How to Post a Press Release Online

The old saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" rings true, but your company only garners publicity if people hear your news. Press releases offer the general public and media a specific kernel of information that promotes a product, service, event or other newsworthy information. Online news distribution services, free or paid, offer a simple venue to distribute your company's news; yet, you should consider several things before you submit your first press release online.

Instructions

1. Create a listing of free online press release distribution services. Websites such as PRLog, Free Press Release or EcommWire provide free distribution services (see Resources for links). You can select from paid services, such as i-Newswire, PR Newswire and PRWeb, to reach a larger audience.

2. Review the requirements of your selected distribution service. Read through the terms of use, elemental requirements -- such as press release components -- and review suitable and prohibited content. Your press release should meet the basic requirements of the site.

3. Read your press release, or create a new one, and make adjustments to meet the distribution service's requirements. For example, many services place a limit on the number of characters or words allowed in free submissions.

4. Complete the required registration form for your select distribution service to open your account. Typically, you must provide information about the company and your contact information to create a free account.

5. Insert your press release into the service's content management system. Press release services provide online tools to manage the submission of each release. The programs vary by service, but typically you must copy and paste the release, check spelling and grammar, complete a final review and click "Submit" -- or a similar command -- for the release to become live on the site.

6. Promote your press release by marketing through social media, your company's website or a link in your email signature. Promoting the release will bring more attention to the submission. The distribution service may also offer marketing tools for a fee.

References

• Great Lakes Region Civil Air Patrol: PRWeb Writing Great Online News Releases

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• PRLOG: Press Release Distribution
• Free Press Release: Distribution Service
• EcommWire: Home Page
• "Social Realist"; Big List of Free Press Release Distribution Sites; Jennifer Mattern; July 2007