Stacker vs. PR Newswire: Which Should I Choose for Content Distribution?

The Quick Answer:

Stacker earns native placements with publisher-ready editorial through direct newsroom relationships. It’s great for credibility signals that travel across Google and AI answers.
PR Newswire broadcasts your announcement widely via a paid wire, with optional Guaranteed Paid Placement for sponsored/native runs. It’s great for reach and compliance needs.
Many teams use both: wire for the official release, Stacker to extend the story with earned distribution.

Who Each is For

Stacker: Brands that want publisher-ready editorial placed natively on trusted news sites (earned, not pay-to-play) to build authority and ongoing discovery.
PR Newswire: Teams that need broad, immediate broadcast of formal announcements to journalists/newsrooms, with optional sponsored/native extensions for guaranteed runs.

At-a-Glance Comparison

Capability	Stacker (native/earned)	PR Newswire (syndication/wire)
Earned/native placements via publisher relationships	✅ Publisher-ready editorial placed natively via direct newsroom relationships.	❌ Paid wire broadcast where pickups depend on newsroom interest.
Global broadcast to broad media network	⚪ Focused on primarily US-based news publishers where content runs natively.	✅ Broad distribution to newsrooms, journalists, and thousands of sites.
Editorial integration / content adaptation	✅ Stories optimized to maximize reach and native pickups	❌ Releases distributed as-is with multimedia options.
Brand authorship	✅ Brand bylines preserved on native placements.	⚪ Brand appears as the issuer on the release. Syndicated copies keep that issuer line; news coverage runs under journalist bylines.
Editorial control	⚪ All articles must meet editorial guidelines.	✅ Full control over the content.
SEO/authority outcomes	✅ Native articles can create mentions/links and durable authority signals.	❌ Sponsored media does not carry much authority.
Guaranteed placement	❌ Earned (not guaranteed).	✅ Guaranteed Paid Placement for sponsored/native runs.
Reporting	✅ Publisher-verified pickups and engagement.	⚪ Visibility/analytics on reach and pickups.

How They Work

Stacker — Native/Earned Distribution

What it is: An earned-distribution platform connecting brands and publishers to run editorial natively (not advertorial).
How it works: Stacker takes your publisher-ready stories and distributes them into newsroom workflows for native pickup. You pay for platform access; publishers aren’t paid to run the story.
Why it matters: Native placements build credibility with users, search engines, and LLMs.

PR Newswire — Syndication/Traditional Wire

What it is: A paid press-release wire that broadcasts your news to journalists, newsrooms, and websites.
How it works: Upload release → select targeting (geo/industry) → distribute broadly. Optionally convert your release into Guaranteed Paid Placement for sponsored runs on named publishers.
Why it matters: Ideal for formal brand announcements where you care more about visibility and speed rather than building brand authority.

When to Choose Each (And When to Pair Them)

Choose Stacker if…
- You want editorial stories to appear natively on trusted news sites.
- Your goal is authority signals (SEO, publisher pickups, brand mentions/links) that compound over time.
- You’re interested in improving your LLM visibility.

Choose PR Newswire if…
- You have formal company news (funding, exec hires, product/market announcements) that needs broad, immediate attention.
- You need the message to stay very brand focused.
- You need guaranteed sponsored placements to specific premium publishers.

Use both when…
- You’re launching something newsworthy: publish the official release on PR Newswire (reach, record), then extend the story with Stacker’s publisher-ready editorial for earned native pickups and ongoing discovery.
- You need to build brand visibility and authority at scale to accelerate growth.

What Customers Say

Stacker

“Stacker has been a real catalyst…bridging the gap between SEO and PR while driving tangible results.” — Michael Farr, Paylocity.
“For startups or content-heavy orgs, Stacker is a great addition to PR…placements are more meaningful.” — Jess Pelini, TurboTenant.
“Stacker has really streamlined our link-building strategy.” — Mariah Bliss, Simply Business.
“Stories publishers want to run…bolsters our brand’s awareness and authority.” — Chris Fleguel, Pela.

PR Newswire (wire/syndication + sponsored options)

“Simple and easy to use, reliable…less expensive than other wire services I’ve used.” — G2 reviewer on G2.
“Many distribution options — local, regional and national — and lots of features to choose from.” — G2 reviewer on G2.

FAQs

Is Stacker a wire service?
No. Stacker is an earned distribution platform that delivers publisher-ready editorial for native placement through direct newsroom relationships.

Can I guarantee Stacker placements?
No. Earned distribution isn’t guaranteed. However, a majority of the time, a Stacker story gets picked up by 100+ publishers.

Do both provide analytics?
Yes. PR Newswire provides visibility/analytics for releases; Stacker provides publisher-verified pickup and engagement reporting.

Do paid placements influence search results?

Directly, no. Google requires that paid/sponsored links be qualified (for example, using rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow"), and such links aren’t meant to pass ranking signals. Buying or selling links that pass PageRank violates Google’s spam policies and can trigger manual actions that reduce visibility. Indirectly, paid placements can create awareness that leads to earned mentions and links elsewhere, and those earned signals can help.