Getting started with B2Press: A complete beginner's guide
Looking for a faster and easier way to distribute press releases worldwide? B2Press is a self-service PR platform that helps you launch global campaigns with guaranteed media coverage. No agencies. No long-term commitments. In this article, you’ll learn what B2Press is, how it works, and how to launch your first PR campaign in just a few minutes.With a business model and value proposition embedded in its brand name, B2Press is positioned as the face of organizations opening up to the media. With the platform it has developed, B2Press is revolutionizing the PR industry and bringing together the solutions PR and marketing professionals have been waiting for, expanding the boundaries of PR toward the information age. In this article, we will touch on what B2Press is and then, through B2Press’s value propositions, summarize why the B2Press PR platform is a game-changer in the PR industry. For those who are new to press release distribution with B2Press, we will answer fundamental questions such as “How to get started with B2Press?”, “How to create an account at B2Press?”, and “How to start a PR distribution campaign on B2Press?”. If you’re ready, let’s begin!What is B2Press?With more than 10 years of experience in the public relations industry, B2Press is a self-service PR software that connects businesses with the media. Headquartered in Amsterdam, B2Press enables brands to access press release distribution services in 75 countries and 24 languages through its extensive media network. B2Press’s media network consists of more than 30 global news agencies and over 300,000 journalists. By leveraging media relationships it has established with top-tier media outlets in many markets, B2Press promises guaranteed media coverage. B2Press makes its press release distribution services as easy as online shopping in 4 simple steps. This model, which can be summarized as “Select a country or target region, choose your package, make the payment, and complete your press release distribution,” comes to life in B2Press’s intuitive interface. Breaking the molds of the traditional PR industry, B2Press offers online PR services that can easily adapt to today’s fast-paced environment. Why is B2Press a game-changer in the PR industry?For many years, the PR industry operated through contract- and commitment-based relationships established by traditional PR agencies with brands. Brands did not communicate directly with the media; PR agencies were always positioned as intermediaries. In an era that requires brands to adopt “direct strategies” in communication, these intermediaries have become unable to provide the necessary flexibility. During this process, digitalization increased, and many business models turned into services. Starting with advertisements, brands encountered direct-to-consumer applications at all touchpoints. It was observed that this also boosted consumer trust and improved the user experience. The media landscape changed; independent publishers multiplied; publishing platforms increased; yet PR remained the same and traditional.B2Press was founded 10 years ago with this vision. Eliminating intermediaries, bringing brands and the media to the same table, and stepping outside traditional models—these became the foundational building blocks of the model B2Press set out to build. B2Press embarked on a journey to make the media accessible to brands of all sizes and to democratize public relations. Part of this plan was to simplify press release distribution, the main component of PR campaigns. With the service model it developed, B2Press carried out more than 2,000 PR distributions worldwide for over 750 brands in 2024, bringing a brand-new perspective to PR with a customer portfolio extending from corporate companies to startups, from NGOs to individual entrepreneurs.Prioritizing newsworthiness and editorial quality and understanding the media dynamics of each market, B2Press, on the one hand, aligned the burden imposed by the subscription- and commitment-based agency model with the requirements of the on-demand economy through a “pay-as-you-go” model. On the other hand, it succeeded in offering brands the flexibility they deserve and demand in PR distribution processes.B2Press’s growing media network offers the opportunity to reach more than 300,000 journalists directly via over 30 global news agencies. This network is brought together on a single platform with the same flexible model. With its platform that will serve as a command center for brands in PR, B2Press has taken an important step toward realizing its founding vision and is introducing this experience to brands of all sizes from all around the world.How to get started with B2Press?After this short, manifesto-like introduction, let’s move on to the questions that will become a go-to resource for brands and PR professionals who want to embark on the B2Press journey.Start: How to create an account at B2Press?Just like e-commerce sites, B2Press allows everyone to carry out PR distribution without creating an account. However, creating an account is important for building a corporate press release archive and tracking PR distribution results. For this reason, we recommend creating a B2Press account in 10 seconds, without paying any fees. To create an account on B2Press, follow these steps:Go to the B2Press account creation page.In the “Create an account” section, enter your email address, set your password, and click the “Sign in” button.Enter your first name, last name, and optionally your company.Accept the terms and click the Register button.Tip: If you wish, you can also use the Sign in with Google feature.That’s it! Don’t forget to complete the account creation process by clicking the link in the confirmation email sent to your email address. Welcome to the online PR service preferred by thousands of PR professionals!Personalizing B2Press: Manage your profileAfter completing the account creation steps and confirming your account via email, you can log in. When you log in, B2Press’s intuitive interface welcomes you. Before you start exploring, you can follow these steps to personalize your account:Click your name at the very bottom of the left menu.Click the Profile menu item.On the screen that opens, you can select your country, update your phone number, and set your preferred language. You can personalize your account by uploading your profile photo.Through the Billing Profile section, you can also save your company’s legal title, tax number, and address if applicable. This information is used as invoice details for your first press release distribution.Overview: B2Press dashboard componentsNow that you’ve created your account; everything is ready. We can return to describing B2Press’s dashboard. In the menu that opens when you click your name, in addition to your profile settings, you can access the terms of use via the “Policies” menu item and B2Press’s contact information via the “Contact us” item.The functions of the items in the B2Press main menu are listed as follows:Submit Press Release: You can start your journey for press release distribution with this button. When you click this menu item, you are directed to the first of the 4 steps you need to follow to create your first press release distribution request.Manage Press Releases: As you create press release distribution requests and complete your PR campaign setups, you can carry out your press release management processes from this step.Payments & Invoices: You can track your invoices and payment processes from this step.Support: You can reach B2Press’s multilingual, expert support teams via this button and find answers to your questions about B2Press and press release distribution through live chat.FAQ: You can access B2Press’s comprehensive product documentation and frequently asked questions about B2Press from this section.Notifications: You can track every step of your press release distribution processes, as well as details such as payment and reporting information, from the Notifications area.In the B2Press panel, you will see the following areas:Overview: This section is where you can see at a glance all your PR campaigns that you have started the distribution process for on B2Press, those whose distribution process is ongoing, those that have been distributed so far, and those awaiting payment.Announcements: You can follow updates relevant to all B2Press users and new outlets or news agencies added to the media network from the Announcements section.Manage Press Releases: This section is where you can get more comprehensive information about your press release distribution processes. You can view the distribution dates of your releases, your release headlines, what stage your request is at, and your correspondence with B2Press Support teams specific to that release. Each heading here directs you to the detail page of the relevant distribution.B2Press comes with an interface that anyone who has used a common CMS like WordPress or navigated any CRM platform before can easily grasp. In B2Press’s panel, everything is in its place and easily accessible.First campaign: How to start a PR distribution campaign with B2Press?You’ve understood the tools and have a general idea of the basic panel items. Now it’s time to create your first PR campaign. With B2Press, you can distribute a press release anywhere in the world with just 4 simple steps. To create your first distribution request, follow these steps:Click the “Submit press release” item in the menu.On the screen that opens, you can select the country(ies) or region(s) where your press release will be distributed.Tip: When determining your preferences, you can select a target market/markets or a region directly. To determine this, you can use the “Distribution by country” or “Distribution by region” tabs.Distribution by country: You can view countries with their regional breakdowns and select as many countries as you wish from each region.Distribution by region: You can see which countries each region covers and in how many languages distribution can be carried out in that region. You can select more than one region.You can track all your selections from the right panel, which is positioned almost like a transaction summary area.After making your country and region selections, proceed to the second step with the Next button.In the PR Package Selection step, you can transparently see the PR distribution packages offered by B2Press, the scope of the packages, and the package fees.Tip: If you hover the cursor over the package names, you can learn the package details. If you want guaranteed media coverage, it is recommended that you proceed with advanced packages such as Premium or Exclusive.Remember, if you have selected more than one country or region, the countries you selected will be listed with tabs. You need to select a package and language for each target country.Select the package that suits you with the Select button.Make the language selections in the bottom section.After completing your selections, proceed to the third step with the Next button.In the third step, if you already have a press release ready, you can click the “I have a press release” button. If you want your press release to be produced by B2Press’s experienced editors based on the brief you will provide, select the “Create my press release” button.Set the distribution date from the “Distribution date” section.Give your campaign a name with the “PR headline” section.Upload your English press release. If available, you can also upload your releases in other languages to the relevant fields or request a paid translation service from B2Press.Upload the media files you want to be distributed together with your release in jpeg or png formats.Decide on the reporting option. The white-label report is prepared with a logo of your choice. The “B2Press Report” contains B2Press’s brand.Proceed to the next step with the Next button. You’re very close to creating your first campaign!Tip: If you don’t have a press release, when you click the “Create my press release” button, you can upload your brief file on the page that opens or access B2Press’s brief form with the “Fill our brief form” button.In this step, view all your selections and the total amount.If everything is complete, click the Complete request button and create your first request.That’s all! You have created your first PR campaign request. Remember, up to this stage you are not asked for any payment and your credit card information is not requested. Your request appears as “in review”. B2Press’s teams review your request quickly.Closing: Payment and distributionAfter creating your first request, you can see the status of your request from the “Manage press release” option accessible from the main menu. You can access the detail page by clicking the campaign name you set in the request creation steps. During this process, you can enter information about your company via Menu > Profile steps. Because this information is used as invoice information, and to complete your request and be able to make a payment, you need to enter this information.If your invoice information is complete and the status of your request is “preparing”, good news! Your request has been approved and editorial preparations have begun. You will start seeing the “Pending payment” notification in the “Manage press release” step. You can view the total amount you will pay, with the tax breakdowns and any discount rate, and reach the payment step by clicking the “Pay” button.In the payment step, you can select different currencies such as USD, EUR. B2Press also supports many payment networks and payment infrastructures such as American Express, PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard. Just like shopping on the internet, you can easily and securely enter your credit card information and make your payment. If you wish, you can also choose the bank transfer route and complete the payment process by uploading your receipt on the payment screen.As the editorial and operational teams complete the preparations for your press release to be distributed in the market you have selected, they upload the final version of your press release. In the “Manage press release” step, you can track the status of your press releases, read the updated versions, and give approval. Approved PR content is served on the determined date, in the selected market, and in accordance with the selected package.That’s it! You have distributed your first press release with B2Press, and now it’s time for reporting!To get to know features such as reporting, add-ons, and chat closely, keep reading.Basic features: Reporting, add-ons, chat, and moreAt this step, by getting to know the features offered by B2Press more closely, we will learn about innovations that can increase the impact of your campaign and even turn you into a B2Press expert.Reporting: You’re asking, “When do I receive the first results of the distribution?” We understand you very well. B2Press uploads the reports of your distributions carried out in your target market to the platform within 2 business days. On the screen you access by clicking the name of your campaign in the “Manage press release” step, you can review your reports by clicking the report icon.Add-ons: The Add-ons section you encounter in the fourth step includes additional services that can be offered through the relationships B2Press has established with the top-tier media outlets in your target markets. By paying an additional fee, you can select add-ons and obtain more media coverage.Chat: When you want to make a change in the release, when you get to the payment step, or whenever you are confused at any point, the B2Press team is always with you. By clicking the speech bubble icon you see on the campaign detail screen, you can start a live chat with B2Press representatives. You can also see unread messages in the same way and conduct all bilateral communication thanks to the Chat feature.Support ticket: You can open a “Support ticket” to be answered later.Email notifications: So that you don’t miss any step, B2Press automates all processes. At every step—for example, when the status of a PR campaign request changes, when there is a content change, when a new message arrives from chat, and during the final approval waiting period—you are notified by email. If payment is awaited or your invoice has been generated, you can also receive an email notification. In addition, a resolved support request reaches you again as an email notification. More importantly, you can manage when you receive email notifications from the “Email notification preferences” step!Experience the ease of self-service PR with B2Press nowYou are now familiar with what B2Press has changed in the PR industry and the core features of the B2Press platform. You can run your first global PR campaign with B2Press! Open an account now and start setting up your first campaign in seconds.
