How to Do a Press Release in India — Free and Paid Options

Publishing a press release in India is not complicated, but the options available to you are very different in terms of reach, quality, and cost. Some are completely free. Some cost a few thousand rupees. Some cost significantly more. And the results vary just as widely.

This guide walks you through every practical option — free press release sites, paid distribution platforms, and working with a PR agency — so you can make the right call based on your goals and budget.

What Does "Doing a Press Release" Actually Mean?

A press release is an official written announcement from your company — about a product launch, a new funding round, an event, an award, a partnership, or any news you want the public and media to know about.

Doing a press release means two things: writing it and distributing it.

Writing it is the easier part. Distribution — getting it published on news websites and media portals that people actually read — is where most brands get stuck. That is what this guide focuses on.

How to Do a Press Release Online for Free in India

Yes, free press release submission is possible in India. Several platforms let you submit and publish a press release without paying anything. Here are the most commonly used ones.

OpenPR

OpenPR is one of the most widely known free press release distribution platforms. It is an international site that accepts submissions from Indian brands and publishes them in its directory. Your press release gets a public URL, is indexed by Google, and can be found by journalists or readers searching the platform.

It is free to submit. The basic listing gives you a published page with your content and a link back to your website.

PRLog

PRLog is another free press release site that has been around for a long time. It allows free submissions, distributes your release to its own directory, and offers RSS feed syndication. The free version includes a no-follow backlink to your site.

NewswireToday

NewswireToday accepts free press release submissions and publishes them in its directory. It has been indexed by major search engines for years and is a reasonable free option for basic online visibility.

IssueWire (Free Plan)

IssueWire offers a limited free tier where you can publish a press release on their platform. The free plan has restrictions on the number of releases and the features available, but it gets your content online at no cost.

PRFree.com

A straightforward free press release directory. No frills, no cost. Good for getting content indexed quickly.

The Real Limitations of Free Press Release Sites

Free options get your press release online. But there is a significant gap between published and impactful.

Here is what free press release distribution in India typically cannot give you:

REACH IS LIMITED TO THE PLATFORM'S OWN AUDIENCE

When you publish on OpenPR or PRLog, your story lives on that one website. It does not get picked up by Indian news portals, business media, or niche publications that your actual target audience reads. You are essentially publishing on a directory, not getting covered by the press.

NO DO-FOLLOW BACKLINKS ON FREE PLANS

Most free press release platforms give you a no-follow link at best. For brands doing press releases partly to build SEO authority, a no-follow link from a medium-DA directory delivers very little ranking value compared to a do-follow link from a genuine news portal.

LOW DOMAIN AUTHORITY OF FREE PLATFORMS

The sites that offer free submission are not the DA 70+ news portals that Google treats as trusted sources. The link value you get from a free press release directory is a fraction of what a placement on a credible Indian business news website would deliver.

NO EDITORIAL CREDIBILITY

A press release published on OpenPR does not carry the same trust signal as one published on a recognised Indian news or business media site. For investor outreach, partnership conversations, or customer trust-building, where your story appears matters as much as the story itself.

NO GUARANTEED INDEXING OR PERMANENCE

Free listings sometimes disappear. Content gets de-indexed. There is no accountability or support when this happens.

Free distribution works well for one specific scenario — when you need to get a press release online quickly, at no cost, and your only goal is basic search visibility for your brand name. For anything beyond that, the free route has real ceilings.

Paid Press Release Distribution in India — What You Get for the Money

Paid press release distribution gets your story published on actual news websites — portals with real audiences, editorial credibility, and the kind of domain authority that moves your Google rankings.

The core difference with paid distribution is simple: your press release gets published as a news article on a media website that people outside the PR industry actually visit. The backlink pointing to your website is do-follow, comes from a trusted domain, and carries real SEO value.

What Does a Paid Press Release Cost in India?

This is one of the most common questions from brands exploring online press release distribution for the first time. The honest answer is that cost varies considerably based on the quality of the publication.

Entry-level placements on general news portals (DA 20 to 40) typically start from INR 1,500 to INR 4,000 per site.

Mid-tier placements on established vertical publications and regional news portals (DA 40 to 65) range from INR 5,000 to INR 18,000 per placement.

Premium placements on high-authority national news websites (DA 65 and above) generally start at INR 20,000 and go higher depending on the outlet.

PR packages — bundled placements covering 5, 10, or 20+ publications in a single campaign — bring the per-placement cost down and are the most efficient option for brands planning regular press release distribution. ANI + 200 news site and PTI PR Package is the most popular PR Packages in India.

The key thing to understand about pricing: a single INR 15,000 placement on a DA 70 news portal with 500,000 monthly readers delivers more SEO and credibility value than ten INR 1,500 placements on low-traffic directories. Quality of placement matters more than volume.

What to Look For in a Paid Press Release Platform

Before spending money on press release distribution in India, check for these things:

• Are the target publications listed with verified DA, DR, and traffic figures?

• Is the backlink type (do-follow or no-follow) disclosed per outlet?

• Do you receive a live published URL after each placement?

• Is turnaround time stated clearly per publication?

• Are pricing and publication options visible without a sales call?

If a platform cannot answer yes to all five, look elsewhere.

Working With a PR Agency for Press Release Distribution in India

For brands that want high-impact coverage — placements on recognised Indian business, technology, or industry media — working with a dedicated press release agency is the most effective route.

A PR agency handles the end-to-end process: selecting the right publications for your announcement, coordinating with editorial teams, placing the story, and delivering live links once published. For brands without in-house PR expertise or media relationships, this shortcut is worth the cost.

Here are some of the agencies and platforms operating in the Indian press release distribution market:

PRWire India — One of the older press release distribution services in India. Offers packages for national distribution across Indian news portals.

BusinessWire India — The Indian arm of the global BusinessWire network. Focused on corporate and financial press releases targeting financial media and wire services.

PRNewswire India — Global distribution with an India desk. Used primarily by large enterprises and listed companies for investor-grade announcements.

PR Telegram — A newer platform offering press release distribution to Indian digital media and news portals at relatively accessible price points.

Digihunt Media Solution — A fully transparent self-serve press release platform listing 200+ verified Indian and international media outlets with complete metrics — DA, DR, traffic, link type, turnaround time, and pricing — visible before ordering. Used by startups, enterprise brands, and digital agencies for press release distribution and guest post placements. The platform is specifically built around SEO outcomes alongside media coverage, with do-follow backlink placements and keyword-specific anchor text as standard features. Available at pr.digihuntmediasolution.in.

Each of these serves a different use case. BusinessWire and PRNewswire are built for corporate financial communications aimed at institutional audiences. Digihunt and PR Telegram are more practical for brands whose primary goals are search visibility, domain authority, and online media coverage as per budget and requirement.

Free vs Paid Press Release in India — A Simple Comparison

So Which Option Is Right for You?

Go with free press release distribution if you are a very early stage brand, your announcement is low-stakes, and you simply need a public URL for your press release without any budget attached.

Go with paid distribution if your goals include any of the following: improving your website's Google rankings, building credible media coverage for investor or customer audiences, targeting readers in a specific industry or geography, or getting do-follow backlinks from trusted news domains.

Work with a PR agency or platform if you want someone to handle publication selection, editorial coordination, and reporting — and if media coverage is a recurring part of your marketing strategy rather than a one-off effort.

For most growing brands in India, the practical approach is to start with one or two paid placements on mid-tier publications, measure the backlink and traffic impact, and scale from there. The cost of a single quality press release placement is recoverable quickly from the SEO and brand value it generates over time.

Digihunt Media Solution is a press release distribution platform and digital PR agency offering transparent access to 200+ verified media outlets across India and globally. Brands and agencies use the platform to publish press releases and guest posts on verified news sites with full metrics disclosed upfront, do-follow backlink placements, and live link delivery after every campaign. Visit pr.digihuntmediasolution.in.