Digital PR spans multiple platforms and requires a good strategy to achieve success. Finding the right digital PR tools to manage and support you through a campaign can make all the difference in achieving success.
If you’re looking to improve the way you conduct your PR campaigns, read on and discover the best digital PR tools to support you through the whole process.
What is a digital PR tool?
A digital PR tool can be software or an online platform that empowers businesses and marketers to conduct digital public relations efforts. It is designed to streamline and enhance the various aspects of a successful digital PR campaign.
There are many digital PR tools in the market today, and choosing the right one can come down to a matter of purpose and necessity. This can likewise make it seemingly overwhelming. Fortunately, there are a variety of software and apps digital PR professionals can use in the different phases of PR to conduct both proactive and reactive digital public relations.
Many of the digital PR tools in the market today support the many phases of PR campaigns, including:
- Media monitoring
- Press release distribution
- Media outreach and relationship management
- Content management and creation
- Performance analytics
Media monitoring tools
Media monitoring involves monitoring media coverage to better understand your audience’s brand perception, also called public sentiment. This includes tracking related keyword mentions and product and brand mentions on websites, blogs, forums, and social media platforms.
Tools for this digital PR phase allow you to track keywords and monitor social media, keeping you on top of emerging trends.
1. Hubspot
At its core, Hubspot is essentially a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform that ensures you can keep track of potential customers at different points in the buyer’s journey. However, the beauty of the tool is that it works just as well as a social media monitoring and content management tool, which can eliminate the need for another subscription and save you time learning how to use another platform.
Best features
- Build a custom dashboard to track and view content performance and brand awareness in real-time
- Fully customizable omnichannel automation with support for multiple languages
- Manage and customize your campaigns and teams from one platform
- Live chat functions for social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
- AI-powered content generator and brand voice monitoring
How to maximize the platform
Combine your media monitoring priorities with CRM. When you use Hubspot for multiple phases of digital PR, you get a diverse range of features in one significantly powerful tool.
Pricing
- The Professional package starts at $99/month
- The Team package starts at $249/month
2. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is an all-in-one, user-friendly social media monitoring platform that offers easy integration. This tool allows you to seamlessly launch your digital PR campaign and monitor its performance and audience perception.
Best features
- Hootsuite Insights offers a deep dive into social listening to get an idea of real-time conversations across the world
- Keyword and topic research can be customized and filtered for brand monitoring
- In-depth analytics on audience behavior to inform your digital PR strategy
- Collaborative features that make it easy for teams to work on the platform
- Schedule social media posts and respond to comments in real-time
How to maximize the platform
Small to medium businesses and marketing professionals can use the Hootsuite platform to schedule social media posts and automate media monitoring. Audience insights and social listening analytics can shape the direction of your digital PR strategy.
Pricing
- The Professional package starts at $99/month
- The Team package starts at $349/month
3. Agorapulse
Agorapulse allows teams to oversee brand mentions and maximize social listening for relevant conversations about your brand and product. Using the platform as a digital PR tool gives you a pulse on how well your brand is performing while showing your competitors as well.
Best features
- Customize your monitoring dashboard to show select phrases and platforms relevant to your campaign
- Label customer conversations and competitor activities
- Schedule content publishing with a user-friendly content calendar
How to maximize the platform
The platform offers standard media monitoring tool features at a more reasonable cost than its competitors. Use it to post content, track performance, and analyze social listening and competitors. However, teams must check if the platform supports your preferred social media platforms.
Pricing
- The Standard package starts at $49/month
- The Professional package starts at $79/month
4. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a tool that offers real-time quantitative and contextual data and insights on all social media interactions, mentions, and conversations. It enables you to monitor your media coverage and respond to any relevant social media site from the platform itself.
Best features
- Analyze campaigns with dashboards that show real-time data
- Generate reporting analytics that separate paid and organic performance to inform your strategies
- Indentify relevant influencers and industry thought leaders through social listening
- AI automated insights with customizable filters to suit the topics most relevant to you
How to maximize the platform
Social listening tools are Sprout Social’s biggest asset. The platform’s boolean operators allow you to better understand the most relevant conversations as they happen.
Pricing
- The Standard package starts at $199/month
- The Professional package starts at $299/month
5. Talkwalker
Talkwalker is a product of Hootsuite, which offers access to millions of media data sources to get the most robust insight into relevant conversations. The platform also provides the most accurate data analysis, covering conversation clusters, engagements, comments, and influencers.
Best features
- Unlock 150 million data sources for a truly accurate pulse on relevant topics
- AI-powered data tagging and categorization for filters
- Customize filter options and tags for data analysis
- Create a custom dashboard creation and share to monitor media coverage
How to maximize the platform
As a consumer intelligence platform, Talkwalker can help you make more informed decisions in your digital PR strategies with English-based audience insights. Some valuable insights offered on the platform include brand perception, audience behavior, and preferences.
Press release distribution tools
Press release distribution is important in any digital PR campaign, ensuring your content is visible to the right audiences. Press release distribution tools share your messaging with a targeted list of journalists, bloggers, and media outlets who can attract the right attention. Some can even aid in optimizing your PR for SEO.
1. Newswire
Newswire is an online platform that allows businesses to distribute press releases to major news outlets. This highly-rated PR tool adheres to a meticulous editorial process that ensures your content is of the highest caliber as soon as your audience reads your press release.
Best features
- Deliver content to over 10,000 global media publications to expand your audience reach
- Optimize your content for SEO and media standards to make a bigger impact online
- Get professional media pitching services to establish relations with new media outlets
- Track media coverage to get the most relevant insights into your industry
- Campaign metrics are reported after PR distribution to help you stay on top of performance
How to maximize the platform
The Newswire platform helps you expand your audience by offering domestic and international distribution lines at a more affordable rate than most PR distribution competitors. After your press release is distributed, your team will receive a comprehensive analytics report to help you gauge your campaign’s success. Aside from this, you can use the tool to optimize content, pitch media, and monitor media.
Pricing
- The Newswire Domestic package starts at $349 per press release
- The Newswire International package starts at $899 per press release
- The Media Suite Starter package starts at $625/month
2. Meltwater
Meltwater is a well-known platform for media intelligence. It provides a full suite of features that cover many aspects of digital PR, including press release distribution, media management, and analytics.
Best features
- Access a media database of over 400,000 contacts to establish media relations and get your press releases seen
- Comprehensive PR reports with hashtag analysis and audience analysis
- API integration to ensure analytics are directly connected to the Meltwater platform
- Track trends and get competitor analytics to have a good benchmark for the quality of your output
How to maximize the platform
As a consumer intelligence platform, Talkwalker can help you make more informed decisions in your digital PR strategies with English-based audience insights. Some valuable insights offered on the platform include brand perception, audience behavior, and preferences.
Pricing
- Available upon request
3. PR Newswire
PR Newswire is a platform owned by Cision, which covers both online and print distribution, making it a holistic approach to a PR campaign. The platform enables businesses to connect with leading publishers in various industries.
Best features
- Access an extensive media database to connect with more news outlets and journalists in relevant industries
- Distribute your PR to more news outlets and journalists for a wider reach in 100+ industries
- Simplified PR send-out experience to streamline the workflow and ensure news is searchable
- Performance tracking for every ad and article uploaded
How to maximize the platform
PR Newswire shines within the bigger US market as most of the news outlets in their database are American. This makes it an ideal platform for growing and expanding your brand to a US audience.
Pricing
- $350-$8,700, depending on your desired scope of distribution
4. PR Web
PR Web is another press release distribution platform owned by Cision, a PR software company. This service connects press releases, images, and videos to journalists and news outlets in your selected categories.
Best features
- Publish on a wide array of well-known platforms for better visibility
- Create your press releases with templates that make it easy to create optimized content
- Comprehensive analytics dashboard that offers valuable insights on your campaign
How to maximize the platform
The platform offers capabilities that are very similar to PR Newswire. However, it does provide a more affordable price point for multimedia press releases. This can be a worthy option for businesses seeking to expand their audience base with smaller budgets.
Pricing
- Starts at $105, depending on your package.
5. Business Wire
Business Wire is a news distribution platform covering press releases and investor relations. It is a world-renowned voice in media, offering access to publications in 162 countries and industries.
Best features
- Reach 100,000+ global news outlets across the world for maximum brand visibility
- Optimize press releases with up-to-date formatting and writing styles to surface higher on news sites like Google News and Yahoo!
- The mobile responsive newsroom enables audiences to view your content easily, even on mobile browsers
How to maximize the platform
Business Wire is an ideal distributor for the financial services industry specifically as it has built its following within this space. This makes it a great option for businesses that want to expand a following that is interested in finance.
Pricing
- Available upon request
Media outreach tools
Identifying and connecting with influencers in a specific industry or niche who can help promote a brand or product. Keep track of interactions and relationships with journalists, influencers, and key stakeholders with relationship management tools. These tools often include databases of influencers, contact information, and engagement metrics.
1. Connectively (Formerly HARO)
Connectively, formerly known as HARO (Help A Reporter Out), is every SEO and PR professional’s well-known secret. This platform makes it easy for journalists to find sources for their topics.
How it works
When a journalist asks a question, experts (SEO and PR professionals) can pitch their content and knowledge to a reputable source they can use. You can, in turn, obtain high-quality backlinks to your own website.
How to maximize the platform
Obtain high-quality backlinks to your website with Connectively, which can help establish you as an authority in your industry.
Pricing
- Connectively has a free version
- Their paid plan starts at $19/month
2. JustReachOut
JustReachOut is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to help you reach out to journalists for more media coverage.
How it works
Identify the type of journalist and industry you need to connect with. JustReachOut uses AI technology to create your pitch in seconds. You can then schedule when and how often you want to follow up with the platform.
How to maximize the platform
Use this tool to obtain journalist emails. This information can help you build links immediately with US brands and audiences and build your media lists as your brand grows.
Pricing
- Starts at $147/month
3. Prowly
Prowly is primarily a media relations tool offering media contacts and features to help you run your digital PR campaign. These include creating and sending press releases, social listening, and crafting media reports.
How it works
Find the right journalist by searching for their name, the news outlet, or keyword. You apply filters to narrow down results and get the most relevant journalists. The search results will show you all the necessary information you need to connect with them.
How to maximize the platform
Use the platform to send bulk outreach emails to the most relevant journalists. In this way, you can streamline your outreach processes without repeating the writing process.
Pricing
- Starts at $258/month
4. PressPage
PressPage is an AI-powered online platform offering a media database where you can pitch your content to media professionals from one place.
How it works
Store and manage your media database and assets in PressPage. The platform can help you craft an impressive pitch for journalists with AI.
How to maximize the platform
Use the platform’s templates to create your pitches and build your brand’s newsroom. You can also view your published content’s performance metrics to evaluate your campaign and optimize your strategy.
Pricing
- Starts at €240/month
5. Buzzstream
Buzzstream is an end-to-end outreach platform that allows you to centralize your outreach efforts to journalists and influencers. From email segmentation to crafting messages with templates and pulling detailed outreach reports, you can effectively manage the process.
How it works
Build your prospective media lists with Buzzstream’s database. Quickly compose and send effective emails with professionally made templates on the platform. Analyze your outreach reports to optimize your future PR efforts.
How to maximize the platform
Automate your outreach process with templates, scheduled send-outs, and bulk emails.
Pricing
- Starts at $24/month
Content creation and management tools
Tools in this category are designed to assist in creating, scheduling, and publishing content such as articles, blog posts, and social media updates. This helps maintain a consistent online presence that can continue to engage and intrigue your target audiences.
1. Google Trends
Google Trends is a free tool that lets anyone see what topics are trending on the Google search engine.
How it works
Enter a keyword to analyze. The search will provide you with a graph showing you an overview of the term’s popularity over time.
How to maximize the platform
You can interpret data from Google Trends in several ways, such as topic relevance, geographical relevance, and other related search terms. This information can be used to conduct keyword research, build topic clusters, and strategy optimization.
Pricing
- Free
2. Google Alerts
Google Alerts is another free tool that has been around for some time. This service enables you to monitor the most relevant web activities, all based on a simple keyword or phrase.
How it works
Connect your Google account to the platform and add a keyword or phrase you want to monitor. Customize your notification settings to choose how frequently you want to receive alerts through email.
How to maximize the platform
Use this tool to stay alert about your press release’s activity. You can also maximize it by setting up notifications when relevant news, products from competitors, or content that mentions your brand pops up.
Pricing
- Free
3. Answer the Public
Answer the Public is an online platform for search listening that delivers valuable audience insight based on a single keyword.
How it works
Enter a keyword and select the region in which your target audiences are based. The platform will pull hundreds of questions and long-tail keywords that people in your chosen location search. You can additionally do a deeper dive on specific keywords.
How to maximize the platform
Discover what questions your target audience is asking. Use your findings to inform your ideation and content strategy as they share more than just questions about your topic.
Pricing
- Free for 3 searches daily
- The Pro package starts at $49/month
4. WordPress.org
WordPress.org is a content management system (CMS) and platform for hosting all your content. It’s a powerful tool that can help you keep up with your blog articles if you want to establish your brand as an industry authority.
How it works
Enter your articles and allow the platform to do all the coding. Website builders, themes, and plugins are available to ensure your page looks just as expected.
How to maximize the platform
Choose the most relevant WordPress plugins, such as Hubspot, Yoast, and Rank Math, to manage and fully optimize your content effectively.
Pricing
- The Premium package starts at $8/month
5. Grammarly
Grammarly is a useful writing tool that checks your grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
How it works
Install the plugin on your chosen browser or desktop. Customize with your brand’s writing style guide and add any niche terms unique to your brand and industry. Once you’re ready, use it to check your content as you write.
How to maximize the platform
The plug-in allows you to review and edit content in real time. This helps keep the tone of your copy consistent and on-brand for any platform.
Pricing
- The Premium package starts at $12/month
6. Descript
Descript is a video and audio editing tool that simplifies the content editing process. It can significantly help transform video and audio content into transcripts so they become easily shareable media.
How it works
Upload your audio or video file. Artificial intelligence and machine learning translate the audio into a highly accurate transcript in 25 languages.
How to maximize the platform
Use Descript to turn audio or video files of press releases, interviews, and other valuable content into accurate transcripts. You can repurpose this copy for other social media platforms.
Pricing
- The Creator package starts at $24/month
7. Loom
Loom is a screen recording tool that lets users take footage of their desktop’s screen for communication.
How it works
Once you’ve installed Loom, set up your desired screen and use the recording button. Choose the setting you need to record before showing your intended content. You can additionally record your voice and use drawing tools to enhance the communication experience.
How to maximize the platform
Loom is a valuable tool for information sharing. Use it for your team’s internal communications and to create educational videos to supplement learning articles, which your audiences can use as a resource.
Pricing
- The paid plan starts at $8/month
Performance analytics tools
These analytics tools provide insights and data on the performance of your PR campaigns. Metrics include media coverage, engagement, website traffic, and sentiment analysis.
1. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is one of the most used analytics tools among digital marketers. This platform offers a wide range of insights into your website traffic, conversion rates, and user behaviors.
Best features
- Get an overview of pageviews and time on site to determine the appeal of your content
- Track visitors and audience behavior on your website to see how they respond to your pages
- See referrals from other channels and platforms
- Learn who is linking to your site to help build your media list
How to maximize the platform
Make well-informed decisions based on actual data on your digital PR strategy and optimization.
Pricing
- Free with the option to upgrade
2. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is the SEO professional’s most valued tool for growing website traffic. The data offered on the platform can drive your digital PR campaign to success.
Best features
- Conduct competitor research to see what content they put out
- Find keyword opportunities to optimize and plug into your content
- Check on your website’s structure and see how to improve your page
- View search intents to better understand your target audience
How to maximize the platform
Conduct deep-dive analyses to extract actionable information on Ahref. For example, you can check a site’s domain rating and traffic to see if it can boost your SEO.
Pricing
- The Standard plan starts at $249/month
3. Birdeye
Birdeye is a platform that helps manage a business’s online reputation through analytics, making it a useful tool for digital PR.
Best features
- Quantify customer experience with ratings to set a baseline for enhancing their experience
- Track customer sentiments to understand better how you can improve your content, product, or services
- AI-powered reporting tools help streamline the analysis process
- Compare reviews against your competitors
How to maximize the platform
Use the Birdeye platform to monitor how audiences view your brand. Quickly respond to reviews and manage your brand image.
Pricing
- Available upon request
4. Social Media Platform Insights (Facebook Insights, TikTok Analytics, LinkedIn Analytics, YouTube Analytics)
Most social media platforms offer insights that help you understand your follower demographics, post engagements, and overall performance. The features offered can vary per platform.
How to maximize the platform
Conduct regular reviews, weekly or monthly, to analyze performance. Data offered can help you identify optimal posting time, audience demographics per platform, and what type of content your audiences respond best to.
Pricing
- Free
The benefits of using digital PR tools
Using digital PR tools offers numerous benefits that can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your digital public relations efforts. When you choose to use any of these tools, you gain many benefits, including:
- Time efficiency
With digital PR tools, you can automate the most repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as media monitoring, press release distribution, and influencer outreach. Considering these tasks are accounted for, PR professionals can focus on strategy and innovating new ways to capture target audiences’ attention. - Real-time monitoring
One of the biggest benefits of using digital PR tools is monitoring brand mentions, industry trends, and competitor progress. This allows you to stay vigilant about any high-risk crises or valuable opportunities that shouldn’t be missed. - Data-driven insights
Digital PR tools often have advanced analytics and PR reporting features that offer valuable insights into campaign performance. These features allow users to make data-driven decisions with optimized strategies. - Improved relationship management
CRM features are valuable for maintaining and nurturing relationships with stakeholders and customers. You can ensure communication is always effective and truly personalized. - Targeted outreach
Most PR tools have an impressive database of journalists and influencers, eliminating the need to comb through online platforms manually. This can help with media database management, increase the likelihood of successful outreach, and positively impact your link-building efforts. - SEO benefits
SEO plays a significant role in digital PR. Many of these tools offer features to optimize your digital PR campaigns and content for search engines. This means you can enhance your online visibility and drive more organic traffic to your website. - Comprehensive media coverage
By tracking mentions across multiple platforms with your digital PR tools, your business can conduct comprehensive media coverage and identify opportunities for engagement across different channels where your target audience is present. - Crisis management
There’s no telling what negative news might come out at any time. Digital PR tools make real-time monitoring possible, so you can stay alert if a potential crisis emerges and you need to mitigate its impact on your brand. - Brand sentiment analysis
Lastly, the biggest plus of utilizing PR tools is understanding audience perception through sentiment analysis, which helps gauge a brand’s overall perception and adjust strategies accordingly.
Working with digital PR tools
The list of digital PR tools can go on, considering how many ways you can innovate and run successful PR campaigns that positively impact your brand. While that means the cost can continue to rise as you invest in more and more of these platforms.
Fortunately, there is also another way to ensure your campaigns run smoothly. You can work with a PR link-building service that provides you access to all these essential tools.
Ethical SEO can help your SaaS business’s digital PR campaigns. Schedule a demo with us to see how we get your brand recognized.
