The importance of a press release is paramount for every business’s growth and exposure. As a result, free PR services have a huge demand. Should you buy it? Let’s find out.
Anything free sounds catchy itself and when it comes to press release distribution, it is definitely grab-worthy. However, there is also a saying “You get what you pay for” and since you are paying anything for free services; it is practically impossible to get highly effective results. A lot of times, A free PR service can claim to offer a handful of benefits but fails to provide them. Usually, users do not care about the results since they have nothing to lose. But, it can deeply hamper the press release strategy of your business which affects the overall marketing approach and the company's reputation.
Should You Not Avail of Any Free PR?
You can definitely avail of free PR services which is more suitable for beginners in the industry. Such services usually do not offer any significant results. However, some minimal benefits of PR distribution by distributing the content over a few media and new platforms. Though free packages cannot empower your business directly, there are some passive advantages.
- It is perfect for independent business owners, startups, small-scale companies, and enterprises who do not have much budget allocated for their marketing. It especially suits beginners who have just embarked on the journey of PR distribution.
- Involves no monetary investment and so, there is no worry about budget or not finding it worthwhile. Users can also try aggressive promotion with multiple free PRs.
- Can be used as a trial package to understand an agency’s performance and customer service before availing of a paid package. A lot of professional PR agencies offer free services for first-time users to offer them a taste of the services they offer.
- It is not an industry-based distribution. Therefore you might reach the niche communities but can reach the masses through a few distribution platforms.
Despite having such beneficial qualities, a free press release is not the best choice to scale your business as the results are not significant and do not have any direct impact on the growth and sales of the company. In order to leverage more business opportunities, you need to opt for a paid press release distribution service that offers more organic exposure and helps to reach your target audiences more effectively. Hiring a professional agency would require a fair amount of planning and investment, but one thing is assured; you would get premium results.
In case you are short on budget, you can try to pitch the distribution platforms and journalists personally who can help spread your story. Here’s how you can pitch them.
1. Find Niche Journalists – In order to create a buzz in the industry, you can establish your brand in the niche market and journalists can greatly help in that. Do research and find email and other contacts of the journalists who work in your field and can spread your story in front of the right audience. Shortlist them and contact them. Remember, keeping a good relationship with them is as important as pitching them.
2. Create Your Pitch – The journalists as well as the distribution platforms receive a lot of PRs every day. In order to make their work easier and help them dig for your PR make sure to add, an attractive subject line, a short pitch (within 150 words), a copy of the press release, media contact, and additional material that helps to justify your story. This will help your pitch become more authentic. You need to explain why your story is good for the journalist to publish.
3. Try to Stand Out – The journalists and distribution platforms receive a lot of pitch emails every day and they do not even have ample time to read all of them. So, make sure your pitch email stands out which means an exceptional quality of writing that abides by the industry standards.
Bottom Line
Free PR is the first go-to thing for most online users and beginners in the industry. While it can offer a little advantage; having a professional agency by your side puts your brand way ahead in the game. Make sure to fix a solid strategy and budget for your PR needs and embark on your journey!
