Where to Send Your Press Releases

You've created your press release, your bio sheet and your Q&A sheet. Now, let's get them in the hands of the media people and start getting some publicity.

Let's talk about how to find the media people.

Online Services

There are lots of ways to get your press release in the hands of the right media contact. Below I'm going to list a few web sites that will help you distribute your release. Please note that I don't endorse any of the companies below (so if things don't go correctly, don't come crying to me!)

GAP Enterprises - http://www.gapent.com/pr/

They'll send our your press release to over 7,600 "personalized publication contacts" in 37 countries. There prices aren't bad. The charge $12.50 per 100 sources (that's for only one press release), but there is a $50 minimum charge.

They will also write your press release for $200.00 for up to 500 words. (Of course, you just finished reading how to write a press release, so you don't need this expensive service.

PR Newswire - http://www.prnewswire.com/

This is a full service company that will do almost everything for you. This is the top press release agency in the corporate world. The problem with them is that they are very expensive and their site/services aren't explained very well (it can be extremely confusing for the beginner).

If you have the money and you've experienced "free publicity" before, than go with these people. They'll do it right... for the "right" price of course.

Internet News Bureau - http://www.newsbureau.com

This is another very good company. They deal with mostly Internet connections and have a fairly good track record. For $225.00, they will send out your press release (a maximum of 500 words) to 1,300 journalists who have "subscribed" to their service.

They will also write a press release for you (500 words maximum) for $250.00. This company is a good one, but ONLY for Internet related stories/items. (For example, if you come out with a new software program, or search engine, etc., etc.,)

Internet Media Fax - http://www.imediafax.com

This company will fax out your press releases. They won't do much of anything else, but they do have a cool service. What you can do, is fine tune and target your audience. At their site, you pick and choose and go through a variety of categories and at the end, you'll have a very customized list of the exact target audience.

The price is about $0.25 per name with a $25 minimum. This can get a bit expensive after a while. Also, the real negative part is that you will never have access to the names/contacts. So, this is a one shot deal! Every single time you want to send out a press release, you have to repeat the entire process and hence, pay more cash!

As I've already discussed in the previous pages, you can't expect to send out just one press release and get an avalanche of responses and free publicity. Life just doesn't work like that and neither does the advertising world. You must test and repeat the process numerous times and then you'll strike gold!

There are other online services, but most are "shady" and their work is less than adequate. As you can see, each of the above companies has at least one major drawback. With something as important as "free publicity/advertising", I do recommend you do it yourself (which I'll explain how to do in a minute).

It may take you a bit longer, but you'll learn a great deal and more importantly, you can do it over and over again in the future and continue reaping the benefits of the media!

Offline/Traditional Resources

There are many media directories available in most libraries. Among them are:

Bacon's Publicity Checker

Bacon's is a four volume set covering newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. The newspapers/magazines set is $280.00. The radio/TV set is also $280.00. The CD ROM, including all media, is $1095.00.

Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook

Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook (R.R. Bowker) is a single edition covering radio and TV that sells for $179.95. Not available on disk.

Standard Rate and Data Service - http://www.srds.com

SRDS is primarily for the advertiser, consisting of many large volumes and updates. A yearly subscription costs in excess of $1,000.00.

Working Press of the Nation

Working Press of the Nation is a three edition set covering newspapers, magazines and radio/TV. Each volume sells for $239.00, or all three for $449.95. Not available on disk.

Burrelle's - http://www.burrelles.com

Burrelle's has numerous types covering a variety of newspaper, magazine, radio and TV resources. Each volume or CD-ROM will cost between $250-$750 each. With a total of 8 different resources, your total price is well over $2,000.00.

Editor & Publisher Year Book

Editor & Publisher Year Book lists daily and weekly newspapers. Price $115.00. On CD-ROM the cost is $895.00, which includes the print version.

Center for Radio Information

Center for Radio Information offers a radio station database for $325.00.

Gale Research

Gale Research offers a three volume set covering publications, broadcast media, newspapers. The set sells for $445.00.

Parrot Communications - http://www.parrotmedia.com

Parrot Communications offers (on disk) commercial TV stations: $975.00, "misc." TV stations: $875.00, radio stations: $1,475.00, newspapers: $595.00. Or, you can have access to each of the above media resources, for $50 a month online. This comes out to $200.00 every single month. The problem is that you can't download in the information, so you must subscribe continually.