With so many to choose from, it's hard to know where to start. If you do a search for newswire services it's easy to become overwhelmed by the possibilities. You might either give up or go overboard, spending lots of unnecessary money and duplicating your efforts.

Before you do either, first consider what you want your press release to do for you. Do you want it to be primarily a public relations tool to get your news out? Or would you rather that it be a search-marketing tool that can provide search-engine visibility and target prospects? If you're thinking like a savvy businesswoman, the answer is: both.

You will gain excellent visibility if you:

- Optimize your press release through the strategic use of keyword-rich headlines and body copy.

- Include extensive links back to your website or specific landing page.

- Distribute your release through the right online newswire services.

When you optimize your press release, it will also be indexed quickly in the major search engines: Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Also, each time your release is picked up by another website, it also creates a link back to your site.

Once you've decided what you want your press release to do for you, the next step is to determine which online newswire service (or combination of more than one) you want to use. Would a free service be best, or would a paid service be better?

Free PR Distribution Services

Some of these newswire agencies are free. Others offer free basic services and then charge fees for expanded services. Fees range from $20 to over $200 and are generally used by small to medium-sized online businesses.

- www.i-newswire.com

- www.pressbox.co.uk

- www.pr.com

- www.prleap.com

- www.prlog.com

- www.prweb.com

- www.theopenpress.com

- www.24-7pressrelease.com

PR Web is on the leading edge of online news releases and is geared towards optimized press releases.

Paid PR Distribution Services to Consider

Most of these paid services offer multiple payment options, depending on your distribution preferences. Commensurately, their services are more expensive ($500 to $700 per 400-word release and can include an annual membership fee of $100+). These are the newswire services that tend to be used by traditional PR agencies for their corporate clients.

- www.businesswire.com

- www.ereleases.com

- www.eworldwire.com

- www.internetnewsbureau.com

- www.marketwire.com

- www.massmediadistribution.com

- www.pressrelease365.com

- www.prnewswire.com

- www.send2press.com

- www.urlwire.com

- www.xpresspress.com

PR Newswire is the world leader in the electronic delivery of news releases and information directly from companies, institutions, and agencies to the media, financial community, and consumers.

Choosing your online press release distribution service doesn't have to be overwhelming. It's easy, once you know what you want your press release to do for you. If you just want to get your announcement out, then consider a free PR distribution agency.

If you'd like to be included in major search engines, generating links and targeting prospects, then an expanded fee newswire agency will serve you well. For the highest exposure and maximum visibility, you can't beat the service of a paid PR distribution

agency. They will get your news seen at the top of major search engines, and their RSS/XML feeds will get your news distributed to thousands of interested journalists.

Take the time now to review the options and decide which PR distribution service is best for you. This way, you'll leverage your press releases to greatest advantage and position your business for success.