Ask HN: Best places to submit PR and news releases?

I have good reason to believe that you're better off not using a service at all. I do specifically know that some press outlets make it very difficult to submit press releases over the Internet.

It's not hard at all to build a list of press release emails and URLs of submission forms manually. I've got a whole bunch of them, however they are written by hand in a notebook - I don't have an electronic copy yet. I'd be happy to snail mail you a photocopy, or maybe I could email you a scan.

The problem is that there are a lot of folks who have a great deal to gain by getting press coverage. The press only wants to run stories on what is truly newsworthy, but for a low, low price the press release distribution services can spam the bejeezus out of the newspapers.

Consider snail-mailing hardcopy press releases. For local press outlets, show up in person to hand the hardcopy press release to their customer service desk - I've actually done that.

Put a "Press" or "Press Information" link in a very obvious place on your own website. Put your release there as well. Also provide a "Press Kit", which has moderately hires graphics of your logo, key people at your company, of your product, screenshots, and happy, smiling people who are able to get so much more out of life as a result of using your product or service.

What I'm trying to say is not that you shouldn't issue a press release, but that you should distribute it yourself, so as to give it that personal touch. You're likely to get a far better response out of the press if you do so.

Put some effort into composing your press release. If you're not a good writer yourself, hire one, or get a literary-minded friend to volunteer to write it for you. Keep it as brief and as compelling as possible - it's important to understand that editors read vast quantities of press releases. They are not likely to read your entire document before deciding to run your story.

Have a read of some press releases that others have written, both successful ones, and if you can find any, unsuccessful ones.

I and the other editors at ProgrammableWeb.com will gladly consider press releases or even less formal announcements in the way of emails or pointers to blog posts so long as the announcement is relative to our web/mobile developer-focused audience. We can't get to everything, but one of my growing areas of emphasis coming into 2015 is to develop better relationships with our various constituencies and "announcements" are one way we discover new contacts.

David (editor in chief, PW)