Public relations professionals traditionally relied on phones, emails, and in-person conversations to pitch stories. Now PR professionals can rely on platforms like LinkedIn, where they can interact with reporters and directly message or pitch their clients.
But there are additional tools specifically designed for PR professionals and reporters.
Because making PR magic requires time, attention and expertise. Good tools can help, too.
Help a Reporter Out
Help a reporter out, HARO, is a platform that connects journalists to expert sources. Journalists use this platform to find credible sources for upcoming stories and PR professionals use it to identify relevant opportunities for clients and provide quotes, comments and expert insights.
HARO is a great tool for PR professionals because it clearly states the reporter’s name, inquiry, outlet and deadline. The platform sends out daily emails that round up reporters’ requests across industries such as healthcare and pharma, business and finance, HR, technology, travel, real estate, education and more.
For PR pros seeking earned coverage, this platform is a great place to start. The trick is to send in your response as soon as possible to beat the competition.
As Bospar’s own John Ward recently noted, reporters face relentless pressure. So sometimes they look to PR pros for dependable sources, fresh story angles and accurate information.
Qwoted
Qwoted is similar to HARO. It connects journalists with expert sources. But it also includes podcasts, broadcasts and newsrooms. Qwoted is more curated to your profile based on how detailed your account is.
The Bumble for journalists, Qwoted lets you add your sources and include information like their areas of expertise, bio, recent coverage, quotes, etc., making the platform useful for journalists who want to vet an expert before using their commentary.
This platform is a great place to find inspiration on what journalists are interested in and identify themes trending across outlets. What makes them extra special? Qwoted’s director of user success might even send you a personal note prompting you to submit an expert.
Make your spokesperson’s profile as detailed as possible so reporters come to you for stories first. Also, opting in to notifications helps you respond to reporters faster because Qwoted sends out daily emails with suggested spokespeople.
MuckRack
MuckRack is the ultimate PR tool. It does it all: Coverage tracking, media list creation, reporting, pitching and more.
Whether you need to pull a media list for trending topics, categorize reporters by the topics they cover, share podcast and broadcast coverage, generate a media briefing document or pitch a reporter, MuckRack can help you get the job done and so much more.
When paired with Qwoted and HARO, MuckRack is a great way to find more information about an outlet or reporter seeking commentary.
One way to set yourself up for success in using this tool is to create alerts for clients. Whether it’s an announcement, person, product or an interview, setting alerts saves you so much time.
Other tools to consider
In the age of AI, PR professionals are also leaning into tools like Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Three-fourths of PR pros use paid AI tools, and nearly 80% brainstorm with AI on a weekly basis.
AI can save time when drafting documents or seeking research insights, but it’s important to review each platform’s terms of service and privacy policies when handling sensitive information.
If you’re looking for a simple way to track coverage and see how your client is featured in the media, Google Alerts is a great free tool.
For clients who receive broadcast coverage, TVEyes is ideal because it lets you clip their segment, shows local audience viewership and allows you to download the coverage.
All of these tools can serve you well in your quest to secure paid or earned coverage.
But, ultimately, securing media coverage comes down to your creativity and persistence.
