On Reddit, someone recently asked a question that many marketing teams ask themselves: have you paid for a top press release distribution service, and was it worth it? The answers are worth reading because they come from people with a stake in the result, and they don't agree.
After 30 years in public relations, my answer is that it depends on the news, the audience and what you expect in return. Here is what those professionals say and how I would use it.
Three positions from the discussion
"It's worth it, if the news is real." One agency with two decades in the business says it has used paid distribution for many years. Its conclusion is that the service matters less than having a truly newsworthy topic and relevant targeting.
"It's cheap enough to try." In another thread, a user recommends low-cost wires at $80 to $120 per release, reaching 200 to 300 outlets, while admitting that some placements stick and some don't.
"Avoid wires for credibility." The founder of a PR agency, commenting in a discussion about getting press coverage, advises against newswire services when independent editorial articles are required, because their content carries labels such as "press release". The same person insists that the whole process should be transparent.
These are individual experiences rather than research, but together they show where the real question lies: not whether distribution works, but what it is able to do.
What a paid release can and can't do
| Goal | Realistic? | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Leave a dated public record of your news | Yes | This is its most reliable use |
| Appear when people search your brand name | Often | Depends on which sites keep the text |
| Reach trade media in your sector | Sometimes | Requires targeting and real news |
| Earn articles written by journalists | Rarely | Direct contact works far better |
| Show independent editorial coverage | No | A release is your own text, and it is labeled as such |
The last row matters. A distributed press release and an independent article aren't the same thing, and shouldn't be presented as such to a client, an investor or a public body.
What about AI search?
The agency in that discussion says it finds smaller distribution services better for visibility in AI answers, because they produce citations. It is an interesting observation, and many teams are asking the same question, but I would treat it as a hypothesis. I haven't seen solid evidence that one distributor consistently performs better than another in AI answers, and those systems change quickly.
What seems more defensible is that AI assistants tend to draw on sources that are clear, specific and consistent across the web. A release with concrete facts may help a little. A vague one won't. We discuss this in our article on media mentions and AI answers.
Five questions before you pay
- Is there any news here? Would someone outside your company care? If not, stop here.
- Who should see it? Name the audience and region. Then check that the service can reach them.
- What result would justify the cost? Decide this before sending it, so you can judge it afterwards.
- What does the total price include? Check word limits, images, languages and regions.
- What does the report show? Ask for live URLs, and open several from a recent example.
Our guide on what to compare in a distribution service goes through these criteria, and our article on what journalists want explains how to approach them directly.
The alternatives
- Direct pitching. It takes more time and offers no guarantee, but it is the only route to genuine editorial coverage.
- Your own newsroom. Publishing the announcement on your site costs nothing and gives journalists a reliable source.
- Paid placements in chosen outlets. You decide where your text appears. It is a commercial placement and should be labeled according to each outlet's rules, but you know the title, the country and the price in advance.
Linkingpress offers the third option. You can choose from 63,214 outlets in 141 countries, including 11,119 news and general-interest titles, and our team can prepare the text. PR agencies can use it when a client needs certainty on a set date. Contact us if you need a press release with guaranteed placements, or see the options for brands.
My conclusion
A paid release is worth it when you have real news, a defined audience and modest expectations. It isn't worth it as a substitute for having something to say, or for the relationships that bring real coverage.
What makes a release worth distributing
The agency quoted above says that the topic must be truly newsworthy, and that is where most releases fail. Before spending anything, read your draft as an outsider. Good signs include a concrete event, a number that someone could check, a named person and a clear date. Weak signs include words such as "leading", "innovative" and "excited", with no fact behind them. A useful test is whether a journalist could write a headline from your first sentence without using your marketing language. If they couldn't, rewrite it. This costs nothing and improves the result on any platform, because a clear, specific text is more useful to editors and readers alike. Our guide on how to write a press release covers the structure.
Frequently asked questions
Are paid press releases worth the money?
They can be for real news, when you want a public record and some reach. They rarely generate articles by journalists on their own, so set your expectations accordingly.
Why do some journalists ignore wire releases?
They receive a great many, and most aren't relevant to their readers. Many prefer a short, relevant email sent directly to them.
Do press releases help with AI search?
There are reports that they can, but the evidence is limited. Clear, factual information that is consistent across the web is more likely to help than any one distributor.
Is a press release the same as press coverage?
No. A press release is your text. Press coverage is what a journalist chooses to write. They shouldn't be presented as the same thing.