How much does a press release cost?
A press release costs anywhere from free, if you write it yourself and skip distribution, to $10,000+ on global wires.
Budget wires run $149 to $399, legacy wires start at $805 plus a membership, and full-service distribution on named outlets sits in between at a one-time price that MediaBoost publishes openly, with no sales call and no membership.
Last updated July 5, 2026 · All third-party prices checked July 2026
Verified
Every figure from a vendor pricing page or a 2026 pricing guide.
Free to $10k+
The full spectrum, from DIY writing to global wire circuits.
3 cost drivers
Guarantees, service and outlet tier explain nearly every gap.
Costs at a glance
July 2026, cheapest first.
Named outlets
Full-service means you know where the release goes before you pay.
Service included
Editorial review, human support and a proof report are part of the price.
Tier sets price
Lower-tier sites cost less; premium named outlets are their own budget line.
Price tiers
Where every price tier lands
Quotes for the same announcement can range from $149 to $10,000+. Before comparing vendors line by line, it helps to know which tier you are shopping in.
Write the release yourself with a free template. Distribution is not included.
EIN Presswire, NewswireNext and similar. Fast indexed links on lower-tier sites.
Outlets named before payment, editorial review and a proof report included.
PR Newswire and Business Wire, priced by circuit, word count and membership.
Multi-country circuits and premium placements for enterprise announcements.
MediaBoost sits in the full-service tier at a very strong price for the placement quality, one-time and public. See current pricing.
The full table
Press release costs at a glance, July 2026
Every figure below comes from a vendor pricing page or, where a vendor quotes through sales, from the Prezly and Pressonify 2026 pricing guides. Sorted cheapest first.
| Service | What it is | Price (July 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Write it yourself | DIY writing with the free press release templates, distribution not included | Free |
| Gig marketplace resellers, lower-tier sites, no proof of publication | $50 to $500 | |
| Budget volume distribution, mostly lower-tier sites | $149 to $999 | |
| Budget wire, cheapest entry pack, lower-tier network | From $199 (Lite Pack) | |
| Full-service distribution: outlets named before payment, editorial review and proof report included, public rate card | Competitive one-time price for the placement quality, published openly. See current pricing | |
| Mid-range US distribution | $399 to $699 per release | |
| Legacy wire, priced by circuit and word count | $475 US local, 400 words (published); about $760 national per 2026 guides | |
| Crypto packages, included sites named per tier | $500 / $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 | |
| Legacy wire, membership plus per-release fees | $195/year membership + $805 and up per US national release | |
| Crypto-native packages | $1,399 / $2,499 / $6,499 / $10,799 |
A realistic 1,000-word Business Wire national release with images lands near $3,000 once word and multimedia fees stack; the full fee table is in the Business Wire pricing guide. PR Newswire fees are broken down in the PR Newswire pricing guide.
Cost drivers
The three things you are actually paying for
1. What the fee guarantees
The biggest split is what the money buys: a guaranteed number of placements on outlets named up front, or entry into a distribution network where pickup varies by story.
Guaranteed placement on named outlets costs more than network distribution, whoever sells it. Always ask which one a quote covers before you pay.
2. The service around the release
Editorial review before publication, human support while the campaign runs and a proof report at the end are either bundled into the price or billed on top.
MediaBoost bundles all three in every package: editorial review, chat and email support replying in minutes, and a personalized PDF proof report of every live link. See a sample proof report.
3. The tier of the outlets
A guaranteed article on a single premium outlet is its own budget line, above any package. These are the three most requested picks from MediaBoost's public a la carte rate card:
CoinDesk
Guaranteed placement, priced individually on the public rate card.
Forbes
Guaranteed placement, priced individually on the public rate card.
CoinTelegraph
Guaranteed placement, priced individually on the public rate card.
Three of 50 individual premium outlets with openly published prices. Other services sell fixed packages only; buying single outlets a la carte is a MediaBoost exception. See current pricing.
Want the outlets named before you pay?
MediaBoost lists every outlet and the full price before checkout, one-time and public.
Budget planner
What you should budget, by scenario
Startup or product launch
One full-service package, one-time
A SaaS Directory or Global Media package covers most launch announcements, at a public one-time price.
Crypto or Web3 launch
One Web3 package, one-time
Web3 Media Lite to Web3 Media Plus, priced publicly; crypto-native rival packages start at $1,399 at Chainwire.
Enterprise or regulated announcement
$805+ per release
Legacy wires suit listed companies; add the membership or contract and budget through sales.
You just need a citable link
From $149
Budget wires like EIN Presswire ($149+) or NewswireNext ($199) get an indexed link fast, on lower-tier sites rather than premium named outlets.
For crypto specifically, the best crypto press release distribution comparison ranks seven services with dated prices, and the Chainwire alternatives guide breaks down its $1,399 to $10,799 packages.
Press release cost FAQ
How much does a press release cost?
Writing a press release is free if you use a template and draft it yourself. Distribution is the real cost: budget wires charge $149 to $399, full-service distribution like MediaBoost is a one-time fee at a public price that is very competitive for named-outlet placements, legacy wires like PR Newswire start at $805 per release plus a $195 annual membership, and global wire distribution can pass $10,000. All third-party prices checked July 2026.
Why do press release prices vary so much?
Three drivers explain almost every gap: whether the fee guarantees placements on outlets named up front or buys entry into a distribution network, how much service surrounds the release (editorial review, human support, a proof report of live links), and the tier of the outlets involved: cheap packages place you on lower-tier sites, premium services on named outlets (MediaBoost's catalog runs DR 70-92, average DR 82). A single guaranteed article on a premium outlet like Forbes is its own budget line, often more than a full distribution package, and MediaBoost publishes each outlet's price openly on its rate card.
Is a free press release worth it?
Writing the release yourself with a free template is worth it, since the copy is the one part you can genuinely do for free. Free distribution is a different story: free submission sites provide unverified syndication on low-visibility pages, with no named outlets and no proof of publication, which rarely survives scrutiny from journalists, investors or partners.
Do more expensive press release services rank better on Google?
No service can honestly promise rankings, at any price. Most media links are nofollow as per industry standard, so the value of coverage comes from brand signals, indexed articles, referral traffic and AI visibility rather than from passing link equity. A higher price buys outlet tier and service around the release, not a ranking guarantee.
The price you see is the price you pay
Full-service distribution at a one-time public price, with no membership and no quote call. The outlet list is named before payment, editorial review is included, and your release is live within 48 hours with a proof report.