Press Release Distribution for VAs: 13 Services Compared by Price, Reach, and Deliverables (2026)
Sooner or later, a client asks: “Can you send out a press release for us?” The honest answer is that the sending is the easy part. The skill your client is really paying for is knowing which distribution service fits their budget and their goal. This guide compares 13 services so you can scope the task like a pro.
Three Questions to Ask Your Client
Before you pick a service, get answers to these three questions. They decide almost everything:
1. What is the goal? If the client wants search visibility and backlinks, a $21 to $49 service does the job. If they want a real shot at journalists and national outlets, the budget needs to start around $400.
2. What is the budget per release? The services below range from free to about $1,000. Anchoring the budget first saves you from presenting options the client will never approve.
3. How many releases per year? One product launch is a different purchase than a monthly news cadence. Volume unlocks bulk pricing on several services, and at high volume a subscription platform can beat per-release fees.
Pay-Per-Release Newswires Compared
These are pay-per-release services in the same league as EIN Presswire, which we include as the baseline. On a phone, tap each service to expand its full comparison. On a tablet, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Service | Entry price | Top price | Free tier | Wire syndication | Bulk discounts | Standout feature | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EIN Presswire | $149 / release | $999 for 15 releases (about $67 each) | No | AP News, USA Today Network, Google News, Bloomberg Terminals | Yes (packs of 5 to 15) | Country and industry targeting with a claimed 350M monthly reach | SEO visibility on a mid-range budget |
| Newswire.com | $399 / release | $965 / release (Feature tier) | No | AP News, Yahoo, and Nexstar affiliates on higher tiers | No published bulk rates | Unlimited words and images on every tier, plus state-level targeting at $599 | Growing businesses that want bigger-name outlets |
| PRLog | Free (ad-supported) | $99 / release (Premium2) | Yes | Google News from the $49 tier; 500+ outlets at $99 | Yes (multi-release rates) | Cheapest paid entry point into Google News at $49 | SEO-focused releases on a minimal budget |
| IssueWire | About $21 / release | About $65 / release | Yes (1 free release) | Google, Yahoo, Bing; ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliate sites on the $45 tier | Yes (200-release bulk packs) | Lowest paid entry with 145+ placements | High-volume, low-cost PR programs |
| PRFree | Free (ad-supported) | $39 / release (Premium) | Yes | Search engines only; no AP or Yahoo wire | No published bulk rates | 10 do-follow links and video embeds at the $39 tier | Backlink and SEO plays, not media pickup |
| 24-7 Press Release | $29 / release | $479 / release (includes PR Newswire) | No | PR Newswire national at the top tier; regional digital below | No published bulk rates | Wide price ladder from a simple site post up to the national wire | Scaling spend release by release |
| 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 first order) | Real PR Newswire distribution plus a 100k+ journalist database | National media reach without big-wire prices |
| 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 rates | PDF pickup report with live links to every placement | Verifiable placements 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 with release writing included | Guaranteed pickup with writing done for you |
EIN Presswire$149 / release
- Entry price
- $149 / release
- Top price
- $999 for 15 releases (about $67 each)
- Free tier
- No
- Wire syndication
- AP News, USA Today Network, Google News, Bloomberg Terminals
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (packs of 5 to 15)
- Standout feature
- Country and industry targeting with a claimed 350M 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
- Wire syndication
- AP News, Yahoo, and Nexstar affiliates on higher tiers
- Bulk discounts
- No published bulk rates
- Standout feature
- Unlimited words and images on every tier, plus state-level targeting at $599
- Best for
- Growing businesses that want bigger-name outlets
PRLogFree (ad-supported)
- Entry price
- Free (ad-supported)
- Top price
- $99 / release (Premium2)
- Free tier
- Yes
- Wire syndication
- Google News from the $49 tier; 500+ outlets at $99
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (multi-release rates)
- Standout feature
- Cheapest paid entry point into Google News at $49
- Best for
- SEO-focused releases on a minimal budget
IssueWireAbout $21 / release
- Entry price
- About $21 / release
- Top price
- About $65 / release
- Free tier
- Yes (1 free release)
- Wire syndication
- Google, Yahoo, Bing; ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliate sites on the $45 tier
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (200-release bulk packs)
- Standout feature
- Lowest paid entry with 145+ placements
- Best for
- High-volume, low-cost PR programs
PRFreeFree (ad-supported)
- Entry price
- Free (ad-supported)
- Top price
- $39 / release (Premium)
- Free tier
- Yes
- Wire syndication
- Search engines only; no AP or Yahoo wire
- Bulk discounts
- No published bulk rates
- Standout feature
- 10 do-follow links and video embeds at the $39 tier
- Best for
- Backlink and SEO plays, not media pickup
24-7 Press Release$29 / release
- Entry price
- $29 / release
- Top price
- $479 / release (includes PR Newswire)
- Free tier
- No
- Wire syndication
- PR Newswire national at the top tier; regional digital below
- Bulk discounts
- No published bulk rates
- Standout feature
- Wide price ladder from a simple site post up to the national wire
- Best for
- Scaling spend release by release
eReleases$399 (Buzz Builder)
- Entry price
- $399 (Buzz Builder)
- Top price
- $699 (PR Pro)
- Free tier
- No
- Wire syndication
- Full Cision PR Newswire national wire plus AP, Google, Bing, and Yahoo News
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (2+ releases; 30% off first order)
- Standout feature
- Real PR Newswire distribution plus a 100k+ journalist database
- Best for
- National media reach without big-wire prices
PR Underground$74.99 (Standard)
- Entry price
- $74.99 (Standard)
- Top price
- $419.99 (US National)
- Free tier
- No
- Wire syndication
- Google News and Digital Journal; Yahoo Finance and PRNewswire.com at the top tier
- Bulk discounts
- No published bulk rates
- Standout feature
- PDF pickup report with live links to every placement
- Best for
- Verifiable placements at a low cost
NewswireJet$129 / release
- Entry price
- $129 / release
- Top price
- $699 / release (as low as $90 each in bulk)
- Free tier
- No
- Wire syndication
- Up to 300 sites including AP News, MSN, and Yahoo Finance
- Bulk discounts
- Yes (up to 30% off in bulk)
- Standout feature
- Guaranteed placements with release writing included
- Best for
- Guaranteed pickup with writing done for you
Subscription PR Platforms Compared
If a client publishes news every month, per-release fees add up and the work shifts from one-off distribution to an ongoing PR operation: a hosted newsroom, a media contact list, and email outreach. These platforms are monthly subscriptions, and managing one for a client is exactly the kind of recurring, high-value work a VA can own end to end. NewswireJet is listed here for contrast because it is still a per-release wire.
| Service | Pricing | Model | Media contacts DB | Newsroom hosting | Wire distribution | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prezly | About $115 to $290 / month (billed in euros as EUR 100 to 250; annual billing); Enterprise custom | Subscription | Contact CRM (5k to 10k contacts) | Yes (white-label on Standard) | No; outreach via email campaigns | Brands running their own newsroom and journalist relationships |
| Prowly (Semrush AI PR Toolkit) | About $258 to $589 / month (pricing gated behind signup) | Subscription | Yes, plus media monitoring (10k to 80k mentions) | Yes (1 to 3 newsrooms) | No | Teams that want monitoring, outreach, and a newsroom in one |
| Presspage | Modular, from about $199 / month; custom quotes, annual billing | Subscription | Yes (1M+ contact directory module) | Yes (core product) | No | Enterprise comms teams and crisis-ready newsrooms |
| 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, Yahoo Finance | Guaranteed placements with writing included |
PrezlyAbout $115 to $290 / month (billed in euros as EUR 100 to 250; annual billing); Enterprise custom
- Pricing
- About $115 to $290 / month (billed in euros as EUR 100 to 250; annual billing); Enterprise custom
- Model
- Subscription
- Media contacts DB
- Contact CRM (5k to 10k contacts)
- Newsroom hosting
- Yes (white-label on Standard)
- Wire distribution
- No; outreach via email campaigns
- Best for
- Brands running their own newsroom and journalist relationships
Prowly (Semrush AI PR Toolkit)About $258 to $589 / month (pricing gated behind signup)
- Pricing
- About $258 to $589 / month (pricing gated behind signup)
- Model
- Subscription
- Media contacts DB
- Yes, plus media monitoring (10k to 80k mentions)
- Newsroom hosting
- Yes (1 to 3 newsrooms)
- Wire distribution
- No
- Best for
- Teams that want monitoring, outreach, and a newsroom in one
PresspageModular, from about $199 / month; custom quotes, annual billing
- Pricing
- Modular, from about $199 / month; custom quotes, annual billing
- Model
- Subscription
- Media contacts DB
- Yes (1M+ contact directory module)
- Newsroom hosting
- Yes (core product)
- Wire distribution
- No
- Best for
- Enterprise comms teams and crisis-ready newsrooms
NewswireJet$129 to $699 / release (as low as $90 each in bulk)
- Pricing
- $129 to $699 / release (as low as $90 each in bulk)
- Model
- Per-release wire
- Media contacts DB
- No
- Newsroom hosting
- No
- Wire distribution
- Yes; up to 300 sites including AP News, MSN, Yahoo Finance
- Best for
- Guaranteed placements with writing included
Picks by Client Budget
Under $50 per release: IssueWire ($21 to $45) or PRLog ($49 with Google News). Set expectations clearly: this buys search visibility and syndication, not journalist attention.
$75 to $200 per release: PR Underground ($74.99) for provable placements, EIN Presswire ($149, cheaper in packs) for targeting options, or NewswireJet ($129 and up) if the client also wants the release written for them.
$400 and up per release: eReleases ($399 to $699) for true PR Newswire distribution, or Newswire.com ($399 to $965) for AP News and Yahoo placement with unlimited words and images.
Ongoing retainer: Propose a platform like Prezly (from about $115 per month) and bill the management as a monthly service: newsroom updates, contact list upkeep, outreach, and reporting.
Client-Ready Deliverables
Whatever service you use, package the results. Send your client the distribution or pickup report, add UTM parameters to every link in the release so traffic shows up in their analytics, and keep a running log of placements. A one-page recap after each release turns a $30 task into evidence that you are running their PR, not just clicking submit.
Two practical warnings from the fine print: most services enforce word limits (400 to 700 words on entry tiers), and editorial review can take a business day. Build both into your turnaround promises.
Pricing was checked directly against each vendor’s published pricing in July 2026 and can change at any time. IssueWire and Prowly figures come from third-party pricing reviews because those vendors gate their current pricing. Links on this page open in a new tab.
