Note: Last list Update 10-16-09

First off, yes I do design and sell Web sites that distribute press releases online. I also use free press release distribution sites for my PR clients, so I’ve seen both sides of the online PR distribution business.

Based on this experience, I have a bit of a bias about what I am looking for in a press release distribution service. The number of Web sites in this space seems to change from day to day. Sites disappear, change policies and appear daily. So this list needs to be just as dynamic.

Before you post a complaint that I’m missing a site, keep in mind that this list is a work in progress. It had to start somewhere so consider this a first draft. PLEASE don’t hesitate to submit a site for consideration. We’ll probably include it, as long as your submission fits the 4 criteria outlined below.

There are quite a few free pr distribution sites on the Web. Many of them are not worth the time it takes you to submit a release. However, there are some that are quite good. Following are the 4 criteria that I used to create this list of the top free press release distribution sites.

1. Page Rank - What is the Google page rank of the site? I’m only listing free PR sites that have a page rank of 4 or higher. To determine the page rank of a site,

2. Google News - Are most of the press releases that are published by the site picked up by Google news? To find out if a PR distribution site is getting their content indexed by Google news, go to Google News and do a search for “site:sitename.com”. This will show all of the stories by that site that have been indexed by Google News. As an example, a search for all press releases for the free PR site BigNews.biz, would look like this “site:BigNews.biz”

3. Traffic - Does the free press release site get any traffic? For this list we used Alexa.com to check traffic. You will have to set your own standard for what you feel is acceptable. For this list, I’m using any site that is ranked above or around 50,000 by Alexa.

4. Cost - For this list we are looking for sites that are primarily free. However, they may offer additional premium services for a fee.

Keeping in mind the 4 points listed above, here is my list. Feel free to send me additional suggestions, but they must fit the 4 criteria listed above. The order listed here is loosely based on the sites Alexa rank and can change from day to day.

Note: All of the following site statistics are updated daily and all of these sites feed their content to Google news.

1. PRLog.org -

2. PR-Inside.com -

3. PR.com -

4. Merinews.com -

5. 24-7pressrelease.com -

6. BigNews.biz -

7. ClickPress.com -

8. NewsWireToday.com -

9. OpenPR.com -

10. PR-USA.net -

11. free-press-release-center.info -

12. PowerHomeBiz.com -

13. TheOpenPress.com -

14. USPRWire.com -

Submit a site….

Again, this list is a work in progress. So if you have suggestions, please forward them to phil(at)BigNews.biz.

Other features you might want to have when selecting a free PR site…
a) Does the site also accept photos or other file types as part of the release?
b) Does this site give you reporting tools so that you can see your traffic?
c) Is the site fast and easy to use?

.:Phil:.

I just got back from 3 days at eBay Live in Chicago. Most of that time was spent walking around the “solutions center” which is the area at the show where vendors market and sell eBay related services to attendees. You can see photos at Auctionbytes.com

I’ve been attending these events for the past 4 years. The message I got loud and clear from many vendors and eBayers at this year’s show was “we’re looking for other venues”.

So now we have thousands of small businesses looking for alternate ways to sell and market their merchandise outside of eBay. Vendors at the show were offering many solution, from creating blogs to managing customer email lists.

So in the middle of eBay’s own trade show, you’ve got vendors and lecturers helping eBay sellers become less dependent on eBay as their primary selling venue.

It’s interesting to note that eBay canceled eBay live for 2009 .                     .:Phil:.

Online PR can take a great deal of time, so anything you can do to make things go faster but still get the job done right, is a big plus in my book. So, a few days ago we introduced a new feature to publishers on the BigNews.biz site and the News-Antique.com site.

If you have an email list of people that you send press releases and announcements to, we’ve now made it easy for you to email your list at the same time you submit a press release to BigNews.biz or News-Antique.com. This new, free service will save you considerable time, allow you to track the number of people that view your releases as well as give you the ability to maintain your private email pr/marketing list from any online computer.

It’s easy to get started, just login to your account at: http://www.BigNews.biz/?go=login or http://www.News-Antique.com/?go=login and select “My Mailing Lists” in the left column.
1. Then in the box marked “Create a new list”, enter a name for your new mailing list then click the “Add” button. the name of your new list will then appear in the “My Mailing Lists” box.
2. Before you start entering email addresses select the tab marked “Default message” and enter a message that will be sent to each user on your email list. Something like “Greetings from [Your name/business name] I’d like to put you on my email list and wanted to ask you if this would be OK.” You can have any message you like, this is just an example. Keep in mind that each address you enter will be sent your default message and will be given the option to accept or reject being placed on your list. So don’t include email addresses for people who are not going to be interested in hearing from you.
3. To start entering email addresses to the newly created list, select “View/Edit”.

If you have any questions, drop me an email at phil@BigNews.biz or give me a call at 516-578-1386. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have.

.:Phil:.