If you're trying to get your press release out to the world in hopes of getting media coverage, it's important to have it distributed effectively.
There are two main ways to do this: using a press release distribution service, also called a “wire”, or reaching out to relevant media contacts with your news in hopes of it getting covered.
If you're after press release distribution services, you probably have two of the most popular ones already on your radar: PR Newswire vs Business Wire. Here's how they compare.
Pricing overview
Pricing for both wire services is similar, although Businesswire is slightly on the more affordable side. The base price for both providers is nearly the same, with the main differences lying in the additionally priced features like logos, multimedia, and membership costs.
| PR Newswire | Businesswire | |
| Base price (national distribution) | $805 per release, up to 400 words | $760 per release, up to 400 words |
| Each additional 100 words | $245 | $195 |
| Membership | $195 | $0 |
| Logo attachment | $495 | $0 |
| Multimedia attachment | $325 | $425 |
Features quickly add up, meaning you can end up paying well over $1000-2000 to send a single press release—an enormous jump compared to paying 5-10x less with a PR outreach tool like Prowly.
Feature comparison
Compared to other providers on the market, both wire services offer powerful press release distribution possibilities.
Both PR Newswire and Businesswire let you target media outlets on a local, national, or global scale. Targeting options are advanced, giving you the flexibility to help your press release reach more relevant outlets.
At a glance, it appears Businesswire is the winner when it comes to features. However, it’s worth remembering that these numbers are taken from each provider’s website, leading to possible differences in what each considers to be an outlet or journalist subscriber.
| PR Newswire | Businesswire | |
| Included outlets (incl. digital networks) | >5,800 (US) | >100,000 (worldwide) |
| Words included | 400 | 400 |
| Links included | 1 for every 100 words | Unlimited |
| # of journalist subscribers | 39,000 | 92,000 |
| Targeting options | Demographics Language Location Industry Audience interest | Demographics Geographic markets Industry niche Platforms Languages |
| Available industries | 60 | 160 |
| Proofreading services | Yes | Yes |
| Social media distribution | Yes | Yes |
| Support | Phone & email | Phone, email & chat |
| Analytics & reporting | Yes | Yes |
Reviews & what users are saying
To get a better idea of how each PR Newswire compares to Businesswire, let’s take a look at what reviewers are saying:
G2
As of November 2020, Businesswire has a rating of 4.1 out of 5 with 182 reviews, while PR Newswire is rated at 3.8 out of 5, with 690 reviews.
Trustradius
Reviews on TrustRadius tell a similar story, with users preferring Business Wire.
However, if you dig deeper into the reviews you can find pros & cons for both:
Reviewer #1
I used Business Wire for many years, but when I had a bad experience with customer service, I stopped.
Reviewer #2
I prefer Business Wire to PR Newswire because it is easier to navigate and browse by my selected industries. I do not feel the same way about PR Newswire, though I use both to ensure I am gathering as much information as possible in case one site missed news that the other may have.
Reviewer #3
PR Newswire is different from the others because it actually does sound like a news story at times. That is helpful when time is at a premium and you are wanting to get something out there that is a story that is informative and doesn't look like a PR piece at times.
Reviewer #4
PR Newswire is a basic wire distribution service, so it's best used for releases that you need to reach a wide audience but don't necessarily need to hyper-target demographically. There are a number of distribution channel options, but most of them are fairly generic when compared to other more intense services such as Business Wire. However, the price of PR Newswire is also significantly lower, so for what you pay, it more than exceeds expectations.
PR Newswire & Businesswire alternatives
Getting your news out to the world doesn’t have to be expensive. Apart from these two providers, there are two ways you can go: find a press release distribution service or reach out to relevant media outlets with your news.
Less expensive press release distribution services
Here are examples of other wire services without a hefty price tag:
- EIN Presswire - starts at $49.95 per release
- 24-7pressrelease.com - starts at $19 per release
- PR Underground - starts at $49.99 per release
- NewswireJet - starts at $59 per release
- Send2Press - starts at $89 per release
Distributing the press release by yourself
A cheaper—and usually more effective—way to send your press release and get media coverage is with PR outreach, or in other words: pitching the media.
How can PR outreach be more effective for getting valuable press coverage compared to wire services?
Instead of the typical “spray and pray approach” of wire services, PR outreach is about reaching out to relevant media contacts with your press release or story. What this means is being able to get your media coverage where your target audience is actually likely to read the news you’re trying to get out to the world.
Tools like Prowly let you find relevant media contacts with an extensive media database and then pitch them your story with personalized distribution and analytics. Pricing starts at $258 per month. Here's how it compares to newswires.
