Why nobody will give you a number
Ask most agencies what a placement costs and you get a discovery call, a retainer proposal, and a range that appears after you have spent an hour on Zoom. The reason is not complexity. It is that the number varies wildly by outlet and the margin varies with it.
We publish every price instead, which is unusual enough that it is worth explaining what the numbers mean.
The actual range
Across our rate card, individual placements run from roughly $150 at the low end to five figures at the top, with the bulk of usable coverage sitting between $400 and $3,000.
A $150 placement is typically a regional or niche outlet with modest domain authority and a fast turnaround. A $3,000 placement is usually a recognised national or trade title with editorial staff and real distribution. Above that you are paying for mastheads people know by name.
Retainer-based PR is a different model entirely, generally $5,000 to $25,000 a month, and buys ongoing strategy and relationships rather than a defined number of placements.
What actually drives the price
- Domain authority and reach. The main lever, and the one most people fixate on.
- Whether the link is dofollow. A dofollow link passes SEO value and usually costs more. Many outlets are nofollow, and that is fine if SEO is not the goal.
- Whether the outlet labels the piece as sponsored. Unlabelled placements command a premium, and the reason is obvious.
- Turnaround. Same-week publication costs more than a four-week slot.
- Category restrictions. Health, CBD, crypto and gambling carry surcharges at many outlets, often two to three times base price, because they carry more compliance risk for the publisher.
What should be included, and usually is not
The number you are quoted should cover the writing. Ours does, along with one round of edits. A surprising number of vendors quote a placement fee and then charge separately for the article itself, which is how a $900 placement becomes $1,600.
Ask specifically: does this price include writing, revisions, and the submission process? If the answer takes more than one sentence, assume it does not.
The questions worth asking before you buy anything
- Is the piece written about me, or by me? Different assets with different uses. A bylined column is not third-party validation.
- Will it carry a sponsored or partnered label? This changes what the placement is worth for credibility, and it disqualifies it for some purposes entirely.
- Dofollow or nofollow? If SEO is part of the goal, this is the question that decides whether you got what you paid for.
- What is the actual turnaround? Not "fast". A number.
- What happens if the outlet declines it? The answer should be a named alternative or a refund, in writing.
Cheap is not the same as bad
A $200 placement in a respected trade publication read by everyone in your client's field can be worth more than a $5,000 placement in a general-interest title nobody in that field reads. Domain authority is a proxy for reach, not for relevance.
The mistake most first-time buyers make is optimising for the name they recognise rather than the audience they need. The second mistake is buying volume, which reads as purchased rather than earned when every piece lands the same week.
Questions people ask
How much does a paid press placement cost?
Roughly $150 to five figures per placement, with most usable coverage between $400 and $3,000. Price is driven by the outlet's authority, link type, sponsored labelling, turnaround, and whether your category carries a surcharge.
Is paying for press worth it?
It depends entirely on the purpose. For search visibility, credibility with buyers, or building an evidence record, it can be. As a substitute for having something worth covering, it is not.
Does the price include writing the article?
It should, and ours does along with one round of edits. Many vendors quote placement only and bill writing separately, so ask explicitly.
Why are health, CBD, crypto and gambling more expensive?
Publishers take on more compliance and reputational risk in those categories, so many charge a surcharge, commonly two to three times the base rate.
What is the difference between a dofollow and nofollow placement?
A dofollow link passes SEO value to your site. A nofollow link does not, though the article still builds credibility and sends readers. Dofollow placements typically cost more.
See the actual numbers
Our full rate card is public: 1,682 outlets with price, domain authority, domain rating, link type, turnaround, category and sponsored labelling. No form, no call. Filter it by your budget and see what it buys.