Questions to ask a UK press release distribution provider

What to take away

References beat case studies

Ask each shortlisted provider for two UK clients who will take a 20-minute call. References reveal the gap between what a supplier says it did and what a client will confirm.

Verify every named client on the Companies House register before you dial. Filing history, registered office and company status sit in public view, so a dormant shell is easy to spot.

Ask each referee the same three questions: what went out, what the provider controlled, and what had to be corrected after release. An answer that drifts into praise without detail is not a reference.

Logos on a slide deck prove nothing unless the provider says which contract they sit under.

Fix the price in pounds before you compare

Ask for a written quote in pounds sterling with VAT shown as a separate line. Split the total into four parts: writing or editing, media list access, transmission, and reporting.

Two quotes, one at £450 and one at £1,200 (both illustrative), may not cover the same work. Standardise the brief before you compare: one 400-word release, one named sector, one follow-up round, one reporting date.

Ask what triggers a reissue charge and whether a correction costs the same as the first send. Ask for the quote in writing, because a figure given on a call rarely survives a change of account manager.

Keep the announcement supplier dossier beside your call notes and mark any answer you had to assume.

Ask how the list was built and kept

A media list is personal data, so the questions are data protection questions. Ask who the controller is, what lawful basis covers each contact, where consent was recorded, and how a deletion request is handled.

The ICO guidance on UK GDPR sets the standard to hold a supplier against. Then move to upkeep: how many contacts sit in national media, how many in regional titles, when each record was last checked, and what happens when an address bounces.

A provider that resells access to a bought database will struggle with these questions. One that maintains its own list can answer them quickly.

Five questions to work through in order

Work through these on the first call, and write the answers down.

What should make you walk away

Some answers end the conversation. A refusal to name the data controller, a price that exists only on a call, or a reference list made of logos all point the same way.

Others need care. A provider may make claims about coverage or speed that fall under advertising rules, and the CAP codes bind the advertiser even when a supplier drafts the words.

If a release carries a price comparison, a health claim or an offer, check the advertising codes before it goes out. For the wording itself, the process in advertising rules for announcements covers identification, claims and omissions.

Ask what the provider will not do. A supplier with no stated exclusions is either new or careless.

Common questions

Should I ask for references before or after I see a price?

Before, if you can. A reference call shows whether the provider understands your sector, and that shapes what the price is worth to you.

What if a provider refuses to quote in writing?

Treat it as a failed answer. Ask again by email and keep the reply, because a supplier that will not confirm a figure in a message will not confirm it in a contract either.

How do I check a supplier's data protection position?

Ask for the controller name, the lawful basis for each contact and the retention period. Compare those answers with the ICO guidance on UK GDPR, which describes the duties that apply to a list of journalists.