A press release costs between nothing and several thousand lei, and the difference is not in the text but in what you buy alongside it. The question "how much does a press release cost" has three answers, because there are three different things: writing it, publishing it on a specific outlet, and distributing it to many outlets. This guide takes them in turn, with figures from the Romanian market in 2026.
1. What writing costs
Nothing, if you write it yourself; it is a simple form with few rules, and the writing guide covers them all. Between 150 and 400 lei (roughly €30–80) if you order it from a freelance writer or a platform; between 400 and 1,500 lei at a PR agency, where the price usually includes a round of questions about the company. What makes the price difference is not the quality of the sentences but the research: a release written by someone who spent ten minutes with the managing director has figures and quotes, one written from the company website has adjectives.
2. What publication on one outlet costs
This is where the spread is widest. A release emailed to a newsroom is free and, in most cases, unpublished: the pick-up rate for companies without a public profile is under one in twenty. A release published for a fee, as labelled material, costs:
- On press release aggregators: 0 lei. You get an indexable address on a site nobody reads.
- On publications picked from a catalogue: 35 lei excluding VAT (roughly €7) per publication with us, from 26 with a subscription; other owners' publications in the catalogue write their own price. The first publication, when you create the account, is free, for anyone. Figures are on the pricing page.
- Through an agency, on the same publications: 150–600 lei per publication, because the price includes the quote request, the emails with the newsroom and the agency margin.
- On the large national outlets, straight from their advertising rate card: 1,500–8,000 lei for a labelled piece, depending on position and time on the front page.
Publication on a news outlet and on a niche one costs the same in the catalogue; what differs is who reads it. The three routes are compared in where to publish a press release.
3. What distribution costs
Distribution means the same release sent or published on many outlets at once. Distribution agencies sell packages: 500–1,500 lei to send it to a list of newsrooms (with no guarantee of publication) or 2,000–10,000 lei for guaranteed publication on ten to thirty sites, usually aggregators and small publications. Through the catalogue, distribution is the sum of publications: ten publications of your choosing cost 350 lei, or 200 with a subscription, and each comes with the verified address. The difference from the agency package is that you choose the publications, by reader, and see every price beforehand.
What is included and what is not
When you compare prices, ask what they cover. With us, the publication price includes checking the text before publication, the advertising label required by Romanian Law 363/2007, images hosted on the publication, verification of the address after publication and the exportable history. It does not include copywriting, which is a separate order written by a person, nor the rates for sensitive content (casino, crypto, adult), listed separately. With agencies, ask whether the price includes guaranteed publication or only sending, and whether you receive the final addresses.
What is not worth paying for
- Distribution "to 500 journalists". It is an email list, not a publication, and most of it lands in spam.
- Paid publication on aggregators. The same thing is free everywhere and brings no readers.
- Unmarked links sold as "dofollow". They are against Google's rules and cost you later.
- Promises of guaranteed editorial pick-up. Nobody guarantees what a newsroom writes.
How to work out the budget
Start from the reader, not from the amount. A release about a new clinic in Brașov needs two or three publications: the local press in Brașov and a health publication; the cost is 70–105 lei plus the text. A national product launch needs five to ten publications in the product's niche plus two or three news outlets; 250–450 lei. The budget grows with the number of publications that matter to you, not with the total number. The selection rules are in how to choose the sites.
Frequently asked questions
What does a free press release actually cost?
Your time for writing and sending, plus the risk of it appearing nowhere. For non-profits and for every account's first publication, publishing through the catalogue is free, with the same checks as a paid one.
Why does publishing a release cost 35 lei and an advertorial 45?
The release is shorter, has a fixed structure and is checked faster. The advertorial is a longer text, with links and images to verify.
Do the prices include VAT?
No, catalogue prices exclude VAT, which is added on the invoice. VAT-registered companies deduct it.
Is a PR agency worth it?
Yes, when you need the relationship with journalists, strategy and crisis response. For publishing a release on chosen publications, the agency adds a margin on top of the same catalogue price.