

Ask HN: Where should I submit a press release? - atomatica

I wrote a press release for my startup. What do I do with it?
======
timdierks
In my opinion: throw it away.

More constructively, what are you trying to accomplish? There are few goals
that a press release will help you with. It may help with some vanity links in
Google News if you search for your name, but that's about it. If you want
press coverage or user attention, a press release is almost certainly not
going to help.

~~~
johns
Ditto this. It's likely not to get you any press of value. Write some
personalized, targeted emails (or get intros) to press instead. Tell a
compelling story (tie into an existing narrative if you can) and keep it short
and to the point.

------
MalcolmDiggs
The most clever press-releases I've seen in recent-months have taken the form
of guest-articles / guest-posts on places like TechCrunch. Of course it can't
be a hard sell (no overt plugs). But they _can_ be an opportunity to
demonstrate your knowledge of [insert-your-vertical] and come off as an expert
in that field. Somewhere in the post the magazine will reference who you are
and where you work, and that alone might do more benefit than any traditional
PR syndication service would.

More info:

[http://venturebeat.com/guest-posts/](http://venturebeat.com/guest-posts/)

[http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/27/guest-column-
column/](http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/27/guest-column-column/)

------
vv
Agreed with everyone else here: don't submit that press release anywhere!

Short emails, 2-4 sentences, to the right journalists will be much more
effective.

Check out our primer on how to write emails to journalists:
[http://muckrack.com/daily/2013/11/21/how-to-write-email-
subj...](http://muckrack.com/daily/2013/11/21/how-to-write-email-subjects-
lines-journalists-will-actually-open/)

And if you still don't believe us on press releases, read the article I wrote
for the PRSA that questions the press release's value, and debunks that it
will help with SEO or social:
[http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=6202](http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=6202)

------
JacobAldridge
Ex-journalist here...

The question you want to be asking is "Who should I submit this to?", not
'Where?'. Which writers, bloggers, journalists etc have shown relevant
interest to your startup's sector or pain point in the past? Write to these
people individually, thanking them for having shown such an interest (link to
a great article they've written, especially if you read and enjoyed it at the
time) and introducing yourself, your startup, and the newsworthy angle you
have decided for in your release.

Keep the email punchy. And if you do get any kind of response, even if it's to
decline to write you up, be ever so grateful and make it clear that you would
be happy to provide expert opinion on this topic if they ever sought it in the
future.

------
jonathanf
I was just wondering the same thing about my startup
(www.nucleusintercom.com), and came across this great primer:
[http://www.publicize.co/beginners-guide-to-
pr/chapter-4-pres...](http://www.publicize.co/beginners-guide-to-
pr/chapter-4-press-release-submission-websites/)

~~~
atomatica
Thanks for the link!

It lists both free and paid submission services. Are paid services worth it?

~~~
benologist
I don't think either will be a catalyst for anything significant - there's
just craploads released every day and it's unlikely anyone will notice yours
unless you, your startup, or your investors are notable enough that
journalists are specifically watching for them. It definitely won't be worth
paying for.

------
wikwocket
Sadly the only thing submitting a press releases did for me is to ensure that
I get weekly spam from press release companies, and individuals willing to fix
my SEO and boost my sales.

------
bitonomics
What was the goal of the press release?

It can have some good uses if you can get them wanting to ask more which would
hopefully lead to a story.

