Do press releases build links?
Not directly. The copies a newswire places on partner sites are syndicated duplicates that should be counted as zero links. A press release builds links only when a journalist reads it and writes their own article, which usually takes a direct pitch as well.
In short
- Wire distribution produces identical copies on partner sites, and the working rule is to count those copies as zero links in reporting.
- In BuzzStream's State of Digital PR 2026, 79.1% of practitioners pitch press releases but only 11.5% use a newswire, which shows the release is mostly sent directly to journalists.
- EIN Presswire's own pricing page, checked on 4 October 2026, lists $149 for a single release, and we could not load a public price list for Business Wire or PR Newswire.
- Keyword-rich links placed in press releases at volume are treated as a link scheme, a position Google is reported to have held since 2013.
- A release with real news is risk level R1, and its value is discovery by journalists, brand visibility and a possible surface for AI answers.
A press release does not build links by being distributed. The copies that a newswire places on partner sites are duplicates of the same text, their links are widely understood to be nofollowed or ignored, and the sound practice is to count them as zero. A release builds links in one way only: a journalist reads it, decides there is a story, and writes their own article with a link in it.
That makes the press release a format for delivering news, not a link source. Whether it works depends on the news and on who you send it to.
A press release and a newswire are different things
The two get confused. A press release is a document: an announcement written in a standard form. A newswire is a paid service that distributes the document to newsrooms and republishes it on partner websites.
You can send a release without a wire, and most digital PR teams do. In BuzzStream’s State of Digital PR 2026, which surveyed more than 150 practitioners, 79.1% said they pitch press releases, up from 68.8% in 2025. Only 11.5% said they use newswires. The typical release goes by email to chosen journalists.
Journalists still value the format. Cision’s State of the Media 2024, as relayed in BuzzStream’s digital PR statistics, has 68% of journalists rating press releases as the most valuable source for generating content or ideas. Cision’s 2026 survey of 1,899 journalists also found that 66% rely on PR-provided content, including releases and pitches, for story ideas.
What wire distribution produces
Pay a wire and you get your release republished, word for word, on a set of partner pages. Those pages are easy to recognise:
- the same headline and body on many sites at once
- hosting in a press release section or on a partner subdomain, away from the site’s own journalism
- no byline from a staff reporter
- pages on local broadcaster and finance sites that exist only to carry wire content
Three kinds of result can follow a release, and they are not worth the same.
| Result | What it is | Count it as a link? |
|---|---|---|
| Wire pickup | An automatic copy of your release on a partner site | No. Count as zero |
| Syndicated editorial copy | A journalist’s article about your news, republished across sister titles | Count the original once and report the copies separately |
| Editorial article | A journalist’s own piece on their own site | Yes |
The middle row is a separate subject. Syndicated links from news coverage covers what those copies are worth.
What Google has said
Google’s spam policies, last updated in August 2026, define link spam as links intended to manipulate rankings. On press releases specifically, practitioner accounts say Google has held since 2013 that optimised anchor text in releases distributed across other sites is a link scheme, and that links in syndicated releases are nofollowed or ignored. We have that from practitioner knowledge and did not re-read the 2013 guidance, so take it as the widely accepted position.
In practice this means two things. A link in a wire copy is unlikely to help rankings. And a release written with keyword anchors, to create links, is the kind of pattern the policy describes. Link attributes explains how nofollow works as a hint.
What a release is good for
A release has value. It is just not link value.
- Discovery. A release on a wire can be found by journalists, analysts and investors who search the wires.
- A trigger for coverage. It gives a reporter the facts, a quote and a contact in one place.
- A public record. Funding, launches, appointments and results are stated in your own words, with a date.
- Brand visibility. The brand name appears on many pages, which may give AI systems more text to draw on. This is a plausible effect and is not proven. See brand mentions and citations.
Releases suit companies with real news: funded and listed companies, product launches, new data and senior hires.
What distribution costs
EIN Presswire’s own pricing page, checked on 4 October 2026, lists $149 for one release, $499 for a package of five plus one extra and $999 for 15. It is shown as an example, not a recommendation. We could not load a public price list for Business Wire or PR Newswire on that date, so we give no figures for them.
Images, extra regions and international circuits are reported to raise the bill to several thousand dollars. Other wires named in our research include GlobeNewswire, PRWeb, Newswire.com, Pressat in the UK and Presseportal in Germany.
A direct pitch costs time only. That explains why most practitioners send the release themselves and why wire use is low.
How to use a release so that it earns links
The working method is to treat the wire as optional and the pitch as required.
- Check that it is news. Funding, a launch, new data or a hire. An opinion or an offer is not news.
- Write it for a journalist. The finding or announcement in the first sentence, a quote from a named person, a contact, and the facts a reporter would otherwise have to ask for.
- Link once or twice, plainly. Use the brand name or the bare URL. Keyword anchors add risk and no value. See anchor text.
- Host it on your own site. A newsroom or press page gives journalists something to link to.
- Pitch it directly. Send the release in the body of a short, personal email to journalists who cover the subject. The wire alone rarely earns editorial coverage. How to pitch journalists covers the email.
- Use a wire only if reach matters. For example when a listed company must disclose, or when you want the announcement on record widely.
- Report honestly. Count articles written by journalists. Count wire copies as zero.
How press releases are abused
You should be able to recognise the pattern, because some vendors sell it as link building.
- Monthly releases with no news, each carrying exact-match anchors to commercial pages, with the same boilerplate every time.
- “Guaranteed placement on 300 news sites” packages. The placements are wire copies, and the logos in the sales page are the partner sections, not the newsrooms.
- Releases used as second-tier links, pointed at other paid placements to push them along. See tiered link building.
- Brand name stuffing for AI answers, where releases repeat a brand beside a category term in the hope that AI systems will pick it up.
Used this way a release moves from R1 to R3 on our risk scale. The likely outcome is that the links are ignored and the money is wasted.
When not to use one
Skip the wire if you have no real news, if your only goal is links, or if your budget covers either a wire or the time to pitch properly. Spend it on the pitch. For link-led work, a campaign with data or an expert gives journalists a reason to write. The digital PR tactic page covers the options, and digital PR agencies and tools lists distribution services alongside agencies. Terms are defined in the glossary.
Common questions
Do press release backlinks help SEO?
The links on wire partner sites are widely understood to be nofollowed or ignored by Google, so treat them as worth nothing for rankings. The links that help are the ones in articles journalists write after reading the release.
Are press release links nofollow?
Usually, or they are ignored. Practitioner accounts say Google has treated optimised links in press releases as link schemes since 2013 and that wires and their partners nofollow them. We did not re-check each wire's current practice.
Is it worth paying for press release distribution?
For real news where you want reach, a public record and a chance of being found by journalists, it can be. As a way to buy links, no. Budget for direct pitching as well, because the wire alone rarely earns editorial coverage.
How much does press release distribution cost?
EIN Presswire's pricing page, checked on 4 October 2026, lists $149 for one release, $499 for five plus one extra and $999 for 15. We could not load public prices for Business Wire or PR Newswire, so ask those vendors for a quote.
Can press releases get a site penalised?
A genuine announcement with a branded or plain URL link carries negligible risk. Releases issued every month with keyword anchors, mainly to create links, fit Google's description of link spam and are more likely to be ignored than punished.
