eReleases Review—Strengths, Weaknesses, Alternatives—2022 Data

Whether you just started a business or own an established company, gaining traction in your target markets is always beneficial.

The most convenient, time-saving, and cost-effective way to achieve this is with an online press release distribution service.

And what better place to start your search than one of the best newswire services—eReleases?

Read all about it in our in-depth eReleases review below and see whether it’s the right solution for you.

What Is eReleases?

eReleases is a press releases service created with small businesses in mind. Founded in 1998, it has vast experience in the industry.

It's renowned among the press release companies for its personal approach to business relations.

What’s more, it works with reputable journalists and editors, not just salespeople, and boasts many positive eReleases reviews by users.

But enough about the company’s image.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of its offerings.

eReleases Best Features

eReleases is among the best press release distribution services in terms of the range of features provided.

In this section, we discuss the most notable and useful eReleases services.

Partnership with PR Newswire

The company offers custom press release distribution services at a national level. Partnered with PR Newswire, it takes advantage of its wide reach and methods for sending press releases.

The added benefit is that it makes them accessible for small businesses.

Associated Press Collaboration

Apart from PR Newswire, eReleases collaborates with Associated Press (AP) Newswire. That way, the company guarantees that your press release will be distributed to giants like The New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and others.

Note that these eReleases PR services come only with the second-tier package. Still, it’s worth the cost, as it gets you a lot of coverage on premium outlets.

Diverse Range of Media Channels

You can distribute your outlets through eReleases to more than 500 news content systems, 3,000 newsrooms, and 4,500+ websites.

That way, you’ll reach experienced journalists interested in your content and not just random people from a database.

What’s more, eReleases boasts 1.7 million contacts, providing almost unlimited press release distribution. Plus, it adds a unique option for niche press release publishing.

Excellent Online Reputation

Two of the most reliable review websites—ShopperApproved and FeaturedCustomers—give the company almost perfect scores.

End-users praise the service's ease of use, quick turnarounds, and helpful support agents in their eReleases reviews.

They also appreciate the high return on investment (ROI).

But more on that later.

Affordable PR Writing Services

PR writing is not included in the main eReleases press release distribution package. However, you can purchase this service for an additional $300.

While that might seem like a lot at first, keep in mind this price includes both writing and distribution.

In other words, you’ll get a professionally written press release and huge exposure.

Quick Turnarounds

Even though eReleases doesn’t offer same-day distribution, turnaround times are fairly short.

Normally, the company distributes your work the next day.

Plus, it will send you proof of distribution within two hours after publishing the press release.

SEO Enhancements

The eReleases distribution services offer Search Engine Optimization with all plans.

Whether it creates your PR from scratch or works with your text, the company will make sure the content is properly optimized and easy to find by readers.

Distribution

As we mentioned earlier, eReleases offers next-day distribution.

Depending on the eReleases press release package you choose, the company will send your piece to 500-1,500 relevant contacts.

First, the PR release service sends your work to subscribing journalists.

Next, it distributes via PR Newswire.

Finally, the company sends your press release to interested parties via more traditional outlets, like TV, radio, or print.

Some users complain in their eReleases reviews about the lack of international press release distribution services.

Indeed, the company focuses on the US. Still, you can add global distribution for $1,000 or $150 per country.

Reporting

eReleases’ reporting tool—WireWatch—offers more than just proof of local press release distribution. It provides in-depth reports and measurements of key parameters.

These include potential audiences, media engagement, industry or device type analysis, and 50 links to sites where the PR was published.

Some customers praise this product, deeming it “a unique tool” in their eReleases reviews. That said, WireWatch yields unrealistic approximations at times.

For instance, it reports “potential audiences” of millions of people. But this is really an estimate of the total readership of the outlets that received the press release. It’s in no way representative of the actual number of people that read the piece.

What We Disliked

To be the best press release distribution solution, a company must provide an exceptional number of outlets and associated journalists.

While the eReleases press release service does great in that area, there are other aspects where it falls short.

Let’s see what they are.

• High price—The eReleases cost can get pretty steep. The plans start at $299, excluding the writing services.

• Outdated website—The website is difficult to navigate. Plus, it’s filled with pop-ups, trust badges, and clips, which can get annoying. Still, this is a negligible downside.

• Misleading reporting tools—eReleases reports a potential audience estimate, which is simply the readership of the outlets that received your piece. While technically correct, this information is misleading. It’d be more useful to know the number of actual readers.

Plans & Pricing

The eReleases price might be steep, but it’s worth paying for one of the most renowned press release wire services.

You can choose between three main packages, with the option to add other services for an extra fee.

BuzzBuilder—$299/release

This plan includes:

• PR Newswire custom nationwide distribution
• A word limit of 400
• Two free photos
• SEO enhancements
• One target industry
• Distribution to media sites
• Unlimited hyperlinks (1-3 is recommended)
• WireWatch
• Distribution to subscribing journalists

Newsmaker—$399/release

This eReleases press release package is advertised as users’ top pick on the official website. It includes all the features from the BuzzBuilder, plus:

• AP distribution (which ensures premium outlets)
• 500-word limit
• Two targeted industries

PR Pro—$599/release

You will get everything from the previous packages, plus:

• 600-word limit
• Three targeted industries
• Distribution to PRTrue—a network of journalists personally known by eReleases

A la Carte Services

Apart from these plans, you can purchase certain a la carte services for an additional eReleases fee. These include:

• An additional block of text—$150 per 100 words 
• Additional industry target list—$150
• More embedded images—$150
• Embedding a YouTube video—$200
• PR writing—$300
• International distribution—$150 per country/$1,000 globally
• eReleases Support

The company’s phone number, email address, and live chat option are on its website.

The support team responds fast (sometimes within minutes via chat). Agents are available from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm ET on weekdays. They demonstrate solid knowledge about the eReleases prices and services.

As always, we tested the quality of customer service. We sent an email asking how many news platforms are receiving press releases from eReleases.

We received a detailed and polite answer in less than six hours. The agents explained that the company sends the pieces to more than 3,000 newsrooms and 550 news systems.

eReleases User Reviews

Next up in our eReleases review, we take a peek at the company’s customer feedback.

As we mentioned above, two of the most reputable review platforms—ShopperApproved and FeaturedCustomers—rate the service highly, with 4.8/5 and 4.7/5 stars, respectively.

Perhaps not surprisingly, most user opinions are positive.

Although there is no eReleases BBB accreditation to speak of, the company enjoys a solid online reputation, backed up by overwhelmingly rave comments.

The typical eReleases review features praise for the journalists’ professionalism, the guaranteed exposure, and the good ROI.

Another great example is an eReleases review from Reddit illustrating the personalized, attentive approach to every customer.

Here’s how it goes:

“I got a letter in the mail [...] the 2nd page was front and back HAND WRITTEN thoughts and ideas about how we might go about writing our next press release. Someone actually took the time to understand what my app does and provide real substantial thoughts about how we could discuss it. [...] How cool?”.

That says a lot about the company’s quality of performance and approach to clients.

Is eReleases Worth It?

After thoroughly researching the service and verifying its reputation through hundreds of end-user eReleases reviews, we can say this is possibly the best press release service.

It is very prestigious and gives its clients more-than-decent marketing exposure.

That said, the eReleases cost is relatively high compared to other services. The cluttered and outdated website is another slight drawback.

Even so, eReleases is one of the best press release distribution services as of 2022. It’s a great solution and definitely worth the investment.

Alternatives of eReleases

To help you make an educated choice, we gathered information on some of the best eReleases alternatives.

Let’s see how the company stacks up against them.

EIN Presswire vs eReleases

EIN Presswire offers same-day distribution and embedding of up to five images with the premium plan.

But its biggest advantage is the price, starting at $49.95 per release.

That said, it allows for only three keywords with all packages. Besides, its approach is not nearly as personalized, which puts more burden on your PR skills.

eReleases vs 24-7 Press Release Newswire

24-7 Press Release Newswire has a price range between $29 to $419 per release. It provides similar services as eReleases, but for a smaller fee.

A major caveat is that it is not as good as eReleases when it comes to targeting niche audiences.

eReleases vs PRWeb

PRWeb is slightly cheaper, but it doesn't guarantee syndication. Still, it averages about 300 media sites, while eReleases manages only 250.

All in all, they are quite similar services, offering a nearly identical range of features and prices.

Wrap Up

Taking everything into account, eReleases is a solid choice for business owners who need more exposure.

It is particularly suitable for those who target niche industries.

It helps you improve your piece and reach top-notch outlets like The New York Times.

Given everything we discovered during our eReleases review process, we’d say it’s worth it. But after all, the choice is yours.