PR Newswire is a service that was created in 1954 to help companies and PR professionals to send press releases to news organizations. These press releases are developed for electronic targeting, media reach, global reach, digital discoverability, online reach, multimedia reach, and social media reach. As the leading global provider of earned media software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals, PR Newswire helps brands to identify and engage with key influencers, create and distribute newsworthy content, and measure the financial impact of their efforts. In 2015, Cision Inc. acquired the company and, on January 1st, 2021, they formally rebranded as PR Newswire. With many press distribution services at varying price points, it can be difficult to understand precisely how much one should pay to use those services.
Based on our research, we know that membership prices and add-ons can leave people wondering how much they need to pay for distribution services.
Disclaimer: The pricing information below may not be 100% accurate due to updates on their platform. To get more up-to-date information, you can get in touch with the PR Newswire team through their website and other social platforms.
PR Newswire pricing overview
These are the average costs of using PR Newswire to send a press release:
| State & Local | Regional & Top Markets | National | |
| Annual Membership | $195 with CCA
$249 if invoiced |
$195 with CCA
$249 if invoiced |
$195 with CCA
$249 if invoiced |
| Price | $350 | $575 | $805 |
| Outlets Included (Digital Networks) | 1,000 | 1,300 | 5,800 |
| Word Count | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| Additional 100 words | $140 | $165 | $245 |
| Multimedia Inclusions | $325 | $325 | $325 |
| Logo | $495 | $495 | $495 |
PR Newswire Membership Details
PR Newswire is a membership-centric organization. Aside from customers with a new or existing long-term-contract (2 years or more deal with PRN), membership costs $195 per year (you’ll need to pay by credit card and go to “Credit Card Always/CCA” billing upon signup) or $249 (if invoiced).
Membership includes the following features:
- Ability to distribute news via the newswire network with the greatest reach and most comprehensive reporting in the industry.
- Pre-registration, verification, and set up for news release distribution.
- Quarterly re-authentication of all of the organization’s “authorized senders.”
- Complimentary access to Premium, member-only webinars that teach you how to leverage content and engage with key audiences effectively
- Complimentary organizational archive (with logo) on this award-winning, heavily trafficked, and search-engine-optimized news and information site
- 24/7/365, concierge-level professional services and customer support
- Complimentary phone/webinar training for all primary services. Extra fees may apply for in-person training
- Complimentary audience engagement counseling. They will provide people with adequate guidance to help them achieve their communications objectives.
If you’re only looking to send a press release, you will still have to pay the membership free.
Press Release Pricing
Depending on the scope of distribution, PR Newswire charges between $350 to $8700. The prices are for a standard 400-word press release. Every extra 100 words will be priced additionally, starting at $140 and can go up to $2200.
Distributing a press release locally to most states can cost up to $350. Targeting top markets or regions can bring the price up to $575, and sending a press release nationally can cost around $805.
PR Newswire also has international distribution options. This can start from $1200 for targeting the US & Canada, $3500 for Asia or Europe, and up to $8700 for global reach. Due to rapidly rising costs as your scope of distribution increases, it is wise to consider whether you really need to distribute your press release across the whole country.
| Edition | Pricing Details | Terms |
| PR Newswire Digital | $199 | Per release |
| PR Newswire Digital Plus | $449 | Per release |
| PR Newswire State | $499 | Per release |
| PR Newswire National | $799 | Per release |
| PR Newswire Global | $1,649 | Per release |
| PR Newswire Canada | $649 | Per release |
| PR Newswire UK | $649 | Per release |
| PR Newswire Asia | $649 | Per release |
| PR Newswire Latin America | $949 | Per release |
| PR Newswire Financial | $799 | Per release |
Additional features can quickly add up, which means that people can end up paying over $1000 -2000 to send just one press release. This is a significant jump compared to paying almost 5-10 times less with alternate PR outreach tools and agencies like Pressfarm.
Companies like PR Newswire provide many services such as placement in top-tier news outlets and inclusion in search engines such as Google, Bing! and Yahoo. Their services conveniently boost client publicity with minimum effort. But, as you can see, this can be very pricey.
PR Newswire Alternative
There are other more affordable options available for startups and companies looking for another way to send their press release without stretching their budget. You generally have two options: choose a cheaper press release distribution service or opt to send your press release out on your own to relevant media contacts interested in covering your story.
1) Budget-friendly PR Newswire alternatives
Most press release distribution companies offer bulk pricing packages for clients who are looking for multiple services. This can be a more affordable option for startups as well as growing brands. The cost of services varies widely among different press release distribution companies.
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Pressfarm
| PR packages – all are a one-time charge | Features |
Starter – $90
A great start for small teams looking for the fundamentals to take their communications to the next level.
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● Professional designed press/media kit (up to 2 pages): This includes company background, brand brief, vision, mission, photos/videos, and more.
● Press release proofreading and review by PR experts ● Personalized PR action plan (1 page) on strategies and PR industry trade secrets to maximize press coverage ● Tailor-made PR media list of 500+ contacts by Account Executive for initial PR outreach ● Startup submitted to 25+ directories and review websites to improve SEO and generate exposure ● Access to 100 PR contacts per month from a database of 1,000,000+ reporters, bloggers, and influencers for continued press coverage for a full year ● Priority Email Support |
Launch – $180
Ideal for growing companies to increase press coverage, as well as improve effectiveness and personal communication with the media.
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● Professionally designed press/media kit (up to 3 pages)
● Press release proofreading and review by PR experts ● The standard distribution of professional online press releases. Increase release visibility in relevant search results across major search engines ● Personalized PR action plan (up to 2 pages) on strategies and PR industry trade secrets to maximize press coverage ● Tailor-made PR media list of 1000+ contacts ● Feature story about your company by Pressfarm shared with email newsletter and social media channels ● Startup submitted to 50+ directories and review websites to improve SEO and generate exposure ● Access 200 PR contacts per month from a comprehensive media database for continued press coverage for a full year ● Priority Email Support |
Campaign – $480
Equip yourself with the tools you need to propel business growth. Gain full control of your brand and stay consistent across the globe.
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● Personal pitching of your startup to at least 100+ journalists, bloggers, and media influencers on behalf of your company to ensure guaranteed press coverage.
● Professionally designed press/media kit (up to 5 pages) ● Professional press release written by PR experts (up to 1000 words) ● Premium distribution of professional online press release ● Personalized PR Action plan (up to 2 pages) ● Tailor-made PR media list of 2000+ contacts ● Guest post about your company published in Google News to increase brand credibility and online visibility (up to 500 words) ● Feature story about your company by Pressfarm shared on email newsletter and social media channels ● Startup submitted to 75+ directories and review websites ● Access to 500 PR contacts per month from a comprehensive media database for continued press coverage for a full year ● Priority Email Support |
Enterprise – $980
Equip your business with the full power of Pressfarm. Gain full control of your brand and stay consistent across the globe. Ideal for companies preparing for a big product launch, or with multiple stories to pitch, who need a PR expert to help them reach leading press contacts.
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● PR experts will personally pitch your startup to journalists, bloggers, and media influencers on your behalf to get guaranteed press coverage for the brand as part of 3 month PR campaign
● Professionally designed press/media kit (up to 8 pages) ● A professional press release was written by PR experts ● Premium distribution of professional online press release ● Personalized PR action plan (up to 3 pages) ● Tailor-made PR media list of 3000+ contacts ● Feature story about your company by Pressfarm shared with email newsletter and social media channels (up to 3 stories) ● Startup submitted to 75+ directories and review websites to build backlinks and online visibility ● Access to 1000 PR contacts from a comprehensive media database for continued press coverage for a full year ● Priority Email/Slack correspondence. |
| Packages | Features |
| Basic – $99 per news release | ● New release hosted permanently on PRWeb. Your release can appear on search engines and news sites |
| Standard – $159 per news release | ● A news release is sent to thousands of news outlets, making it easy for people to find companies. Use the social media sharing technologies of the world’s most socially shared release service to help news go viral |
| Advanced – $ 249 per news release | ● News is optimized for search visibility on the world’s most highly-rated news release service, making a business easy to find. Submit your press release and your news will be sent to premium sites like StreetInsider and International Business Times. |
| Premium – $369 per news release | ● News goes to premier news outlets like New York Times, USA Today, and more through the Associated Press. Include video, attachments, images, and links to engage customers and encourage people to share the story |
| Financial – $499 per news release | ● News will be distributed to top business and financial sites including Yahoo! Finance, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, and more. If you are a publicly-traded company, you can reach the investors, analysts and, financial journalists important to your business. |
2) Distributing press releases by yourself
Another cheaper and more effective way to send a press release out and get media coverage is PR outreach or pitching the media.
PR outreach is about reaching out to relevant media contacts with your company’s press release or story. This means being able to get media coverage where the target audience is actually likely to read the news which you’re trying to share with the world.
Experts such as the ones at Pressfarm help startups and other companies find relevant media contacts with their extensive media database and then help pitch the story with personalized distribution and analytics.