How much does it cost to distribute a press release?

DIY distribution: free

Sending press releases yourself via email costs nothing except time. Building a list and maintaining contacts takes effort, but ongoing distribution is free.

Wire services and distribution platforms

Commercial services charge per release. Pricing typically ranges from modest to several hundred dollars depending on the service tier, geographic reach, and journalist database size. Standard packages cover local, regional, or national distribution. More specialized or targeted distribution costs more.

What affects cost

Your reach determines price. Local distribution is cheaper than national. Targeting specific industries costs more than broad distribution. Add-ons like multimedia hosting, press release optimization, or analytics increase fees.

Hidden expenses

Beyond distribution, budget for time spent researching journalists, personalizing outreach, and following up. If you hire someone to manage this, that's your largest cost.

Which approach makes sense

For under five releases yearly, DIY distribution is sensible. For regular announcements (monthly or more), a small budget for a distribution service might pay off in time saved. For highly targeted, local news, personal outreach often works better than paid services regardless of cost.