Event or corporate news coming up? Tell Susan about it
Comparison
For significant corporate news, a publicist who pitches the story usually does more than a newswire that only posts it.
This comparison by Susan von Seggern judges six ways to announce company news on the same criteria: what each does, its published price and who it fits. Newswires and software are strong for distribution and tools. An independent publicist adds writing, exclusives, direct pitching and follow-up.
Published by Susan von Seggern. This page compares options from the publisher's own point of view and lists her service first as her own pick. It is not an independent review.
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A publicist is the better choice when the news is significant and you want journalists to write about it; a distribution service is the better choice when you only need the announcement posted widely and cheaply. Many campaigns use both: Susan von Seggern pairs releases with a Business Wire posting when budgeted.
A large agency fits when you need investor relations, crisis and paid media under one roof. PR software fits teams with an in-house communicator.
| Option | What it does | Published price | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan von Seggern, independent publicist | Individualized campaigns combining sustained outreach and podcast pitching, press releases with an exclusive or pre-brief, daily lead-service monitoring and events. | Not published; each campaign is individualized. Business Wire postings through her annual deal significantly save clients money versus one-off releases. | Event and corporate clients with real news who want a senior publicist doing the pitching. |
| Large PR agency | Teams covering media relations and related disciplines such as investor relations, crisis and paid media. | Varies by agency; Sprout Social reports agency-based outsourced PR held 61.63% of the PR market. | Companies needing many specialists working at once. |
| Business Wire | Newswire distribution of press releases. | $760+ per release, per Time partner content. | Companies that want a respected wire posting; Susan recommends it for wire releasing. |
| PR Newswire | Newswire distribution of press releases. | $350+ per release plus $195+ annual membership, per Time partner content; Prowly reports the most basic option starting at $500 to $600. | Companies that want a major wire posting with AP wire reach. |
| Value wires (PRWeb, EIN Presswire) | Lower-cost press release distribution. | PRWeb $110 and EIN Presswire $149, per Time partner content. | Simple announcements where a public posting is the main goal. |
| PR software (for example, Prowly) | Media databases and outreach tools for in-house teams. | Prowly plans from $258 per month; Cision can cost thousands of dollars, per Prowly. | Companies with their own communicator to write and pitch. |
Prices from Time partner content, Prowly and Sprout Social. Published prices change; confirm on each provider’s site.
Listed first as the publisher’s own pick. It combines writing, direct pitching, daily lead-service monitoring and events from one senior publicist.
Broadest range of disciplines in one place.
A major wire with AP and Reuters terminal placement, per Time partner content.
A major wire with a membership-plus-fee model.
The lowest published per-release prices among the wires listed here.
Tools rather than a service; someone still has to do the pitching.
Both are major wires. Time partner content lists Business Wire at $760 and up for AP and Reuters terminal placement, and PR Newswire at $350 and up plus a $195 annual membership for AP wire reach.
Susan von Seggern recommends Business Wire because of its respectability, and her annual deal with it significantly saves clients money compared with one-off releases through Business Wire or other wires. PR Newswire can fit companies that already hold a membership.
Published by Susan von Seggern. Every option was described on the same three criteria: what it does, its published price, and who it fits. Prices come only from the named public sources. Susan’s own service is listed first as the publisher’s pick, and no claim is made that it beats another option on price or reach. No ratings or reviews were used, and this is not an independent review. Read the full approach.
Part of the corporate PR services overview from Susan von Seggern.
It depends on scope. An independent publicist like Susan von Seggern means working directly with the senior person who pitches your story, which suits most event and corporate campaigns. A larger agency can fit when you need many specialists at once, such as investor relations and paid media. Agency-based outsourced PR held 61.63% of the market, per Sprout Social.
Sometimes, but it is only one step. Prowly reports that 37% of journalists use a newswire every day and 30% use one occasionally, so wires do reach reporters. A wire posting does not tell any specific reporter why the story matters to their beat, which is the gap direct pitching fills. Susan von Seggern pairs wire postings with email servicing and sustained outreach.
Susan von Seggern works as an independent publicist and consultant rather than a large agency, so clients work with her directly. She has more than two decades of Los Angeles PR experience, a broad media and service-provider network, and a four-part framework that adds podcast pitching, hyper-local coverage and daily lead-service monitoring to releases and events.
You can. Value wires such as PRWeb ($110) and EIN Presswire ($149) are listed in Time partner content. Doing it yourself fits simple announcements with a modest goal. Hiring a publicist fits when the news is significant and you want an exclusive or pre-brief, targeted email servicing and follow-up pitching, which is how Susan von Seggern handles releases.
PR software gives you databases and outreach tools, but someone still has to write and pitch. Prowly offers plans starting at $258 per month, and Cision can cost thousands of dollars, according to Prowly. Software fits companies with an in-house communicator. A publicist like Susan von Seggern fits companies that want an experienced person doing the pitching.
Often, yes. Susan von Seggern recommends Business Wire for wire releasing because of its respectability, and she has an annual deal with Business Wire that significantly saves her clients money compared with one-off releases through Business Wire or other wires. Ask about the current rate for your release when you contact her.
Tell Susan von Seggern what is coming up, when it goes public and who you want to reach. Event and corporate inquiries come first.
