Key Takeaways
- openPR has a free plan allowing one press release per month, with paid plans starting at just €49.00 + VAT per release.
- The platform distributes press releases to Google News and various decision-makers worldwide, providing businesses with potential SEO benefits and increased visibility.
- While openPR lacks some advanced targeting features found in competitors like PR.com and NewswireToday, its cost-effectiveness makes it worth considering for small businesses.
- The platform’s legitimacy is confirmed by its established presence and professional distribution channels, though user reviews are limited online.
- Multi-channel distribution through AmpiFire transforms announcements into 8 content formats published across 300+ platforms, including Google News, YouTube, Spotify, and FOX affiliates, delivering better ROI compared to single-platform press release services.
What is openPR? The Press Release Distribution Platform Businesses Need to Know
openPR is a German-based press release distribution service that helps businesses share their news with the world. The platform offers both free and paid distribution options, making it accessible to companies of any size or budget. What makes openPR stand out is its straightforward approach to helping businesses gain visibility through professionally distributed press releases.
The process of using openPR is refreshingly simple. First, create an account on their website. Next, decide if you’ll use their free or paid service. Then, prepare your press release, ensuring it’s newsworthy and engaging. Once submitted, your press release gets distributed to various channels, including Google News, search engines, and RSS feeds, potentially reaching journalists, investors, and consumers alike.
But is openPR legitimate? The answer is yes. While online reviews are sparse, the platform has established itself as a reliable service for distributing press releases. Its structured distribution network and professional approach to press release dissemination have made it a viable option for businesses looking to extend their reach without breaking the bank.
Why Press Releases Don’t Work Anymore
Smart Businesses Are Moving Beyond Traditional PR
• The Problem: Press releases reach one audience through one channel while your customers are everywhere online. Most get buried within days with poor ROI.
• The Solution: AmpiFire’s AmpCast creates 8 different content formats from one topic and distributes across 300+ high-authority sites including Fox affiliates, Spotify, and YouTube.
What You’ll Learn on PR Zen:
✓ Why multi-channel content delivers 10x better results than press releases
✓ How to amplify your PR efforts across multiple platforms
✓ Real case studies of businesses dominating search, social, video, and podcasts
✓ Cost-effective alternative to expensive PR agencies
Ready to Replace Press Releases? Learn the AmpiFire Method →
The Real Cost of openPR: Pricing Plans That Won’t Break Your Bank
Free Plan: What You Get For $0
openPR’s free plan is quite generous compared to many competitors. It allows users to distribute one press release per month at absolutely no cost. This free submission includes distribution to search engines and RSS feeds, making it a valuable option for businesses just starting to check out the benefits of press release marketing.
However, the free plan does have limitations. It lacks some features available in the paid plans, such as priority placement and enhanced distribution channels. Free submissions may also take longer to be reviewed and published. Despite these limitations, the free plan provides a risk-free way to test openPR’s services before committing to a paid option.
Paid Options: From €49 to €399
openPR paid plans start at €49.00 + VAT for a single credit (one press release) and become more economical as you purchase in bulk. The 10-credit package costs €169.00 + VAT, while 30 credits cost €199.00 + VAT, with up to 500 press releases available for just €399.
Paid submissions offer several advantages over the free option, including faster review and publication, company branding opportunities, clickable links, and broader distribution. These features can significantly enhance the impact and reach of your press releases, making the paid options well worth considering for businesses serious about their PR efforts.
The Real-World Reviews of openPR Press Releases
Finding detailed user reviews for openPR is challenging, as the platform doesn’t have a strong presence on major review sites. This absence of reviews doesn’t necessarily indicate poor performance, but instead suggests that openPR might have a smaller user base compared to some of the giant distribution services.
However, analyzing the available information from OpenPR, businesses that use openPR seem to value it most for its cost-effectiveness rather than premium features or extensive reach. It appears to be particularly popular among small to medium-sized European businesses, likely due to its German origins and Euro-based pricing.
Top 3 openPR Alternatives For Your Business
1. PR.com: Higher Cost but More Features
PR.com stands as one of the more recognized alternatives to openPR, offering broader distribution capabilities, particularly in the North American market. The platform’s more robust targeting features allow you to reach specific industries, regions, or demographics – something that openPR doesn’t offer as comprehensively. This targeted approach can be invaluable for businesses looking to reach very specific audiences rather than casting a wide net.
The decision between openPR and PR.com often comes down to whether your business values cost-effectiveness or feature richness more highly. Startups and small businesses with tight budgets might still prefer openPR, while growing companies with more specific distribution needs might find PR.com’s additional features worth the premium.
2. 1888PressRelease.com: Budget-Friendly Alternative
For businesses seeking an alternative that rivals openPR’s affordability, 1888PressRelease.com is an attractive option. Like openPR, it has a free basic distribution option, though with more limitations than its paid tiers.
Where 1888PressRelease.com potentially falls short is in search engine and RSS feed distribution – areas where openPR performs well. The service is particularly popular among U.S. small businesses and solopreneurs seeking basic press release distribution without a significant investment.
3. NewswireToday: Premium Features at a Premium Price
For businesses with larger budgets seeking more comprehensive distribution features, NewswireToday presents a higher-end alternative to openPR. However, this higher price comes with benefits, including advanced targeting capabilities, enhanced spam protection, and potentially wider distribution.
NewswireToday excels particularly in international distribution and industry-specific targeting, making it worth considering for businesses with global ambitions or those operating in specialized sectors where targeted reach is essential for success.
Beyond OpenPR: The Honest Truth About Press Release Platforms
While openPR has a straightforward, budget-friendly option for publishing press releases, its fundamental limitation is clear: you’re distributing to a single platform with limited reach and uncertain pickup by other media outlets.
Even with their premium syndication options, you’re still hoping that journalists and news aggregators will choose to republish your content. This passive approach leaves your visibility entirely dependent on factors outside your control.
The reality of modern media consumption is that audiences don’t rely on single sources for information. They search on Google, watch videos on YouTube, listen to podcasts during commutes, browse social media, look for infographics on Pinterest, and read articles across countless websites.
When your press release appears on only one or two platforms, even legitimate ones, you’re missing the vast majority of potential buyers researching your industry across dozens of channels.
Another drawback is the limited reporting and analytics. While some press release services provide detailed metrics on who viewed your release, click-through rates, and media pickups, PR analytics capabilities are relatively basic. For data-driven marketers who need comprehensive performance insights, this limitation could be frustrating.
Why AmpiFire Multi-Channel Distribution Outperforms OpenPR
Multi-format content distribution fundamentally changes how businesses build online visibility and authority.
Instead of publishing a single press release and hoping for the best, imagine your announcement appearing simultaneously as news articles on FOX affiliate sites, videos on YouTube, podcasts on Spotify, infographics on Pinterest, slideshows across presentation platforms, blog posts on hundreds of high-authority websites, and social media content across multiple networks.
AmpiFire takes any announcement and transforms it into 8 different content formats: news articles, blog posts, interview podcasts, long-form videos, short-form videos (reels), infographics, slideshows, and social posts. This content is then automatically published to over 300 high-authority sites, including Google News, YouTube, Spotify, Pinterest, FOX affiliate sites, MSN, and major blog networks.
This omnipresent approach doesn’t just increase reach, it signals to search algorithms across every major platform that your brand is trustworthy, relevant, and authoritative. The ROI difference between single-platform press release distribution and comprehensive multi-channel strategies is dramatic.
Consider this real-world example from AmpiFire: Directbed.ca, a Canadian-based e-commerce store, was able to establish trust, recognition, and generate high-ROI leads and sales, resulting in a 417.8% increase in traffic between August 2021 and December 2022 by using the Ampifire method.
Leveraging Ampifire, you are not just submitting a press release to one platform; you’re creating an entire content ecosystem that dominates search results and captures attention across every channel that matters.
Ready to Replace Press Releases? Try the AmpiFire Method →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is openPR a legitimate press release distribution service?
Yes, openPR is a legitimate free press release distribution platform that publishes submissions on its website. However, “legitimate” doesn’t mean “effective”—your release appears on openPR’s site with no guaranteed pickup by major news outlets or search engines. It’s real but limited in reach and impact compared to comprehensive distribution services.
Will my press release on openPR get picked up by Google News?
Not automatically. While openPR is indexed by Google, appearing in Google News requires meeting specific criteria and being syndicated to Google News-approved sites. OpenPR may offer syndication upgrades, but there’s no guarantee of placement in Google News. Multi-channel platforms publish directly to Google News-approved sites.
What are better alternatives to openPR for press release distribution?
Better alternatives include PRWeb for moderate budgets with wider syndication, eReleases for editorial review and journalist targeting, Newswire for comprehensive distribution, or AmpiFire for multi-format content transformation across 300+ platforms. Choose based on budget, desired reach, and whether you need just press release hosting or comprehensive multi-channel visibility.
How does AmpiFire’s approach differ from traditional press release services like openPR?
AmpiFire transforms announcements into 8 formats (news articles, blog posts, interview podcasts, long-form videos, short-form videos (reels), infographics, slideshows, and social posts) and publishes across 300+ platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, Google News, and FOX affiliates, a feat that single-platform press release services can’t achieve.
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