Last updated · reviewed by the Essentras editorial team
Press release distribution by country
Press and media release distribution in Australia: wires, prices and outlets
In Australia you send a media release through a service such as Medianet, which lists pay per release pricing from $125 + GST, or you pay a named outlet to publish it. Essentras lists 137 Australian outlets, median $2,077. Under the AANA Code, advertising must be clearly distinguishable as such.
Sources: each service's own page, the AANA, the Australian Consumer Law, the ACCC, the NSW Government, ASX and 137 Australian listings in the Essentras API
What you will do
- Compare Australian release services by what each publishes about price today.
- Check 19 named Australian titles with price, turnaround and label, from regional papers to national sites.
- Pick 1 of 3 baskets quoted today ($2,963.70, $5,804.10 or $24,026.95) or build your own.
- Make paid content clearly distinguishable, the way the AANA Code and the ACCC expect.
- Time the release across 3 time zones and 2 daylight saving rules.
Start here in 1 click
Every Australian listing sorted by price, a business title that runs a disclosure, and a free shortlist. None needs an account.
Australian outlets, cheapest first
Every Australian listing with its price, turnaround, link policy and label, before you pay.
- Listings
- 137
- Median price
- $2,077
- At $500 or less
- 9
- Run a label
- 14 of 137
Smart Company Australia
$2,500
- Turnaround
- 2 to 3 weeks
- Label
- Published with a discreet disclosure.
- Link
- Nofollow
AI Match: a shortlist for your release
Free. Describe your company in 1 sentence and get a ranked list of Australian and global outlets, with the price next to each.
Paid placements are paid: they are not earned coverage, and each runs with the label its listing states. Counts and prices from the public API, 4 Nov 2026.
Australian services
Media release distribution services in Australia and what they charge
Australian services often call it a media release; Medianet and AAP both do. They send it to journalists and post it online, and editors decide on coverage. Here is what each publishes, read on 4 Nov 2026.
| Service | What it says it does | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Medianet | Media release distribution to journalist lists; Outreach plans include 500 or 3,500 distribution emails a month. | Pay per release from $125 + GST; Outreach Essentials $350 a month, Advance $690 a month; Premium on request |
| AAP (AAP Releases) | Release distribution to newsrooms through AAP Newswire; its FAQ says it does not accept paid editorial or advertorial content for the Newswire. | No published price; its domestic portal was still in development |
| Get The Word Out | Brisbane self-serve release service. | $219 AUD for 1 release; $329 for up to 5 in 30 days; $750 for up to 15 |
| Press Release Australia | Melbourne self-serve release service. | $200 for 1 release, $500 for 3, $700 for 5 (no currency or GST note) |
| PRWire | Free release posting; it calls itself the only free Australian newswire indexed by Google News. | Free tier; paid tier by demo |
| Isentia (Connect) | Sends media releases to the journalists you select. | No published price: demo |
| PR Newswire (Cision APAC) | Australian and Asia Pacific circuits; first-time users prepay. | No published price: quote from an account manager |
| ASX Market Announcements Platform | Announcements by listed companies. Its office is generally staffed from 7.00am to 7.30pm AEST. | The ASX schedule of listing fees (1 Oct 2026) lists no fee per announcement |
- Read on each service's own page on 4 Nov 2026. Business Wire and GlobeNewswire also sell Australian distribution; their pages returned 403 and show no price.
- Currency as each service shows it. Medianet and Press Release Australia show "$" with no currency code.
Australian outlets
Australian news sites you can publish on, with price, turnaround and label
A paid placement buys an article on 1 named site, at the price and with the label its listing states. Essentras lists 137 Australian outlets; 123 state no label, 11 a sponsored or partner label and 3 a discreet disclosure. Below: the whole set in numbers, then 19 titles, cheapest first.
| Measure | Australian listings |
|---|---|
| Listings | 137 |
| Price range | $173 to $81,661 |
| Median price | $2,077 (middle 50% of listings: $1,213 to $3,637) |
| At $500 or less | 9 |
| At $2,500 or less | 85 |
| Label | 123 state no label, 11 a sponsored or partner label and 3 a discreet disclosure |
| Stated turnaround | 20 in business days, 52 in 1 week, 55 in up to 3 weeks, 2 in up to 4 weeks, 8 in more than 4 weeks |
| Dofollow link | 125 of 137 |
- Turnaround is counted in business days, paused while we are waiting on you, plus a 3 business day grace period, as every listing states it.
- The country is the country field of each listing in the API. A few listings under a country are niche or regional sites; the named table below shows news and business titles.
| Outlet | Price | Turnaround | Label, as the listing states it | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm Online | $1,040 | 1 to 2 weeks | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| The Senior | $1,213 | 1 to 2 weeks | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Itwire.com | $1,449 | 3 to 7 business days | Published with a sponsored or partner label. | Dofollow |
| Macleay Argus | $1,560 | 1 week | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Smart Company Australia | $2,500 | 2 to 3 weeks | Published with a discreet disclosure. | Nofollow |
| IB Times (AU) | $2,500 | 3 to 5 business days | Published with a sponsored or partner label. | Nofollow |
| Lawyers Weekly | $2,500 | 3 to 5 business days | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Australian Aviation | $2,500 | 3 to 5 business days | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Cyber Daily | $2,500 | 3 to 5 business days | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Rolling Stone (Australia) | $3,300 | 1 week | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Bendigo Advertiser | $3,637 | 1 week | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Illawarra Mercury | $3,637 | 1 week | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Newcastle Herald | $3,810 | 1 week | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| The Canberra Times | $4,153 | 1 week | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| Investing.com (Australia) | $5,000 | 1 week | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Nofollow |
| Forbes Australia | $11,667 | 3 to 4 weeks | Published as a standard editorial article, with no sponsored label. | Dofollow |
| The Age | $28,692 | 4 weeks or more | Published with a sponsored or partner label. | Nofollow |
| Brisbanetimes.com.au | $28,692 | 4 weeks or more | Published with a sponsored or partner label. | Nofollow |
| News.com.au | $81,661 | 4 weeks or more | Published with a sponsored or partner label. | Nofollow |
- Every listing: Published or your money back. Refund or free re-placement if the turnaround is missed, counted in business days with a grace period.
- A few listings filed under Australia are New Zealand or UK sites; they are left out here. The full Australian list is in the publisher directory.
Quoted today
3 Australian baskets, priced by the quote API
Each basket was priced as a whole on the read date, so the total includes the volume discount the API applied. Use a basket as is or as a starting point.
| Basket | Outlets (price each) | Subtotal | Discount | Total quoted | Cart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional starter3 regional, rural and community news sites | Farm Online ($1,040), The Senior ($1,213), Hunter Valley News ($1,040) | $3,293 | -$329.30 (10% volume discount) | $2,963.70 | Add all 3 to cart |
| Labelled business and techBusiness and tech titles that each run a label or disclosure | Smart Company Australia ($2,500), Itwire.com ($1,449), IB Times (AU) ($2,500) | $6,449 | -$644.90 (10% volume discount) | $5,804.10 | Add all 3 to cart |
| City and nationalCapital and city dailies with national business sites, 5 placements at 15% off | The Canberra Times ($4,153), Newcastle Herald ($3,810), Illawarra Mercury ($3,637), Investing.com (Australia) ($5,000), Forbes Australia ($11,667) | $28,267 | -$4,240.05 (15% volume discount) | $24,026.95 | Add all 5 to cart |
- Totals from POST /api/agent/v1/quote on 4 Nov 2026. A quote reserves nothing and charges nothing; the cart shows the same total.
- Volume discount, as the API states it: Buy 3 or more placements for 10% off the basket, 5 or more for 15%.
- Refund terms on every listing: Refunded if not published, or if the turnaround is missed.
- Regional starter: 3 no label, as each listing states it.
- Labelled business and tech: 2 a sponsored or partner label, 1 a discreet disclosure, as each listing states it.
- City and national: 5 no label, as each listing states it.
Labelling rules
The Australian rule on labelling paid content
In Australia the AANA Code of Ethics covers advertising, including advertorials and native content, and the ACCC enforces the Australian Consumer Law. Here is what each source says.
| Rule | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AANA Code of Ethics, section 2.7 | "Advertising shall be clearly distinguishable as such." | aana.com.au, code effective 1 Feb 2021 |
| AANA Practice Note on 2.7 | No label is strictly required, but it must be clear to the audience. "Advertising", "Branded Content", "Paid Partnership" and "Paid Promotion" are clear; "Spon", "gifted" and "Collab" are not. The brand owner who controls the material is responsible. | aana.com.au, Practice Note |
| AANA definition of advertising | Material the advertiser has a reasonable degree of control over, whether or not it paid; advertorials and native advertising are included. | aana.com.au, Code of Ethics |
| Australian Consumer Law, sections 18 and 29(1)(g) | A business must not engage in misleading or deceptive conduct, or falsely represent that goods or services have sponsorship or approval. | legislation.gov.au, compilation of 16 Sep 2026 |
| ACCC enforcement | $39,600 in penalties for not disclosing that an influencer was paid to create content; the ACCC said guidelines for influencers would follow. | ACCC media release of 24 Mar 2026 (Internet Archive copy) |
What this means for a paid placement in Australia
A paid article you control is advertising under the AANA Code and must be clearly distinguishable as such. Of the 137 Australian listings, 11 state a sponsored or partner label and 3 a discreet disclosure; 123 state no label. For promotional copy, pick a labelled listing or put a clear label ("Advertising" or "Paid Partnership") in your brief and confirm it before you pay. This is not legal advice.
Time zones
Australian time zones and daylight saving: when to send
Australia has 3 standard time zones, and only some states use daylight saving, from 2am on the first Sunday in October to 3am on the first Sunday in April. This season runs to 4 Apr 2027.
| Where | Offset today | Daylight saving? | When it is 09:00 in Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales, Victoria, ACT, Tasmania | UTC+11 (AEDT) | Yes | 09:00 |
| South Australia | UTC+10:30 (ACDT) | Yes | 08:30 |
| Queensland | UTC+10 (AEST) | No | 08:00 |
| Northern Territory | UTC+9:30 (ACST) | No | 07:30 |
| Western Australia | UTC+8 (AWST) | No | 06:00 |
- Sources: NSW Government, definitions of time and daylight saving pages, read 4 Nov 2026.
AEST is not AEDT
From October to April, Sydney and Melbourne are on AEDT (UTC+11), 1 hour ahead of Brisbane. Write the zone in every embargo line.
From abroad
09:00 in Sydney is 22:00 the day before in London, 02:00 in Dubai, 03:30 in Mumbai and 17:00 the day before in Toronto this winter. Schedule overnight your time.
Listed companies
ASX guidance note 14 says its announcements office is generally staffed from 7.00am to 7.30pm AEST, so plan market-sensitive news around it.
Paid placements run on their own clock
72 of the 137 Australian listings state 1 week or less, counted in business days, paused while we are waiting on you, plus a 3 business day grace period. The Canberra Times, for example, states 1 week.
Which route
Wire, paid placement or pitching: which route fits an Australian release
The routes buy different things. You can send a media release to journalists and add a paid placement for an article on a named title.
| Route | What you get | Cost | Who decides if it runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release service | Your media release sent to journalists and posted online | From $125 + GST per release at Medianet; $200 to $219 at the self-serve services | Editors decide on coverage |
| Paid placement | An article on 1 named site, with writing available, a draft to review and a live link | From $173; median $2,077 across 137 Australian listings | You buy the slot and review the draft. The listing states: Published or your money back. Refund or free re-placement if the turnaround is missed, counted in business days with a grace period. |
| Pitching journalists | Earned coverage, if a journalist picks the story | Your time, or an agency fee | The journalist and the editor; nothing can be bought |
Sydney media coverage without a retainer How to distribute a press release What press release distribution costs
Step by step
How to distribute a media release in Australia, step by step
1. Decide the states and the outlets
National news, 1 state, or a trade audience. Many Australian titles are city or regional papers, so pick the regions first.
2. Write it the Australian way
A "Media release" heading, Australian spelling, amounts in Australian dollars, a quote from a named person and a contact who answers in Australian hours.
3. Choose the service
Compare Medianet and the self-serve services above, or ask PR Newswire for a quote for a wider Asia Pacific circuit.
4. Pick named outlets for the article
Filter the Australian listings by price, label and turnaround; for promotional copy, choose a labelled listing or ask for a label.
5. Set the time with the right zone
Send in the eastern morning, AEDT until 4 Apr 2027, and remember Brisbane and Perth do not change clocks.
6. Follow up and keep the proof
Answer journalists the same day. For paid placements, keep the live link and screenshot each listing provides.
Templates
Copy-ready Australian media release header, pitch and placement brief
Replace everything in square brackets. Put the news in the first line and give a contact who answers that day.
Australian media release header
The first lines of a media release for an Australian service or newsroom.
MEDIA RELEASE For immediate release (or: EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01 AEDT, [Day] [Date] [Month] [Year]) [Headline: what happened, in under 12 words] [CITY], [Date] [Month] [Year]: [Company], [what it does in 6 words], today [announced / launched / reported] [the news in 1 sentence, with the number that matters, in Australian dollars]. "[Quote from a named person, 1 or 2 sentences.]" said [Name], [Title] at [Company]. Media contact: [Name], [Email], [+61 phone number], available [hours] AEDT
Pitch email to an Australian journalist
For a reporter who covers your sector. Send it in their morning.
Subject: [The news in under 10 words] ([Sector], [City or state]) Hi [First name], [1 sentence: the news and the number behind it.] Why your readers: [1 sentence linking it to a story they ran, or to an Australian trend they cover]. I can offer [an interview with Name / the data / photos] today. The release is below. [Your name] [Phone]
Brief for a paid Australian placement
What to send with a paid placement order, so the article runs labelled and on time.
Outlet: [listing name] Label: [the label the listing states, or a clear label such as "Advertising" or "Paid Partnership"] Angle: [the news in 1 sentence] Key facts: [3 facts with sources] Quote: [1 quote from a named person] Link: [1 URL] Deadline: [date], counted from the order in business days Approver: [name and email]
Often added to Australian distribution, and cheaper ways to start
Optional. You can do everything on this page without any of these.
Often added
The Guaranteed 7 (US reach)
From $999
For a launch that needs US reach as well as Australian coverage: your story on 7 named US outlets, including MSN, USA Today and AP News. Published on all 7, or your money back.
See the Guaranteed 7AI Visibility Tracker
$49 a month
Checks every week whether AI assistants mention your brand, so you can see what the coverage changed.
Track AI mentions
Not ready yet?
Press Monthly
$97 a month
1 press placement every month. The outlet is matched to your niche and shown to you before anyone writes.
See Press MonthlyAI Match shortlist
Free
Describe your company in 1 sentence and get a ranked list of outlets that fit, with the price next to each.
Get my free shortlistFree press release distribution
Free
The free routes that still work, what they reach and where they stop.
Read the free guide
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does press release distribution cost in Australia?▾
Medianet lists pay per release pricing from $125 + GST, and self-serve services charge $200 to $219 for 1 release (read 4 Nov 2026). A paid article on a named Australian site costs $173 to $81,661 in the Essentras catalog, median $2,077.
What is the best media release distribution service in Australia?▾
It depends on the job. Medianet publishes its prices and plans; AAP sends releases to newsrooms through its newswire; self-serve services are cheapest for a single release. For an article on a named Australian title, a paid placement buys the exact title, price and label up front.
Is there free press release distribution in Australia?▾
PRWire offers a free tier and says it is indexed by Google News. Medianet accounts are free, but each release is paid. Pitching journalists yourself is free, but nothing makes them cover it.
Does a paid article in Australia need a label?▾
It must be clearly distinguishable as advertising under AANA section 2.7. The AANA practice note says a label is not strictly required, but the audience must be able to tell; "Advertising" or "Paid Partnership" are clear labels. Each Essentras listing states its label before you pay.
What time should I send a media release in Australia?▾
In the eastern morning on a weekday. Sydney and Melbourne are on AEDT (UTC+11) until 4 Apr 2027, Brisbane on AEST (UTC+10) and Perth on AWST (UTC+8). Write the zone in any embargo.
How fast do paid placements go live in Australia?▾
Each listing states its own window. 72 of the 137 Australian listings state 1 week or less, counted in business days, paused while we are waiting on you, plus a 3 business day grace period.
Can Australian coverage be guaranteed?▾
Not by a release service or a pitch: editors decide. A paid placement is bought, and its only guarantee is the refund. Every listing states: Published or your money back. Refund or free re-placement if the turnaround is missed, counted in business days with a grace period.
Next steps
- 01
Pick the route
A release service for journalists, a paid placement for a named Australian title, or both.
- 02
Shortlist Australian outlets
Filter by price, label and turnaround, or start from 1 of the 3 quoted baskets.
- 03
Make it clearly paid
For promotional copy, choose a labelled listing or ask for a clear label.
- 04
Send on eastern time
AEDT until 4 Apr 2027, with the zone written in every embargo.
Browse Australian outlets with live prices
137 Australian listings, each with its price, turnaround, link policy and label stated before you pay.
Browse Australian outlets Compare other countriesChecked on . Service prices, rules and time pages were read that day. Essentras prices, labels and basket totals come from the public API on the same day.
Sources
- Medianet, pricing (read 4 Nov 2026)
- Medianet, how much it costs to distribute a press release (read 4 Nov 2026)
- AAP Releases (read 4 Nov 2026)
- AAP, FAQ (read 4 Nov 2026)
- Get The Word Out, pricing (read 4 Nov 2026)
- Press Release Australia, pricing (read 4 Nov 2026)
- PRWire (read 4 Nov 2026)
- Isentia, Connect (read 4 Nov 2026)
- PR Newswire Asia, FAQ (read 4 Nov 2026)
- ASX, Guidance Note 15A, schedule of listing fees, 1 Oct 2026 (read 4 Nov 2026)
- ASX, Guidance Note 14, Market Announcements Platform (read 4 Nov 2026)
- AANA, Code of Ethics and Practice Note (read 4 Nov 2026)
- Australian Consumer Law, Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Schedule 2 (read 4 Nov 2026)
- ACCC, Photobookshop pays penalties for influencer reviews, 24 Mar 2026 (Internet Archive copy; accc.gov.au returned 403 on 4 Nov 2026)
- NSW Government, daylight saving (read 4 Nov 2026)
- NSW Government, definitions of time (read 4 Nov 2026)
- Essentras public API, Australian listings (read 4 Nov 2026)
Prices, rules and terms change. Check each source before you buy. This page is general information, not legal advice. Paid placements are advertising bought from the outlet and run with the label each listing states.