Hi I just downloaded and am using Press Release Submitter v4.3 Trial version from pressblaster.net ... Is anybody else using it or has been using it? Is it worth the money to purchase (149.99$ seems very much at the first look) Is this software so good to be worth the money? If not - can anybody suggest an alternative solution ? Thank you all for your time!
I asked if anybody used it because its not a service its a software that you can buy once and make as many submissions as you wish ... Anybody used it? Anybody knows other similar software? Regards
OK. I will try to make it shorter: anybody knows any good semi-automatic software that can be used for press release and/or media submissions? I am interested to see what the market already has. Thank you.
I bought software called Press Equalizer and have used it a few times. It submits your press release to different sites. Can't really say how effective it is as I am not a very good writer. What I can say is that it did bring some traffic.
Thank you for the tip. How many editors / press release distribution centers does its database contain ?
Don't waste your money. No self-respecting editor would do anything with an automatic submission other than toss it in the scrap heap. If you want to distribute it effectively, do it right. There aren't shortcuts unless you're prepared to spend quite a bit of money with serious wire services. Instead, spend the time to submit to people who actually want your news rather than general lists.
I am not looking for general lists, I am looking for niche specific news editors and press release distribution channels. Do you think you can help ? Regards
That's why I'm saying not to use them... you won't get anything niche-specific and updated often enough to make it worthwhile (there's high turnover when it comes to media contact changes). You can of course just build your own list if there are specific outlets you want to reach. If you want something more specific though, look into services like Bacon's and just purchase a list (one of the more trusted sources in the industry). If you work with more than one niche, or simply want a lot of contacts (and plan to handle distribution manually), invest in access to a media database like Burrelles. It's somewhere around the $1000 mark for the year's access, but you get updates as they're changed in the database (as opposed to buying one list), and you can very easily make your own custom lists for each individual campaign - the best way to distribute releases, and if you plan to distribute a lot, it's actually much cheaper this way than to use paid distribution sites. As for the paid submitter, they're just garbage, so don't waste the money.
I just have to give you some reputation points - you surely made my mind a bit more clear. I will come back with further questions, if there are any. Thank you very much for your kind support. PS: There are certain niches that are for sure very popular already (such as software market and general software products). Are you aware of any list of editors that could be maybe freely available for my further manual maintenance and use ?
I don't know of any decent niche media lists that are freely available. They're not too hard to put together manually though if you have a few hours to invest one day. Just find a list of niche publications (even in something like dmoz is fine - you just want links to their sites). Many have contact info and such available in their media kit or press room. If not, you would simply give their receptionist a quick call and find out the appropriate editor or journalist, and their individual information. Chances are that you already know the most important niche outlets and don't need a list of links at all.
That is exactly how I have done and do it, I was only looking for increasing what I am already working with. Once again, thank you very much for your advice.
On a side note, in my own experience I can tell you that most auto-submitters, whether for articles, press releases or search engines, work as long as GET/POST method is not modified by sites' owners. Outdated submission lists and improvements in their submission methods, such as adding captcha verification, make this software useless in no time.
I was initially actually looking for a semi-automatic solution but now I am into obtaining a medium - large database of contacts for coding a proprietary tool. Any further suggestions?
If you are implementing your own solution, my best advice is verifying your database on a regular basis against possible changes in posting/submission rules for each site. As told before, most sites introduce changes over time to avoid spam, but often preventing legitimate submissions if a query format is modified.
I am aware of these problems but I am trying to figure out if there are any free resources for this purpose to get me started .. a good list of internal niche-oriented contacts would be excellent. Regards
No, there aren't free resources for what you're asking for. If there were, the professional databases wouldn't go so well for their high prices. The best bet for what you're talking about now is to purchase a subscription to a media database. Otherwise, the best you can hope for is a list of links to their sites - and in that case, you might as well just Google it.