?? PR services with real free trials (or closest equivalent)

1. Prezly

    ? 14-day free trial (full platform)

    Not a wire service, but a PR CRM + newsroom + email pitching tool

    Used by PR teams to build media lists and send releases directly

    Starts around $100/month after trial 

?? Best if you want ongoing PR workflow + journalist outreach, not just distribution

2. IssueWire

    ? Often offers 1 free press release

    Paid upgrades unlock wider distribution (Google News, media outlets)

    Considered a "try-before-you-buy" model 

?? Good for testing a single announcement

3. EIN Presswire

    ? One free press release (trial-style)

    After that, paid distribution required

    Strong targeting + decent reach 

?? Best for a one-time "test run" with a real wire

4. PRLog

    ? Unlimited free use (no trial needed)

    Not a trial—fully free publishing platform

    Distribution mainly via search engines & RSS 

?? Best for SEO visibility and volume, not journalist outreach

5. PR.com

    ? Free basic account (acts like a "permanent trial")

    Paid plans boost visibility and placement

    Combines directory + distribution 

?? Good for long-term hosting + credibility pages

6. OpenPR

    ? 1 free release per month

    Paid add-ons for links and faster distribution 

?? Useful for occasional announcements

?? Important reality (worth knowing)

    True "full-feature free trials" are rare in PR distribution

    Most use:

        1 free release (trial substitute)

        OR limited free tier 

    Premium wires like PR Newswire or PRWeb

    ?? Do NOT offer free trials—they charge per release 

?? Quick recommendations (based on your use case)

    Testing distribution quality (like EIN):

    → EIN Presswire or IssueWire

    Building ongoing PR system (like ExpertClick positioning):

    → Prezly (closest to SaaS trial model)

    Free + ongoing publishing (SEO play):

    → PRLog + PR.com 

?? Bottom line

    ?? Yes, PR services with "free trials" exist

    ? But they're usually one free release, not full access trials

    ?? The closest thing to a true SaaS-style trial = Prezly 

If you want, I can map these against ExpertClick / NewsReleaseWire positioning and show where you can clearly outperform them (there's a big gap you can expl