Get Wired

If you’ve got something big to say, consider using Web-based newswires. For a fee, these services will send your news release to thousands of journalists in your industry. But note that about 70 percent of the releases crossing the wire every day are bland, uninteresting announcements that no journalist would ever be interested in.

What’s more, sending a release over the wire can cost anywhere from $100 to $3,000. Because we don’t want you to waste your hard-earned money, we always recommend you have something real to announce, like landing a big tranche of investment capital or curing cancer, before you hit the send button. Provided you have the makings of a newsworthy, interesting story, a well-written release will garner you calls from giddy journalists clamoring for comment.

Two wire services top the popularity contest among journalists: Business Wire (www.businesswire.com) and PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com). Both services let the sender target editor beats, choose the exact times of the news release, and attach photos and charts for added punch. Submitted releases are posted on the wire site and delivered via e-mail to journalists who’ve signed up to receive them for a particular industry. Plus, your release is maintained in an electronically archived file, which means that reporters who are writing stories related to your company or product can look up your file and view all of the releases that you’ve posted through the wire service.