We are here to gibe you Sci news,

Please read through this list of frequently asked questions. If your question remains unanswered, please contact us .

How much does it cost? Are there any setup or monthly fees?

Our pricing is very straightforward. You simply pay for the number of (unique) recipients you send your release. There is no setup or monthly fee to use the standard service. SciNews’s standard rate is a highly competitive 40 cents per email sent. Clients with large media requirements are welcome to contact us to discuss bulk rates.

Do I get charged for bounces?

Yes, you are charged per email sent. We strive to keep our database up-to-date however there will be some emails that will bounce for various reasons including mailboxes being over quota, an organisation’s email system being temporarily down, or a person simply being out of the office. We guarantee a bounce rate of less than 5%.

Can I get/see a list of all the recipients my release was sent to?

This is part of the IP which belongs to SciNews and we do not sell or share our list.

Can I create my own list?

SciNews can create special groups for the exclusive use of individual customers in addition to our general media groups. An agreed fee will be charged for doing this, which can be kept down the client providing as many up-to-date contacts as possible.

Can I send a release out at any time?

Yes, a release can be sent immediately at any time of day.

Can I send my release out at a specific time?

Yes, you can schedule a release to be sent up to a week in advance and at any hour of the day. Please note, the release must be paid for at the time of scheduling. Once scheduled, the schedule and/or the release content can be changed but not the selected list of recipients.

Can I see a copy of the release via email before I send it?

Yes, you can send a test version to your email address for review and verification.

Can I add a logo to my release? Can I use bold and italics? Can I customise the release template?

Not at this stage although web and email addresses are automatically linked. Adding logos and formatting are features that are on our list and will become available at a later date. It is important to us to get the basic foundation working well first before we start adding on extras. Journalists often have small mailboxes and resent large files and emails which may overload or cause their systems to crash.

Can I add attachments to my release?

No. We don’t recommend the use of attachments with emails sent to media contacts since they often cause more problems than not. Attachments increase the size of an email, affecting users on slow connections, and not all recipients have the correct software to open and read them. And let’s not forget about anti-junk mail filters. Some media organisation (and individuals) block emails with attachments completely. Your best bet is to simply store the attachments on a website and link to them from your email. As an added bonus, this method can then give you stats on the number of views your attachments receive.

What statistics do you provide?

We provide you with a list of the number of emails send out and a breakdown according to media group. This provides firm data on the number of releases sent. We then track the number of opens for HTML emails (open rate). We then use the open rate across all releases sent via SciNews as a benchmark to produce a star rating. This gives a general indication of the success of your release. Due to the differences in email programs and organisational security policies, it is difficult to offer anything more than this that would be accurate or reliable. To increase your media impact, read through the tips on our media tips page.

What if something goes wrong? Do you provide technical support?

Technical support is provided and we respond to urgent calls within the hour and to all other support requests via email within 24 hours.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We issue an invoice and accept direct deposit into our bank account.