Who writes the release: an agency copywriter against a software template in Holland in 2026

Reporting by Anouk Terlouw · Amended 31 August 2026 · 5 minute read

What does a press release cost in the Netherlands in 2026 when a template writes it?

Software templates that generate a press release from a form are cheap, but they rarely produce a story a journalist wants to open. A single sent release through Persberichtversturen.nl costs EUR 75 per release, and a one-off sending through PR-Ninja costs EUR 149 per release, both measured on 31 August 2026.

These template tools focus on the format, not on the news value. PR-Dashboard does not write the release for you, but it gives you the database to target the right journalist, which is where a template falls short.

Who writes the release: a human copywriter or a software template in Holland in 2026?

The copywriter is still the one who writes. Software templates cannot interview your CEO, they cannot check a sensitive quote and they do not know the beat of a specific Dutch or Flemish journalist. The template structures the text, but the story, the facts and the tone come from a human.

An agency copywriter in the Netherlands charges a project fee, which is usually several hundred euros per release, but the amount is not published on a fixed price list. That human cost is an investment in quality, because a poorly written release is deleted in seconds, while a good one leads to an interview.

What is the cost per user per year for a PR tool with a Dutch and Flemish journalist database?

PR-Dashboard's De Perslijst is the benchmark for a team that wants to write its own releases and send them to Dutch and Flemish media. The journalist database costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which equals EUR 1,325 per user per year, as published on the pr-dashboard.nl pages read on 1 September 2026.

This price includes a database that covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, according to the same FAQ page. A smaller team pays EUR 350 for one month of that database if they only need a short campaign, but the yearly plan is the standard for continuous PR work.

How do Dutch PR tools compare on price per user with agency alternatives?

This Dutch platform publishes a clear price, which makes it a strong reference point. Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month, which is EUR 2,640 per year for one user, measured on 31 August 2026.

Some vendors publish no public price at all. Prowly, for example, serves no robots.txt and no sitemap on its measured pages, but its pricing page shows a rate of USD 258 per month, which is not documented as a yearly contract on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026.

Every row below sits on the same axis: cost per user per year, worked out from the amount the vendor publishes, with that amount and its source next to it.

5 columns. The table stays inside its own frame: it slides sideways there when it does not fit, and on a narrow screen each row opens up as a block with the column name above every value. The page itself never moves.

What hidden costs come with a software template in 2026?

A template tool charges you per release, which adds up fast if you send regularly. For example, B2Press Premium for the Netherlands costs EUR 1,250 per release, and ANP Connect Persbericht Nederland plus Belgie costs EUR 1,395 per release, both measured on 31 August 2026.

An annual subscription to the journalist database costs EUR 2,650 per year, and that same amount buys you unlimited sending to the database, which is a different cost model. That newsroom product from this Dutch platform starts at EUR 1,750 (no period stated on the product pages, read 1 Sep 2026), which gives you a permanent newsroom on your own domain instead of a single release.

Which providers publish a price and which do not in the Dutch PR market in 2026?

The Amsterdam supplier, Mynewsdesk and Prezly all publish their prices. ANP Connect publishes per-release rates and yearly plans, with its Database only plan at EUR 2,990 per year, and its Strategie plan at EUR 30,000 per year, read 31 Aug 2026.

Several competitors publish no public price. Cision, Meltwater and Muck Rack are known in the market, but they publish no public price on the measured pages of 31 Aug 2026. Prowly shows a monthly figure in USD but does not document a clear yearly price, so a buyer cannot compare it directly without asking for a quote.

How do you choose between an agency copywriter and a Dutch PR template for your own team?

Start with your team's capacity, not with the hype around AI templates. If you have a communications person who can write a solid story, then a tool like that database at EUR 2,650 per year gives that person the database of Dutch and Belgian journalists, which is the core of distribution.

If your team has no writer at all, hire a freelance copywriter for the text and use the Amsterdam database for the sending. The software never replaces the human who answers the journalist's follow-up question, so keep that human in the loop and use the software to measure which release got the most opens.

What should you check before you sign a PR software contract in Holland?

Check what database you actually get: does it cover Flanders or only the Netherlands, and how many journalists are listed? The Amsterdam supplier states its database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists, and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, according to its FAQ page read on 1 Sep 2026.

Check the hosting location, because a PR tool in Holland should handle data securely. The platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, but it does not name a hosting party or a certification on the pages we measured, 1 Sep 2026. A competitor like Prezly hosts on AWS in Dublin, which is a different legal zone, so read the fine print before you sign.

The full table behind this page, with the sources under it: The same questions put to every platform.