As kids and families around the country are busy shopping for new school supplies, we thought we would review some of the best tools of the trade needed in the PR world to set you apart from the rest of the class. Using data to build out and operate your PR campaign will guarantee that you base decision-making on facts rather than guesswork. This will make your life easier and your clients happy!
Reporting and Analytics
This kind of software allows PR agencies to dig deeper into their campaigns and measure their effectiveness. By using the below software, you can also determine whether the attention a client is receiving is positive or negative. Here are some of BOCA’s favorites:
Cision: Reporting and analytics
Coverage data and reports for both your clients and competitors
Sam Whitmore Media Survey:
Provides research and analysis that helps tech PR pros pitch more effectively
Media Insights
Our main job in PR is to create positive relationships between our clients and their target audiences. One of the best ways to do this is to foster relationships with and take the time needed to get to know the media you are pitching. Reporters really appreciate it when you know their beat and what they are focusing on, and using the software below is incredibly helpful in achieving this.
MuckRack
Media insights including reporter contact info, along with help identifying targets and potential pitches.
Podchaser
Podcast audience insights help us identify podcasts to pitch for clients and provide contact info for hosts.
BuzzSumo
Software that provides insight into content, engagement and outreach opportunities across social media and search engines. Learn about which stories are hot, trending keywords on Google, and more.
Meeting Tools
We now live in a hybrid work environment so being familiar with the following tools is critical to a seamless work environment for all no matter where they are working from.
Zoom
Hold virtual meetings on Zoom. It is helpful to subscribe to the paid plan so that you have unlimited meeting length versus only 40 minutes with the free version. Those 40 minutes go by quickly!!
Otter.ai:
A transcribing tool that takes verbal conversations and allows you to read over, search through and more. Great to use for meetings, interviews, or even your own notes.
While these are just a handful of the many great tools that exist, they are a great place to start and are a surefire way to guarantee you pass any test that comes your way this year!