Press Release Distribution for VAs: 13 Services Compared by Price, Reach, and Deliverables (2026)
Sooner or later, a client asks you to send out a press release. Sending the release is the easy part. The client pays you to choose the distribution service that fits their budget and their goal. This guide compares 12 press release services, so you can recommend the correct one.
Three Questions to Ask Your Client
Ask your client these three questions before you choose a service. The answers decide most of your choice.
1. What is the goal? Some clients want search engine optimization (SEO). They want the news to show in search results, and they want backlinks. A backlink is a link from a different site to the client’s site. A service that costs $21 to $49 per release does this job. Other clients want journalists and national outlets to see the news. For that goal, the budget must start at about $400 per release.
2. What is the budget for each release? The services in this guide cost from $0 to about $1,000 per release. Get the budget first. Then you show the client only the options that they can approve.
3. How many releases does the client send each year? One product launch and a monthly news schedule are different purchases. Some services give a lower price when you buy many releases. At high volume, a subscription platform can cost less than per-release fees.
Pay-Per-Release Newswires Compared
A newswire sends each release to a network of news sites. Each newswire in this table charges a fee for each release. EIN Presswire is the baseline for comparison. On a phone, tap a service to see all of its details. On a tablet, swipe the table to the side to see all of the columns.
| Service | Entry price | Top price | Free tier | Syndication | Bulk discounts | Main feature | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EIN Presswire | $149 / release | $999 for 15 releases (about $67 each) | No | AP News, USA Today Network, Google News, and Bloomberg Terminal | Yes (packs of 5 to 15) | Country and industry targeting (the vendor claims 350 million monthly reach) | SEO visibility on a mid-range budget |
| Newswire.com | $399 / release | $965 / release (Feature tier) | No | AP News, Yahoo, and Nexstar affiliate sites on higher tiers | No published bulk prices | No limit on words or images on any tier. State targeting costs $599. | Growing businesses that want well-known outlets |
| PRLog | Free (with ads) | $99 / release (Premium2) | Yes | Google News from the $49 tier. 500+ outlets at $99. | Yes (multi-release prices) | Lowest-cost paid access to Google News, at $49 | SEO releases on a very small budget |
| IssueWire | About $21 / release | About $65 / release | Yes (1 free release) | Google, Yahoo, and Bing. ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliate sites on the $45 tier. | Yes (packs of 200 releases) | Lowest paid entry price, with 145+ placements | High-volume, low-cost PR programs |
| PRFree | Free (with ads) | $39 / release (Premium) | Yes | Search engines only. No AP or Yahoo syndication. | No published bulk prices | 10 do-follow links and video embeds on the $39 tier. A do-follow link passes SEO value to the client’s site. | Backlinks and SEO, not media placements |
| 24-7 Press Release | $29 / release | $479 / release (includes PR Newswire) | No | PR Newswire national wire at the top tier. Regional digital sites on lower tiers. | No published bulk prices | Many price tiers, from a post on its own site up to the national wire | Clients who increase the budget one release at a time |
| eReleases | $399 (Buzz Builder) | $699 (PR Pro) | No | Full Cision PR Newswire national wire, plus AP, Google, Bing, and Yahoo News | Yes (2+ releases). 30% off the first order. | Full PR Newswire distribution, plus a database of 100,000+ journalists | National media reach for less than the large newswires charge |
| PR Underground | $74.99 (Standard) | $419.99 (US National) | No | Google News and Digital Journal. Yahoo Finance and PRNewswire.com at the top tier. | No published bulk prices | PDF pickup report with a live link to each placement | Placements that you can prove, at a low cost |
| NewswireJet | $129 / release | $699 / release (as low as $90 each in bulk) | No | Up to 300 sites, including AP News, MSN, and Yahoo Finance | Yes (up to 30% off in bulk) | Guaranteed placements. The service also writes the release. | Clients who want guaranteed placements and a written release |
EIN Presswire$149 / release
- Entry price
- $149 / release
- Top price
- $999 for 15 releases (about $67 each)
- Free tier
- No
- Syndication
- AP News, USA Today Network, Google News, and Bloomberg Terminal
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (packs of 5 to 15)
- Main feature
- Country and industry targeting (the vendor claims 350 million monthly reach)
- Best for
- SEO visibility on a mid-range budget
Newswire.com$399 / release
- Entry price
- $399 / release
- Top price
- $965 / release (Feature tier)
- Free tier
- No
- Syndication
- AP News, Yahoo, and Nexstar affiliate sites on higher tiers
- Bulk discounts
- No published bulk prices
- Main feature
- No limit on words or images on any tier. State targeting costs $599.
- Best for
- Growing businesses that want well-known outlets
PRLogFree
- Entry price
- Free (with ads)
- Top price
- $99 / release (Premium2)
- Free tier
- Yes
- Syndication
- Google News from the $49 tier. 500+ outlets at $99.
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (multi-release prices)
- Main feature
- Lowest-cost paid access to Google News, at $49
- Best for
- SEO releases on a very small budget
IssueWireFrom about $21
- Entry price
- About $21 / release
- Top price
- About $65 / release
- Free tier
- Yes (1 free release)
- Syndication
- Google, Yahoo, and Bing. ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliate sites on the $45 tier.
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (packs of 200 releases)
- Main feature
- Lowest paid entry price, with 145+ placements
- Best for
- High-volume, low-cost PR programs
PRFreeFree
- Entry price
- Free (with ads)
- Top price
- $39 / release (Premium)
- Free tier
- Yes
- Syndication
- Search engines only. No AP or Yahoo syndication.
- Bulk discounts
- No published bulk prices
- Main feature
- 10 do-follow links and video embeds on the $39 tier. A do-follow link passes SEO value to the client’s site.
- Best for
- Backlinks and SEO, not media placements
24-7 Press ReleaseFrom $29
- Entry price
- $29 / release
- Top price
- $479 / release (includes PR Newswire)
- Free tier
- No
- Syndication
- PR Newswire national wire at the top tier. Regional digital sites on lower tiers.
- Bulk discounts
- No published bulk prices
- Main feature
- Many price tiers, from a post on its own site up to the national wire
- Best for
- Clients who increase the budget one release at a time
eReleasesFrom $399
- Entry price
- $399 (Buzz Builder)
- Top price
- $699 (PR Pro)
- Free tier
- No
- Syndication
- Full Cision PR Newswire national wire, plus AP, Google, Bing, and Yahoo News
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (2+ releases). 30% off the first order.
- Main feature
- Full PR Newswire distribution, plus a database of 100,000+ journalists
- Best for
- National media reach for less than the large newswires charge
PR UndergroundFrom $74.99
- Entry price
- $74.99 (Standard)
- Top price
- $419.99 (US National)
- Free tier
- No
- Syndication
- Google News and Digital Journal. Yahoo Finance and PRNewswire.com at the top tier.
- Bulk discounts
- No published bulk prices
- Main feature
- PDF pickup report with a live link to each placement
- Best for
- Placements that you can prove, at a low cost
NewswireJetFrom $129
- Entry price
- $129 / release
- Top price
- $699 / release (as low as $90 each in bulk)
- Free tier
- No
- Syndication
- Up to 300 sites, including AP News, MSN, and Yahoo Finance
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (up to 30% off in bulk)
- Main feature
- Guaranteed placements. The service also writes the release.
- Best for
- Clients who want guaranteed placements and a written release
Subscription PR Platforms Compared
Some clients publish news every month. For these clients, per-release fees add up. The work also changes. It becomes ongoing public relations (PR) work, with a hosted newsroom, a media contact list, and email outreach. Each platform in this table charges a monthly subscription. A virtual assistant (VA) can manage one of these platforms for a client from start to finish, as recurring monthly work. NewswireJet is in this table for comparison, because it charges per release.
| Service | Price | Model | Media contact database | Newsroom hosting | Wire distribution | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prezly | About $115 to $290 / month, billed yearly in euros (EUR 100 to 250). Enterprise plans have a custom price. | Subscription | Contact manager for 5,000 to 10,000 contacts | Yes (no Prezly branding on the Standard plan) | No. Outreach is by email campaigns. | Brands that manage their own newsroom and journalist relationships |
| Prowly (Semrush AI PR Toolkit) | About $258 to $589 / month. You must sign up to see the prices. | Subscription | Yes, plus media monitoring (10,000 to 80,000 mentions) | Yes (1 to 3 newsrooms) | No | Teams that want monitoring, outreach, and a newsroom in one tool |
| Presspage | Modular, from about $199 / month. Custom quotes and yearly billing. | Subscription | Yes (a directory module with 1 million+ contacts) | Yes (the core product) | No | Enterprise communications teams and newsrooms that must be ready for a crisis |
| NewswireJet | $129 to $699 / release (as low as $90 each in bulk) | Per-release wire | No | No | Yes. Up to 300 sites, including AP News, MSN, and Yahoo Finance. | Clients who want guaranteed placements and a written release |
PrezlyFrom about $115 / month
- Price
- About $115 to $290 / month, billed yearly in euros (EUR 100 to 250). Enterprise plans have a custom price.
- Model
- Subscription
- Media contact database
- Contact manager for 5,000 to 10,000 contacts
- Newsroom hosting
- Yes (no Prezly branding on the Standard plan)
- Wire distribution
- No. Outreach is by email campaigns.
- Best for
- Brands that manage their own newsroom and journalist relationships
Prowly (Semrush AI PR Toolkit)From about $258 / month
- Price
- About $258 to $589 / month. You must sign up to see the prices.
- Model
- Subscription
- Media contact database
- Yes, plus media monitoring (10,000 to 80,000 mentions)
- Newsroom hosting
- Yes (1 to 3 newsrooms)
- Wire distribution
- No
- Best for
- Teams that want monitoring, outreach, and a newsroom in one tool
PresspageFrom about $199 / month
- Price
- Modular, from about $199 / month. Custom quotes and yearly billing.
- Model
- Subscription
- Media contact database
- Yes (a directory module with 1 million+ contacts)
- Newsroom hosting
- Yes (the core product)
- Wire distribution
- No
- Best for
- Enterprise communications teams and newsrooms that must be ready for a crisis
NewswireJetFrom $129 / release
- Price
- $129 to $699 / release (as low as $90 each in bulk)
- Model
- Per-release wire
- Media contact database
- No
- Newsroom hosting
- No
- Wire distribution
- Yes. Up to 300 sites, including AP News, MSN, and Yahoo Finance.
- Best for
- Clients who want guaranteed placements and a written release
Recommended Services by Budget
Less than $50 per release: Use IssueWire ($21 to $45) or PRLog ($49, with Google News). Tell the client what this budget gets. It gets search visibility and syndication, which puts copies of the release on partner sites. It does not get the attention of journalists.
$75 to $200 per release: Use PR Underground ($74.99) for placements that you can prove. Use EIN Presswire ($149, less in packs) for country and industry targeting. Use NewswireJet ($129 and up) if the client also wants the service to write the release.
$400 or more per release: Use eReleases ($399 to $699) for full PR Newswire distribution. Use Newswire.com ($399 to $965) for AP News and Yahoo placements, with no limit on words or images.
Monthly retainer: Recommend a platform such as Prezly (from about $115 per month). Then bill your management of the platform as a monthly service. This service includes newsroom updates, contact list maintenance, outreach, and reports.
Reports to Give Your Client
Do these four steps with each service and each release:
1. Send the client the distribution report or the pickup report.
2. Add UTM parameters to each link in the release. UTM parameters are tags that show the source of each visit in the client’s analytics.
3. Keep a log of all placements.
4. Send the client a one-page summary after each release.
The summary shows the value of a $30 task. It shows the client that you manage their PR program.
Two limits can delay a release. Most services set a word limit, and entry tiers allow only 400 to 700 words. Editorial review can also take one business day. Include both limits in the deadlines that you give the client.
We compared each price with the vendor’s published pricing in July 2026, with two exceptions. IssueWire and Prowly do not show their current prices to the public, so their figures come from third-party pricing reviews. Prices can change at any time. Each link on this page opens in a new tab.
