There are three ways to submit a press release: a wire (760 to 805 USD per US release), a submission site (free to about 150 USD, published but not sent), or an email to the journalists who cover your topic. PressPilot does the third: you pick the reporters, each gets an individual email, and you track opens and replies, from 29 EUR (about 32 USD) a month.
The three ways to submit a press release
| Way | Examples and cost | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Wire | Business Wire 760 USD for 400 words Prezly Academy (August 2026); PR Newswire 805 USD plus a 195 USD membership Prezly Academy (August 2026); GlobeNewswire about 350 USD base Prezly Academy (August 2026) | Syndication to newsrooms, terminals and partner sites. Required for SEC disclosure. Reporters see it among thousands of wire items. |
| Submission site | PRLog free, 29 to 99 USD paid prlog.org (2 September 2026); PRWeb 120 to 480 USD prweb.com (Cision) (25 September 2026); EIN Presswire 149 USD einpresswire.com (2 September 2026) | A public page, sometimes republished by partner sites. A dated record and some visibility; no journalist is chosen for you. |
| Email to journalists | Your own inbox (free, slow), or PressPilot from 29 EUR (about 32 USD) a month for 100 journalists | Your release lands in the inbox of the reporters who cover your topic. This is where coverage starts. |
Journalists answer pitches that match their beat: in Muck Rack's 2025 State of Journalism survey, 84% say PR pitches lead to stories and 86% ignore an off-topic pitch Buchanan PR (9 July 2025). A wire or a submission site publishes your news; an email to the right reporter puts it in front of someone who can write about it. For a full comparison, see the best press release distribution services.
How it works on PressPilot, in 4 steps
- Describe your news. Create a campaign and say what you are announcing: a launch, a funding round, a hire, an event. A few lines are enough to start.
- Write it with AI or paste your release. Let the AI draft a release from your brief (your first one is free), or paste a release you already wrote. Edit it in the browser.
- Pick the journalists. Filter about 45,600 contacts by country, topic and outlet, about 14,000 of them in the US, then tick the reporters who cover your subject. You can add your own contacts too.
- Send now or schedule, then track. Each journalist receives an individual email. You see opens, clicks and replies per recipient, and your release can get a public page on presspilot.io/news that journalists can cite as the source.
No release yet? Draft one with the free AI press release generator, no signup needed, then send it from your account. To see who is in the database before you start, read about our journalist database.
Prices
| Offer | Journalists | Price excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Startup plan | 100 a month | 29 EUR (about 32 USD) a month |
| Team plan | 300 a month | 79 EUR (about 89 USD) a month |
| Pro plan | 800 a month | 179 EUR (about 201 USD) a month |
| One-off packs | 100, 500, 1,000 or 2,500 | 60, 195, 340 or 750 EUR (about 67, 219, 381 or 840 USD) |
One credit reaches one journalist, so you pay 0.22 to 0.60 EUR (about 0.25 to 0.67 USD) per reporter depending on the offer. Plans have no annual contract; credits roll over and never expire. New accounts get 5 free credits and their first AI-written release free. Billed in EUR; USD at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026 European Central Bank (9 October 2026, 1 EUR = 1.1206 USD). Full details on the pricing page.
Rules for sending a press release by email
- Subject line. Say the news in plain words, under about 60 characters. No "Press release:" prefix, no all-caps, nothing the email does not deliver.
- Release in the body. Paste the text in the email itself, with the headline and the first paragraph visible without scrolling.
- No heavy attachments. Link to your images, logo and PDF on a hosted page instead of attaching them.
- One journalist per email. Individual emails, never a visible list of recipients in To or CC.
- Unsubscribe link and CAN-SPAM. US commercial email needs an accurate sender and subject, a postal address and a working opt-out honored within 10 business days US Federal Trade Commission (FTC business guidance). PressPilot adds the unsubscribe link to every email.
- One follow-up, not five. If a reporter has not answered after a few days, one short follow-up is enough. See how to pitch a journalist.
The full method, with timing, embargoes and follow-ups, is in our lesson on how to send a press release.
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I submit a free press release?
- PRLog, OpenPR, 1888PressRelease and Express Press Release publish a release for 0 USD (their pages, September 2026). They host your release; they do not send it to journalists. For reporters to read it, it has to reach their inbox: email the journalists who cover your topic yourself, or use a tool that does it with a contact database.
- How do I send a press release to journalists?
- Find the reporters who cover your topic, paste the release in the body of an individual email with a clear subject line, link to images instead of attaching heavy files, and follow up once. PressPilot does the list, the sending and the tracking in one place, from 29 EUR (about 32 USD) a month for 100 journalists.
- How far in advance should I send out a press release?
- For news journalists can plan around, such as an event or a launch date, send it a few days to two weeks ahead, under embargo if the date matters. For news that is ready now, send it on a weekday morning in the journalist's time zone. Our lesson on how to send a press release covers timing and embargoes.
- Should I attach the press release or paste it in the email?
- Paste it in the body. A journalist decides from the subject line and the first lines of the email; an attachment is one more click and some newsrooms filter large files. Link to a hosted version and to your images instead.
- Is it legal to email a press release to journalists?
- In the US, commercial email falls under the CAN-SPAM Act: an accurate sender and subject line, a postal address, and a working way to opt out that you honor within 10 business days (FTC guidance). Every PressPilot email carries an unsubscribe link.
- How much does it cost to send a press release to journalists?
- On PressPilot, one credit reaches one journalist: 29, 79 or 179 EUR a month excl. VAT for 100, 300 or 800 journalists (about 32, 89 or 201 USD), or one-off packs from 60 EUR (about 67 USD) for 100. A US wire costs 760 to 805 USD per release, for syndication rather than a direct email.
Related guides
- How to send a press release
- How to pitch a journalist
- The cheapest press release distribution
- The best press release distribution services in 2026
- Journalist database
Your release, in the inbox of the reporters who cover your topic
Pick journalists from about 45,600 contacts, including about 14,000 in the US, send individual emails and see who opened, clicked and replied. From 29 EUR a month, no annual contract, first AI-written release free.