How to distribute press releases in Germany?

Tips for foreign companies, institutions and organizations how to tackle press release distribution

Although Germany is considered a high-tech country, it is struggling with digitization. Some industries even still use the good old fax machine. It is therefore not surprising that digitization in the media sector is also making slow progress here and there.

A typical example is the good old press release: Despite all the developments in marketing and communication, it still represents one of the most effective methods of reaching target groups in the German-speaking market. It comprises almost 100 million people in Germany, Austria and most of Switzerland, where German is also spoken. These three countries are also often referred to as the DACH region.

PR agencies are the most skilled partners when it comes to targeted press release distribution. Why is that? Although there are online services that can quickly send releases out into the digital world, PR agencies offer something that these services cannot: comprehensive consulting, strategy, perfectly formulated texts for the target media, tailored media approach and much more.

Press release distribution in Germany: no rocket science, but really good craftsmanship

What you need to know when you enter the German media market: Germany is the country with a very high media density. There are around 5,600 titles of trade journals alone (Statista, 2021). The BDZW also lists 338 newspapers (as of 2022). The vast majority of media are published in both print and online formats.

In addition, according to Statista, in 2022 there will be 464 radio stations (of which 290 are private and 74 are public), as well as 489 private TV stations (Statista, 2020) and 16 TV stations under public law. The number of pay TV stations increased from 76 to 98 offerings between 2010 and 2020.

Last but not least, in 2020 there were 13 full-service public TV channels in Germany (the channels of the state broadcasting corporations, ZDF, arte and 3sat), as well as seven special-interest channels (e.g., Phoenix or ZDFneo) and one foreign channel (DW-TV, the TV channel of Deutsche Welle).

In B2B media in particular, there are an enormous number of good titles that have clearly tailored target group profiles. In addition, these media now offer 360-degree services that further improve access to target groups. These include social media offerings, e-newsletters and more.

No-go for press release distribution in Germany: English or poor German text versions

Companies, institutions and organizations from the US, UK, EU countries or other parts of the world often underestimate how important it is to deliver press releases in good (!) German. Digital translators may now have a certain quality, but the finishing touches will only be provided by a trained German native. PR professionals are predestined for this. In any case, sending the message in English is a no-go.

It is also underestimated that there are still a lot of print media in Germany. This is especially true for the trade media. So, if you want to reach these media or the target groups behind them, you should not only rely on online publications.

The enormous breadth of media across all industries has to do, on the one hand, with the fact that the backbone of the German economy is not listed corporations, but small and medium-sized businesses (the famous German “Mittelstand”). This density of highly specialized companies in a large number of industries has led to the development of a correspondingly differentiated media landscape.

PR agencies like ours help you find your way through the German media jungle. We ensure that a first-class media distribution list is targeted. We help to ensure that the press releases appear professionally and linguistically in the best German. We also take SEO-relevant criteria into account. We have a close connection to the journalists who matter. We remain in contact with the media even after dispatch and do not simply send them out like many online services. In this way, we help our customers to be well perceived in the target media and thus in the target groups.