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Why I’m Not a PRweb Affiliate
I write press releases for online clients. I write a lot of them. Many of my clients ultimately choose to distribute their press releases through PRweb (I actually hate to think of exactly how much money I’ve pushed their way). So logic would say I should sign up as an affiliate with PRweb / PRweb Direct and earn a nice chunk of change the next time one of my clients forks over $300-600 per release (while I don’t usually recommend them as the best option, I do say “if you’re going to insist on using them, at least shoot for a top ten placement.”). Yet, I’m not a PRweb affiliate, and have no intentions of ever becoming one? What on earth am I smoking?
Nothing, really… I swear. I just have these little things called “ethics.” Unlike a lot of press release writers who simply write press releases (often without an inkling of knowing how to do it well), PR firms and professionals have to be a bit more careful. Our responsibility is to our clients and referring the best distribution models for each individual client’s needs, whether it be PRweb, a wire distribution service, manual distribution, or some other method. Our responsibility is not, on the other hand, to try to milk our clients for every cent we can (unless you’re a total bottom-feeder). by basing our professional referrals on how we’ll net the most dough.
So all of my other feelings towards PRweb aside (and I’ll admit they’ve gotten a little bit better than my previous rants, although they still have a good way to go), that’s why I’m not a PRweb affiliate… so my clients can continue to trust my recommendations on their distribution models.
On a sidenote, this utterly random post was actually the result of a discussion with a current client who mentioned the affiliate program. :)
Who do you recommend for PR distribution then? I haven’t been reading your blog, but ran across this post in a Google query results.
I don’t suggest a single service for PR distribution. I suggest tailoring your distribution to the target audience for each specific client (if other than just for yourself) and each specific release. For example, PRweb may still be fine if you’re trying to reach webmasters. If you wanted to reach print, niche trade publications, a manual approach would often be best.
I disagree. Why not do both? Targeting trade publications is fine to connect with an online audience but it will do little to promote a Web site as online press releases can do. Naturally, the content of the release, seo nature, keywords, target market and other criteria all play a role as well. However, utilizing one method over the other is a poor strategy when both mediums have value - potentially.
Rich
Rich, it really sounds like you missed the entire point of the post. I didn’t say there that you should only target trade publications. Nor did I say that you shouldn’t encourage online distribution. What I said is that it’s unethical for a PR professional to become an affiliate of an online distribution service, and then solely push that service instead of offering uniquely-tailored distribution advice to their clients (b/c they’re making extra dough on the side for the affiliate referral).
There’s nothing wrong with online distribution as a component of overall press release distribution. The problem lies in people not knowing the difference between one service and another, not being able to advise clients on the best value for the results they’re after, and not being able to effectively tailor distribution to every client and release (which is their job).