PR Tools to Take Your Strategy to the Next Level

PR has changed dramatically over the course of time – while earned media mentions are still the name of the game, “clipping” with scissors and a pair of glue is no longer the norm. Presently, there are an abundance of digital tools and opportunities available to PR professionals to help garner and track coverage for clients. Beyond monitoring media mentions, there is software available to cover everything from finding contact information for journalists, sourcing media opportunities, and simplifying the reporting process. At Caster, we use a variety of tools to aid our strategy and earn top tier coverage for our clients. Read on for a look at what’s in our toolbox:

Business Wire

Plain and simple: when you need to get a major announcement in front of as many eyes as possible, Business Wire is the way to go. Reaching more than 100 countries and in 19 languages, Business Wire provides options to distribute internationally, national, or to industry targeted outlets.

Help a Reporter Out

More affectionally known as HARO, this free service is for journalists in search of expert sources for upcoming stories. Subscribers are notified three times a day with a list of current requests. Given that journalists are typically working against a deadline, PR professionals should be ready to respond with speed.

Meltwater

Meltwater searches worldwide publications, online news sites, and social media to track mentions of your client. PR professionals can watch, record, and analyze coverage for clients in the platform. Meltwater has reporting features to total audience reach, top media sources, and advertising value equivalent among the offered analytical tools.

Google Alerts

Another free service, Google Alerts tracks mentions of your brand across the web. You can customize the frequency and time of day for alerts to streamline tracking processes or stay on top with minute-to-minute updates.

Cision

Offering a database of more than 1.6 million journalists, influencers, and editorial contacts, Cision is a well-known but pricey tool. The platform provides an advanced distribution feature to share client news with curated media contact lists.

While some of us have been in the game longer than others, we all can agree the digital PR tools available today are a sure-fire way to take your strategy to the next level. What about you? Do you miss the days of manual clipping? What are your favorite digital PR tools to get the job done? Reach out to the Caster team on Twitter – @CasterComm.