Distributing press releases through press-release distribution services on the Web is an incredible way to generate inbound links and targeted traffic to a website. Unfortunately, many of the paid press release distribution services charge a pretty penny for sharing your press release with the world. With an SEO-optimized press release from PRWeb priced at $200 or more, many new websites are unable to afford the cost of a premium distribution services.
This is not to say that websites with a limited marketing budget cannot benefit from using a press-release distribution service. There are many free distribution sites that will offer similar services to the paid press release distribution sites; however, the free services range dramatically in value.
There are many free press-release distribution services to choose from, each offering different benefits to users. Here are a few criteria to consider:
Links
Some sites permit the use of links within the press-release, while others do not. As a general rule, if a site doesn't allow you to include links it is not worth your time.
Submission to Google News
Not every distribution service feeds the releases directly to Google News. Aim to submit only to services that have a relationship with Google News for best results.
Page Rank of the Host Site
The page rank of the press-release distribution service should also be taken into consideration. If the site has an extremely low page rank (below 3), submitting a press-release may not do any good.
Newspaper/Journalist Network
If a press-release distribution service does not have a network of newspapers and journalists who review the press-releases, you may be better off looking for a service that works directly with news professionals.
