Unit prices go down considerably when purchasing a series. Doing just one of these is not normally ideal anyway. Better than doing nothing of course, but one release is the equivalent of running one advertisement for one month in a magazine and then wondering why nothing happened. In order to see lasting results, the budget should provide for an ongoing press campaign, such as one story per quarter or one per month. The geographic range and frequency of clippings will naturally be much higher as a result, plus unit cost per feature will be much cheaper. Results from a single feature are very unpredictable: it could do great, but it could be disappointing. With a series of stories, the highs and lows will even out to a strong average and consumers are seeing the brand or association name regularly.

 

For a series of six 2-column features placed over a one-year period, expect to pay $14,000 to $29,000 depending on how much you're getting for your money. For 12 features expect to pay in the range of $25,000 to $50,000. The high end is for NAPS and NewsUSA, where both services and results are the most numerous. Neither one posts rates, so request them from sales. As a rough guide, the NAPS list price is generally 15-20% higher than NewsUSA's rates, which start at $5,500 for a one-off two-column feature (often with Hispanic media distribution included). Here's a rundown for Metro.

 

For the small public relations agency with a very limited publicity budget, this may seem like a lot of money. To marketing people used to buying advertising though, a mat release campaign is perceived as an excellent value. For less than the price of one advertisement in a mid-range magazine, they get over a year of solid media coverage, likely hitting 20 million to 40 million readers who are paying attention since its a news story.

 

For most consumer-focused companies, the ROI for a matte release series is easy to justify compared to other marketing expenditures and results are more measurable than most other public relations efforts. Almost every major consumer brand and national charity uses mat releases on a regular basis. If you want to play in their league without buying Super Bowl ads, ongoing publicity campaigns are a good way to compete at the Fortune 500 level without spending a fortune in the process.