Should you submit a press release? Pros, cons & when it's worth it

Every week we get emails from founders asking a version of the same question: should I even bother with a press release? Fair question. There's plenty of internet advice that treats PR as a mandatory checkbox, and plenty of skeptics who call it a waste of time. The truth sits between those two camps — and the honest answer depends on you.

Who actually benefits from press releases

In our experience, the companies that get the most out of PR distribution fall into five buckets:

• Early-stage startups that need "as featured on" logos for their pitch deck.
• SaaS and marketplace companies using PR to build a search-engine footprint over time.
• Local and regional businesses where a Denver Post pickup drives real foot traffic.
• Public issuers that need SEC disclosure and analyst-terminal visibility.
• Crypto and Web3 projects announcing token launches, exchange listings, or protocol milestones.

If you're none of the above, that's fine — a press release is still often worth $50 for the SEO breadcrumb alone. But your expected upside is smaller, so treat it that way.

The pros (honestly)

• Cheap credibility. One legitimate Yahoo Finance or USA Today placement anchors a "media" section on your homepage for years.
• Compounding SEO. Every indexed release becomes a permanent search asset. Ten releases over two years builds a moat competitors can't buy.
• Journalist priming. Even releases that don't get picked up get read. Reporters remember names that keep showing up.
• Recruiting and partner intros. Fresh news lifts inbound recruiter interest and lowers cold-outreach friction for BD.
• Predictable outcome. Unlike organic PR, a wire release will go live. That predictability alone is worth the price for milestone announcements.

The cons (honestly)

• It can't manufacture a story that doesn't exist. If your news isn't news, distribution won't fix that.
• Aggregator pickups look impressive and mean little. A "picked up on 247 sites" report often includes 240 scraper domains nobody visits.
• Poor writing amplifies quietly. A bad release stays live on your Google results forever. That's a permanent tax.
• The industry has real snake oil. Wires promising "guaranteed front-page Google News ranking" are lying. Anyone offering that failed the credibility test on the first line.
• Time investment. A good release takes 2–4 hours to write and revise. If you skip that step, don't blame the wire.

When it's worth it

Green-light your release if:

• You can name the specific outcome you want (backlinks, recruiting, deck logos, launch buzz).
• You have a specific number, name, or date to anchor the story.
• You'll spend the two hours needed to write it properly.
• You have a plan for what to do with the coverage — a landing page, a follow-up post, an outreach list.

If all four are true, this is one of the highest-leverage $50–$200 you'll spend this quarter. If you want to test the water without paying, your first release with us is free.

When it's not

Skip it — for now — if:

• The "news" is really an internal milestone (hitting an OKR, launching a page).
• You don't have anyone quoted by name in the release.
• You're only doing it because a marketing agency told you to.
• You're planning to blast the same release to five free sites in a row (that's how you get demoted in search).

Wait a few weeks. Save it for the next real thing. A single strong release beats five weak ones every time. When you do want to send one, our beginner walkthrough will get you there in an afternoon.