ReleaseWire

Author: Jenna Vasquez

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The Good

• Price and personalization
• Submission process
• Customer support
• Optimization
• Education

Some of the benefits of using ReleaseWire as a tool in one's press release marketing campaign include: Price and Personalization - ReleaseWire has on-demand services as well as monthly subscription plans, so that one can tailor-fit their subscription to their budget.

• Newswire Premium - $49/press release Syndication to 400+ media sites Distribution to Associated Press journalists and editors Submission to major search engines and news search engines Scheduling press releases Users can add multimedia - photos, videos and audio to their press releases.
• Newswire Direct - $89/press release All features above plus: Distributed directly to matched media outlets, journalists, and bloggers. Targeted distribution by industry, location, and topic. Sent to specialty media outlets. Optional statewide and multi-state regional (US) distribution.
• (Monthly Subscription) Premium Syndication $99/month - 3 press releases $159/month - 5 press releases $299/month - 10 press releases $429/month - 15 press releases $539/month - 20 press releases For anyone needing more than 20, ReleaseWire provides quotes
• (Monthly Subscription) Direct Distribution $179/month - 3 press releases $279/month - 5 press releases $529/month - 10 press releases $749/month - 15 press releases $949/month - 20 press releases For anyone needing more than 20, ReleaseWire provides quotes
• Submission Process: ReleaseWire guides members with tools to write their press releases and to optimize the release for maximum exposure. Submission is simple and with a few guided clicks, members can submit their press release for immediate distribution or schedule it for a later time.
• Customer Support: Phone support is available during normal business hours, central time zone. Live chat is available online, and agents are responsive and helpful. Email support took less than 24 hours and although the response seemed to be a cut/paste, it did answer the question posed. Questions may be submitted via tickets and there is an extensive KnowledgeBase available in place of an FAQ.
• Optimization: ReleaseWire states that they offer the tools available to optimize, but for customers using their service on-demand or infrequently, the analytics are not available for doing so. ReleaseWire offers extensive tracking and analytic reports.
• Education: ReleaseWire has an extensive KnowledgeBase and many step-by-step articles to help users understand press releases in general as well as how to use the ReleaseWire service.

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The Bad

• Product kinks
• Focus on analytics
• No toll-free customer service number
• Facebook use

ReleaseWire has some kinks in their product which should be pointed out. While the company states that they use their skills to help their customers create optimized press releases, there is little more information which is given either online or via customer service representatives to back up this nebulous statement. With ReleaseWire, the focus appears to be based more upon analytics of past press releases, rather than by optimizing current releases, which would be a factor in keeping the customer with the service. While understanding past successes and failures are critical to any good marketing campaign, from what is stated by the company, one expects more help on the earlier efforts. Phoning customer service is not toll-free. For most, this may not be a significant issue, but it is standard for most companies to invest in their customers' best interests by providing a toll-free number. ReleaseWire is active on Twitter with many accounts, based on different industries. Access to customer service not available via social media. ReleaseWire's business Facebook page is sporadically used and integration with social media for press releases is focused on Twitter. For companies with a Facebook following and demographic of using Facebook, this may present as a challenge.

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The Bottom Line

ReleaseWire is a great fit for many companies, but may be better suited for those planning a long-term campaign and subscribing. Their tools are more effective for the long haul. Their pricing for subscriptions is discounted based upon their on-demand services, so for those who are serious about creating a press release marketing campaign, ReleaseWire is a good choice. Companies using press releases occasionally may still benefit from on demand services, and the time savings of using ReleaseWire can be extensive. ReleaseWire is recommended for those wanting to create a dynamic campaign or those wanting to use their services to save time and money in distribution.