Five Free PR Tools We Can't Live Without

Although sometimes considered an industry filled with glitz and glam, public relations requires a lot of heavy lifting.

In addition to keeping a finger on the pulse of traditional news reporters and journalists, public relations professionals must monitor the work of freelance journalists, bloggers and social influencers across the web.

The goal, of course, is to get our clients’ brand story in front of the right media contact at just the right time.

We aim to garner an earned media placement that places our clients’ story on the front page. We also want to earn a hyperlink back to the clients’ website to support our clients’ SEO.

So how, in this rapid-fire society, do we manage to break through the media madness and get our clients’ brand stories in front of the right media eyes? Yes, we do conduct extensive research via our industry database for each project we launch. But we also rely on a few fantastic web resources to keep us up-to-date on media moves.

OUR TOP FIVE RESEARCH TOOLS

Buzzsumo – Although Buzzsumo only provides a limited amount of free information before it prompts a paid subscription, it is a fantastic resource to add to any research tool belt. Users can narrow searches according to keyword, domain, or top influencer. It also shows how many times top content has been shared and what links are shared by specific Twitter users.

Keyhole – Wondering who is talking about you on Twitter and, yes, even Instagram? Well, the team at Keyhole gives you insight like never before into brand mentions and even social media amplification. The real-time topic and campaign tracking tool is used by marketers and reporters and tracks hashtags, keywords, URLs and different accounts. In addition, the tool’s dashboard analyzes data around total posts, impressions and reach, and ranks influencers based on average post engagement rate which makes it easy to identify the most influential users. It also gives data around demographics and the share of posts which are original versus re-tweets. Go ahead, analyze away!

Followerwonk – A favorite amongst many PR pros, Followerwonk allows you to search Twitter using specific search terms. Need a real estate editor based in NYC? Let Followerwonk help.

Inkybee – As its website notes, Inkybee allows you to ‘find the best, most relevant bloggers.’ It shows a blog’s visibility and engagement, and also allows you to create a contact list right from its platform.

Google Analytics – Why did we include Google Analytics in our PR tool list? Because if we don’t check our analytics, we’ll never know if our efforts are driving traffic and business to our clients’ sites. Do your research using the tools above. Once you’ve secured an editorial placement, track your success in Google Analytics.