Top 20 PR Tools in 2019
In every company, one of the most anticipated moments is the one when its brand name is getting recognized. This means getting the brand featured in some news articles and blogs published by reputable publications. Getting recognized also means increased visibility and authority in a given niche.
Agencies that are still at the early stage in the industry are often struggling when it comes to choosing the right marketing tools to use for their business. As indicated in a report by the Marketing Agency Growth in 2018, 34% of agencies would prefer to apply new practices to their business, 45% would offer service diversification, while 72% would go for both online and offline marketing strategies.
Most agencies are knowledgeable about using different marketing tactics and sales strategies that could help increase their leads and eventually revenue. Unfortunately, only a few agencies are aware that PR marketing is actually an extremely viable tactic when it comes to increasing visibility and authority.
Below is a list of some of the best relevant PR tools that could help in monitoring and leveraging information without having to spend a lot of time and resources.
- PR Solutions
Press release solution will make your press releases available to over 700,000 journalists, bloggers, and influencers. The website is a comprehensive media database that offers super monitoring tools, allowing users to explore different press release and distribute them.
it also gives you the option to target specific industry contacts or professionals that might be interested in a certain niche topic. With PR solutions, you will be able to monitor how your PR efforts are doing in the market while keeping track of your progress in various social media outlets, including traditional media and broadcast.
- ANewsTip
Are you in the hunt for the latest and the hottest news story? If so, then ANewsTip might just be the website that you need to go to. The platform offers the most reliable news stories and works like a specialized search engine aimed at helping PR professionals find news media outlets, editors, journalists, and influencers based upon the topics that they’re going to share and talk about in social media.
ANewsTip also allows users to filter the search results depending on different factors, such as the level of influence, number of tweets, topics, language, etc. The information can also be leveraged to generate convenient media lists or better yet, export the data for easy monitoring and pitching. It’s also possible to use ANewsTip to keep track of the latest news reports as they are released and to find out what the journalists from around the world are talking about and sharing on different media outlets.
- Augure
Augure has a lot of useful features that editors, influencers, and journalists will find useful. These include tools for monitoring social media activity, communications, and email marketing within a relevant industry professional. The website also features different tools that can help users measure and report the progress of their press releases since it’s a cloud-based platform. Above all, it’s extremely easy to use.
- Blog Dash
Blog Dash gives users access to various bloggers from different groupings. It’s possible to reach out to some of the world’s most famous bloggers using this platform and create pitch lists. The website also allows you to define your campaign goals without the need to use another tool. For more features, such as blogger outreach, content creation, and tracking, Blog Dash has an outsourced platform that users can use, and this platform is also linked to Blog Dash.
- Brand24
If you need a tool that will allow you to keep track of your brand perception online, Brand24 is a great choice. This platform also allows you to monitor your brand’s online sentiments through social mentions as well as other measurable variables. Brand24 also allows you to share alerts with your colleagues in real time using the tools in the app and you can even monitor how your competitors are doing, which is great since it will give you an idea of how your brand is doing compared to them.
- Brandwatch
Brandwatch is highly recommended for PR professionals who want to be able to keep track of high-level campaigns. The tool will also show you certain details like how many mentions have been made on your campaign, which websites have mentioned your brand and the purchase intent. This way, you will be able to keep track of the relevant topics in your niche.
Brandwatch is very useful in keeping track of the competition and staying on top of things during critical situations. With this tool, you’d be the first to know when news stories are released, and this will place you in a unique position and allow you to be the first to offer commentary if needed.
- Newswire
Newswire has been in the industry for only a decade, but it’s already one of the best-rated press release distribution tools out of the many PR platforms available. This platform is known for its excellent customer service. In fact, they received a high customer satisfaction rating in the G2 survey held recently.
When using Newswire, one of the first things that will impress you is how knowledgeable and professional their staff is. Furthermore, their practical approach to providing customer service is evidenced in their very convenient live tutorials, making the platform easier for everybody to use.
- Business Wire
With the Business Wire tool, you will be able to distribute press releases to more than 89,000 media outlets, and journalists from 162 countries will be able to have access to them. The platform also allows you to add some elements to your press releases such as videos, photos, and links.
- Cision
Cision is another great tool that’s popular among PR professionals due to its wide array of features, which include advanced analytics, distribution, and monitoring. You’ll also be able to use the platform in magnifying the content of your press releases to include features on relevant content modules of some specific websites. Cision is a reputable platform that has more than 1.6 million members comprising of journalists, influencers, and editors.
- Coverage Book
This PR tool allows you to keep track of the progress you’ve made in all your marketing efforts. The tool can be used to acquire information on the number of shares, views, as well as inbound links. All information will be presented in a very comprehensive way and can be accessed from a dashboard.
- Critical Mention
With Critical Mention, you will be able to keep track of the number of times that your brand is mentioned on various media outlets that include television, radio, and social media sites. It will also alert you if there are any topics relevant to your business that have become trending and any broadcast coverage that’s worth exploring. If you’re going to sign up for this tool, you’ll have access to customer support that’s available 24/7 and a team of responsive staffs will co-manage your account.
- Help a Reporter Out
Help a Reporter Out, or HARO is another popular tool used by various PR professionals who want to have access to journalists looking to work with organizations or individuals who have valuable news stories or press releases. Every single day, thousands of journalists visit HARO to connect with different companies and agencies and a lot of times, these journalists are working on a deadline, which is why HARO gives importance to speed.
- Journo Requests
The best thing about Journo Requests is that they will email you every day for journalist requests in various sectors such as technology, parenting, education, etc. There’s no charge for these emails, and if you decide to upgrade to a paid account, you’ll be pinged each time a request comes in from the industry that’s relevant to you. You can also take advantage of their sister website, the Hey Press. There, you’ll find lots of relevant content from highly experienced journalists.
- MarketWired
MarketWired will not only distribute press releases, but it will also provide you with a list of influencers and media, monitor a PR performance, and distribute news updates. They will also give you an option to create a dedicated newsroom where you can store your client’s information.
- Meltwater
Meltwater is another versatile PR tool that allows users to generate content, monitor competition, interact on social media, and keep track of the latest news stories as they are released.
- Mention
One thing that makes this tool a cut above the rest is that it can monitor the activity of several websites and you can look for your preferred sites by simply inputting the name of the company or the relevant executive on the app. In doing so, each time someone will use such brand online, you will receive a notification on your desktop or mobile phone. You may also use the dashboard of the platform to manage your social media accounts.
- Muck Rack
Muck Rack will help you easily look for journalists with the use of some helpful prompts such as the niche, location, social media interactions, and shares. This tool also comes with numerous search options allowing you to easily find magazine editors, bloggers, and digital publications by simply searching a particular media outlet. If you’re going to upgrade to the Pro Plan, you’ll be able to keep track of any mentions, build media lists, and create monitoring emails.
- Prowly
The Prowly PR tool is ideal for PR professionals who are looking for a “one-stop” shop tool for their PR efforts. It allows users to source, publish, and organize earned media advertising opportunities that are relevant and effective.
When you log in to the app, you’ll notice that it’s separated into two different kinds of software; Brand Journal and Audience Pitch. Brand Journal is the app’s newsroom generating aspect while Audience Pitch is mostly focused on content monitoring and distribution.
- PRWeb
PRWeb is an easy-to-use tool. It’s a very straightforward and cost-effective PR distribution tool that offers different pricing plans that are suitable for different budgets and preferences. It doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles that other tools have, but it does allow you to keep track of the PR results and respond to them appropriately.
- Radio Guest List
From the name itself, Radio Guest List is an audio platform that will connect you to journalists, podcast hosts, and producers who are in search of influential authorities to talk on certain topics. The platform is effective in building brand credibility by featuring your brand on a radio show or a podcast where you can showcase your expertise and knowledge about a particular topic.
Public Relations Tools
PR or Public Relations is a highly specialized form of communication that’s responsible for how the public interacts and perceives a particular company, organization, or brand. The main task of PR firms is to make sure that a particular brand is able to maintain a certain image in public, including different stakeholders, shareholders, customers, suppliers, investors, etc.
Below are some of the tools that PR firms use for the effectiveness of their campaigns.
- Messaging
Some of the most reputable brands in the market like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Nike have a consistent story that often stays the same all throughout their campaigns. Such a story is maintained in all of the brand’s messaging campaigns with the purpose of creating a positive image for the brand. It’s also important for the brands to ensure that they maintain such a story in all their interactions with the outside world.
- Audience Targeting
For a PR campaign to be successful, the target audience must first be clearly defined. In doing so, it will be easier for PR specialists to develop a message that will appeal to the defined target market and scale it in such a way that it’s translatable to the various forms of media platforms. A similar message can be weaved into different variations depending on the public that’s being addressed.
- Media Marketing
Nowadays, it’s absolutely necessary for PR firms to be able to spread information not only using conventional media outlets such as television and print media but also with leverage tools, such as search engine marketing and social media. This process is also known as digital marketing and is a truly effective way of getting your brand name out into the public either through online publications, blogs, search engine optimization, and new media relations.
PR firms may also use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to spread information to the public. Combining these platforms with traditional media is a great way to distribute press releases while ensuring that they reach the right audience.
It’s a known fact that the modern-day consumers are more included in digital content than the old school media such as magazines, radio, and TV. Therefore, it just makes sense for PR firms to focus more on online media since it has a wider reach. This new mix of media includes podcasts, social media, blogs, and online videos.
