Newswire Technical Details
| Deployment Types | Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
| Mobile Application | No |
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Reviews and Ratings
(25)
Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
- Business Problems Solved
- Pros
- Cons
PR Newswire is a versatile platform that has proven to be valuable for various users across different industries. One of its primary use cases is to complement other earned media relations efforts. Users, such as Public Relations Managers, have found that by utilizing PR Newswire alongside product and tour announcements, they can achieve their communication and public relations goals quickly and easily. Moreover, PR Newswire offers a long-life digital footprint that provides value from an SEO standpoint. Users have reported being able to track clicks on links, downloads of media assets like logos and videos, which helps them gauge the success of their campaigns.
Another significant use case of PR Newswire is its ability to simplify the process of disseminating information. Marketing teams have relied on this platform to publish press releases for organizations, ensuring wide distribution across US media outlets. By using PR Newswire, these teams can effectively spread the word about current and upcoming initiatives, saving both time and cost in the process. Additionally, PR Newswire plays a crucial role in increasing the distribution of business communications for clients. It not only reaches English-speaking audiences but also caters to French-speaking audiences through US and Canadian distribution channels. The platform's translation services contribute to effective communication with diverse audiences, making it an indispensable tool for companies operating globally.
Editorial departments have found PR Newswire useful for finding business news releases for investigation or writing purposes. It allows them to establish relationships with public relations professionals and stay up-to-date with industry developments. Furthermore, small businesses have utilized PR Newswire as a means to gain increased exposure on newsworthy events happening within their organizations. By leveraging this platform, these businesses are able to reach a wider audience and generate valuable publicity.
Overall, PR Newswire addresses several common challenges faced by businesses and marketing professionals alike. Its ease of use, broad distribution capabilities, SEO benefits, and comprehensive tracking features make it a go-to platform for maximizing the impact of press releases and media campaigns.
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.
Pricing Concerns: Some users have expressed concerns about the pricing of PR Newswire, stating that it can be cost prohibitive to add multiple photos, video links, and logos. Others feel that the pricing structure is comprehensive but excludes smaller companies or public relations agencies from affording the service. Additionally, there are mentions of additional fees for services like logo storage that some users believe should be included in their membership fee.
Complicated Pricing Structure: The pricing for different components of the service is perceived as complicated by users. They would appreciate more consultation on which types of press releases deserve more outlets. This lack of clarity has led some users to find PR Newswire pricey compared to its competitors, especially when considering costs for including a logo and image.
Technical Issues and Unreliable Search Function: Users have reported technical issues with PR Newswire's search function, mentioning that it does not always bring up relevant news. Furthermore, there have been instances where press releases were removed after publication, resulting in broken links or missing URLs. These problems undermine user experience and affect the overall reliability of the platform.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
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January 16, 2024
Long-time PR Newswire User
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
- Good distribution coverage
- System is easy to use
- Support staff is helpful
- 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
November 24, 2021
Very good if used properly (part of an overall distribution plan)
- Increases visibility of the message/communication.
- Increases SEO visibility (backlink).
- Referral traffic to the website.
- Offer other ways to amplify the message/article.
- Isn't free to use.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Easy to use for wire distribution
- Provides excellent SEO value
- Helps to boost impression numbers
- Pricing could be better especially as it relates to a digital footprint
- The ability to add multiple photos, video links, logos, etc., can be cost prohibitive
- From an earned media relations standpoint, we find that journalists may not cover something once they see it on the newswire
July 14, 2021
Stay with the best, forget the rest
- 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
- 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
- Translation Services
- Over the wire distribution
- Finding resources to further expand our reach
- Contract negotiation
- Client Management
- Communication with customers
December 04, 2019
PR Newswire Offers Great Customer Service!
- PR Newswire has great customer service that is willing to walk you through each step.
- Distribution site is very user-friendly.
- The costs tend to add up if you plan to include a logo and image.
November 29, 2019
PR Newswire CAN be good for larger companies or bigger news announcements, but it can be pricey
- 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.
- 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.
November 27, 2019
PR Newswire is dishonest and I recommend searching elsewhere...
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
- They are really good at trying to upsell you and take your money.
- 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.
August 14, 2018
PR Newswire review
- Customer service at PR Newswire is excellent
- PR Newswire offers reliable press release distribution
- PR Newswire offers a quick way to see where your release was posted and who picks it up
- PR Newswire offers fast turnaround when my company makes changes to our press release
- The PR Newswire member portal makes submitting releases, reviewing proofs and approving easy.
- PR Newswire seems to be a little pricey compared to some of their competitors
- PR Newswire could offer more affordable translation services with quicker turnaround time
August 06, 2018
Satisfied PR Newswire User
- User-friendly - PR Newswire has a very user-friendly website that makes it simple and easy to get a news release set up for a distribution relatively quickly. You can also save your selections from a previous distribution to make it go even faster. Since I am pretty much always sending out my releases to the same distribution list, all I have to do is check that box.
- Customer support - When you submit a release via the web portal, you have several options about when it will be released. I typically want my releases to go out as quickly as possible, but even then I know an account representative will take a look at my release and accompanying multimedia materials and give me a quick call to confirm and make sure everything is set before officially sending it out. It's a helpful step without making the process cumbersome.
- Reports - PR Newswire provides timely and comprehensive reports, so it's easy to tell the where the news release went.
- Pricing - PR Newswire is expensive. I don't think this is necessary something they need to improve upon as their pricing does include a lot and is comparable to what other similar companies charge, but the pricing structure does price out smaller companies or public relations agencies.
- It is very easy to set up an account on PR Newswire and get started. The dashboard is very intuitive.
- Once you are ready to upload a press release, doing so it easy and the pricing structure for the different distributions are clearly laid out.
- You can choose a distribution list or e-mail (or fax) your own distribution list, making it easy to target your release to different reporters.
- Once a press release is sent up, PR Newswire follows up with visibility reports so you know how well your release did and if you need to do another or target specific reporters.
- The pricing structure is comprehensive, depending on how far you want your release to go.
- Adding multi-media, such as photos, increases visibility quite a bit but PR Newswire charges extra for photos.
- PR Newswire also charges an annual fee for storing your logo, which I think should be free for organizations that already have an account (and pay a membership fee).
June 27, 2018
Does the job once you get accustomed to the platform
- Huge range of news topics
- Variety of industries and languages
- Updated frequently, which is crucial for a news organization
- The search function does not typically bring up news that is relevant to me or the search terms
- Press releases are frequently removed after publication, leaving us with broken links or missing URLs
- I wish there was a way to set my preferences for language, location, topics, publication date, etc. If there is, it's not intuitive to set up
- It gets info we need to us rather quickly.
- It gets the message across that an organization is trying to convey to us.
- We don't have to "hunt down" sources at times to get what we need. It's just there for us.
- It sometimes reads as too "PR-y."
- It could have more quotes.
- Sometimes it can be bombarding with info that doesn't even relate to what we are trying to get across to our readers.