7 PR tools that will help you gain and track media attention

The world of PR is changing rapidly and it's hard to have the right tools to stay on top these days. In the past, you could define a provision and calculate it as a budget item that both parties agree is necessary. However, in today's global media reach, this is not enough. Content distribution and other areas have an aspect of technology and analytics that is essential to the success of a business. Ignoring this reality will result in falling behind competitors who use the most current and efficient resources available. Below is an updated list from one I wrote in 2018 that should help you identify some of the best tools to help you navigate and thrive in this new world of PR.

I knew Greg Galant from the time he started the Shorty Awards, and he was always dedicated to building a solid tool with Muck Rack. With their recent increase of 180 million and the resources of the company, they are well on their way to becoming a complete public relations tool. Muck Rack's robust capabilities can provide a comprehensive database of journalists, allowing you to search for relevant contacts and access their contact information, social media profiles, and recent articles. With this database, you can identify the right journalists for your media coverage, create media lists and manage your press relations well.

Prowly is a company I've worked with in the past, and I was immediately impressed. Through their efforts, they have built a PR and content marketing platform that streamlines PR workflows and improves media relations. Later, they were acquired by SEMRush, which is a well-known SEO tool. The combination of the two should yield strong results by combining research and public relations resources. It offers features for managing media contacts, creating visually appealing press releases and distributing content.

Onepitch is a PR platform that simplifies the media pitch process for PR professionals. Because while pitching to reporters is a relatively simple process, it can take time. OnePitch helps users create and send concise and targeted pitches to journalists. Not only does it reduce the time and effort spent on traditional outreach methods, but it can help achieve a higher success rate through its database of journalists. The database analyzes and displays journalists' preferences, making it easy to identify the right contacts for specific stories. As an added benefit, its streamlined interface is user-friendly and easy to learn.

Some PR tools allow you to be more effective and successful in executing your strategy. Others give you vital, data-driven insights into whether or not your strategy is working and how to improve it. Onclusive specializes in the latter. I haven't worked with Onclusive, but used them when they used to be AirPR. It provides advanced analytics and insights to help you understand the scope of a...