We’ve had a couple of clients, and more than a couple of prospective clients, ask about using free press release distribution services, such as PR Web, in order to improve search engine visibility and rankings and drive traffic to their web sites.

Our take is that if those are the only goals of your PR program then the free distribution sites can have some value. You still need to know what is newsworthy, how to communicate that news properly and succinctly in a release, what other resources can be used to add value to the release and how to make that release as search friendly as possible. Which is part of the reason PR firms get hired in the first place.

Our big concern is branding. If you put out a poorly written communication using the same services as second and third tier companies in your category, on sites whose own branding make them look second tier, particularly when compared side-by-side with BusinessWire and PR Newswire, you are not doing your brand any favors.

I feel like I’m browsing through a picked-over second hand store when I visit these sites.

Be that as it may…if you’re just starting up and have some decent writing chops, Jenn Mattern of Naked PR assembled a Big List of Free Press Release Distribution Sites, as well as some warnings and guidelines for enlisting their services. Very useful.