Introduction
Public relations and communications professionals are always looking for new ways to extend their reach, demonstrate impact, and tell compelling stories. With the right PR software, teams can more effectively manage media relationships, pitch stories, monitor brand mentions, and measure the true impact of campaigns. This blog evaluates the top PR solutions based on criteria like social publishing and listening tools, SEO and content distribution value, and analytics to help strategic comms professionals find the platform best suited to their unique needs and goals.
Methods of Evaluation
The companies were evaluated based on several conventional criteria like features, pricing, support and ease of use. Additional emphasis was given to factors like number of backlinks and referring domains, social followers, website traffic, growth in keyword search volumes, number of brand mentions in the media and customer reviews to better understand the true reach andMindfulness impact they drive. This helped provide a more complete picture of real world performance and value for PR and marketing professionals.
1. Adobe Experience Manager
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a digital experience management platform developed by Adobe. AEM allows organizations to efficiently manage digital marketing and commerce content while also providing omnichannel experiences across web, mobile, social and more. With AEM, brands can create consistent, optimized content once and distribute it everywhere.
Pros: Some key advantages of Adobe Experience Manager include: – Tight CMS integrations for omnichannel experiences – Robust analytics for content engagement across channels – Large customer base for big brand implementations – Extensive support for dynamic and responsive content – Scalable architecture to handle high traffic volumes
Cons: A potential disadvantage of Adobe Experience Manager is its higher cost of implementation and maintenance compared to some open source CMS options.
Pricing: Adobe Experience Manager pricing is based on several factors like the number of users, site volumes, customizations required etc. Generally, customers can expect to pay $10,000 – $50,000 per year for standard deployments.
Some key stats about Adobe Experience Manager include: – Over 5,000 customers globally including 80% of Fortune 100 companies – Supports over 100 online channels including web, mobile, email and chat – Integrates with Adobe marketing tools like Adobe Target, Analytics and Campaign – Supports 200+ out-of-the-box components and APIs for custom development
2. PR Newswire
PR Newswire is a leading global provider of press release distribution and targeting services. Founded in 1954, PR Newswire helps companies of all sizes meet their public relations and marketing communication needs via newswire distribution and monitoring solutions. As one of the oldest and largest newswires worldwide, PR Newswire connects organizations to influential audiences and media.
Pros: Key advantages of PR Newswire include:
– Leading newswire and distribution platform with a vast global reach
– Advanced targeting and syndication options allow for optimized distribution
– Enhanced SEO benefits from newswire releases getting indexed quickly by search engines
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that as a standard newswire service, PR Newswire does not offer bespoke media targeting options available with more specialized PR firms.
Pricing: PR Newswire offers flexible subscription plans starting from $99 per month for basic distribution. Premium distribution, targeting and monitoring packages are also available and priced based on the number of press releases distributed and languages/regions included.
Some key stats about PR Newswire include:
– Reaches over 1,000 global media outlets, websites, blogs and social networks
– Distributes over 500,000 press releases annually
– Services clients in more than 170 countries
– Monitors over 1 million news sources, blogs and social media platforms
3. Salesforce Social Studio
Salesforce Social Studio is Salesforce’s social media management product that helps businesses better understand their customers by analyzing conversations happening on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. It provides tools to organize, engage with and respond to customers across various social media platforms directly from within the Salesforce platform.
Pros: Key advantages of Salesforce Social Studio include:
– Tight integration with the Salesforce CRM for a holistic view of customers and social behaviors
– Powerful social listening and analytics tools to glean customer insights
– Large customer base and scalable solutions to support enterprise-level social media needs
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the tools are tailored more for sales and marketing use cases rather than community management or customer service.
Pricing: Pricing for Salesforce Social Studio depends on the edition and number of users. The standard edition starts at $150 per user per month billed annually. Enterprise editions with additional features are also available and priced based on team size and functionality required.
Some key stats about Salesforce Social Studio include:
– Monitoring of over 250 social media channels and networks
– Supports over 20 languages for social listening and engagement
– Used by over 150,000 businesses globally
– Processes over 25 billion customer conversations per year
4. HootSuite
HootSuite is a leading social media management platform that allows users to plan, schedule and engage across major social networks from a single dashboard. Founded in 2008, HootSuite now serves over 17 million users worldwide ranging from individuals to large enterprises.
Pros: Some key advantages of HootSuite include: – Comprehensive social media management platform that supports planning, scheduling and engaging across networks – Solid cross-channel analytics and reporting tools to gain insights from social performance – Large customer base and highly scalable capabilities to manage hundreds or thousands of social profiles from one place
Cons: Potential disadvantages could include: – Pricing tiers can get expensive for teams with very high volume social publishing needs – Some advanced automations or integrations may require contacting support
Pricing: HootSuite offers several pricing tiers starting from a free Basic plan for individual use up to Enterprise plans tailored for large organizations. Pricing varies based on the number of social accounts and team members but generally starts from $9.99/month for the first Pro plan.
Some key stats about HootSuite include: – Supports major social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google – Over 17 million users globally – Integrations with tools like Google Analytics, Mailchimp and more – Scales up to manage tens of thousands of social accounts
5. Semrush
Semrush is a SaaS platform that provides online visibility and competitive research solutions for companies. Founded in 2008, Semrush offers over 55 tools to help marketers, agencies, and businesses optimize SEO, PPC, content, social media, and more. With over 3 million users worldwide, Semrush aims to help businesses turn search algorithms into allies and make their brand visible online.
Pros: Some key advantages of using Semrush include:
– Comprehensive competitive research and industry benchmarking tools
– Advanced analytics for organic and paid search performance metrics
– Robust link building features like site audits and influencer discovery tools
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that Semrush’s most advanced feature sets require paid business or enterprise level plans which can be cost prohibitive for some smaller agencies or businesses.
Pricing: Semrush offers several pricing tiers including starter, basic, professional, team, and enterprise plans. Pricing ranges from $99/month for a basic individual plan up to customized enterprise pricing for larger organizations. All plans come with a free 15-day trial.
Some key stats about Semrush include:
– Over 3 million users globally
– Tracks ranking and traffic data for over 10 million keyword phrases
– Monitors over 500 million websites for backlink and domain authority data
– Provides analytics for paid search campaigns across Google, Bing, and Yandex with over 1 billion monthly keyword lookups
6. Buffer
Buffer is a leading social media management platform that helps users save time and effort when it comes to sharing content across different social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. With Buffer, users can schedule posts in advance, automate repetitive tasks and track what’s working using powerful yet easy-to-use analytics.
Pros: Key advantages of using Buffer include: – Easy to use social sharing scheduler that allows bulk uploading and scheduling of posts from one central calendar – Simple but powerful analytics and engagement tools to track metrics like reach, likes, shares etc. – Integrations with popular CMS and email platforms like WordPress, Mailchimp for a seamless workflow
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the free Basic plan only allows scheduling of up to 3 social profiles and has limited storage for queued posts. For advanced features, a paid Professional or Business plan would be required.
Pricing: Buffer pricing starts from a free Basic plan ideal for individual users or micro-influencers. Paid Professional ($10/month) and Business ($15/month per user) plans unlock more features like support for unlimited queues and profiles, enhanced analytics and priority support.
Some key stats about Buffer include: – Over 160,000 active users from small businesses and individuals – Supports scheduling posts on 10+ social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and more – Users can publish queued posts from one centralized calendar – Powerful analytics dashboard to track engagement and monitor what content is performing well
7. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a leading social media management platform that helps companies maximize their social media presence. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Sprout Social currently serves over 30,000 business customers worldwide.
Pros: Key advantages of Sprout Social include:
– Intuitive social media management dashboard
– Engagement tools and powerful workflow automation
– Strong reporting and analytics on brand mentions
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the tool may have a steeper learning curve for teams just getting started with social media management.
Pricing: Sprout Social offers various pricing plans starting from $99 per month for basic features up to $249 per month for advanced teams. It also offers custom enterprise pricing. All plans come with a free 14-day trial.
Some key stats about Sprout Social include:
– Over 30,000 customers worldwide across industries
– Supports major social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram
– Processes over 1 billion social interactions per month for customers
– Ranks as one of the most popular social media management tools on G2 Crowd
8. Meltwater
Meltwater is a global leader in media intelligence and social media monitoring. Founded in 2001, Meltwater now monitors over 100 million online news sources and social media platforms in over 90 languages. With over 25 years of experience in media monitoring, Meltwater has pioneered the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to extract valuable insights from the billions of online conversations happening every day.
Pros: Some key advantages of Meltwater include:
– Extensive media monitoring and analytics capabilities across many online sources
– Social media listening and influencer engagement tools to track conversations
– Very customizable reports and dashboards that can be tailored for different teams and use cases
– AI-powered solutions like natural language processing for advanced insights
– Global coverage and support with offices around the world
Cons: A potential disadvantage is the price – Meltwater offers different plans and packages but it can be an expensive solution for smaller businesses or startups on a tight budget.
Pricing: Meltwater offers different pricing tiers starting at several thousand dollars per month for basic media monitoring plans. More advanced or customized solutions with additional integrations and capabilities can cost tens of thousands per month. Pricing varies based on team size, data volumes, languages, and other customizable features.
Some key stats about Meltwater:
– Monitors over 100 million online news sources and social profiles globally
– Processes over 500 million mentions daily across many languages
– Has over 30,000 corporate clients including 95% of Fortune 100 companies
– Over 500 ML and NLP experts on staff
– Founded in 2001 and headquartered in San Francisco with 20+ offices worldwide
9. Outbrain
Outbrain is a leading content discovery and native advertising platform that is powerful for reaching audiences at scale across publishers. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York, Outbrain’s technology powers the discovery feeds on thousands of media properties and empowers product marketers to connect with new audiences.
Pros: Some key advantages of using Outbrain include:
– Leading content discovery and native advertising platform
– Powerful for reaching audiences at scale across publishers
– Valuable for tracking PR metrics like impressions, clicks and engagement
– Insights into what type of content resonates most with target audiences
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that Outbrain is primarily focused on driving traffic and clicks rather than building long-term brand awareness. It works best for performance-based goals like lead generation rather than top-of-funnel awareness.
Pricing: Outbrain offers flexible pay per performance pricing models. Advertisers only pay when a user engages with a recommendation by clicking. Pricing depends on the publisher, placement and bidding. There is no set-up fee to get started.
Some key stats about Outbrain include:
– Over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide
– Works with thousands of publishers and media properties globally
– Drives over 500 billion recommendations per month
– Tracks over 100 engagement and performance metrics for each campaign
10. Brandwatch
Brandwatch is a leader in social intelligence solutions, helping thousands of organizations including large brands, media companies and agencies to listen to, analyze and engage with conversations happening online and across social media platforms. Founded in 2007, Brandwatch is headquartered in Brighton, UK and has offices in San Francisco, Boston, New York, London, Germany, Australia and Singapore.
Pros: Some key advantages of Brandwatch include:
– Robust social listening, media monitoring and analytics
– Strong influencer discovery, engagement and ROI features
– Advanced artificial intelligence capabilities like predictive forecasting and automated sentiment analysis
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that Brandwatch has a higher price point than some other social media monitoring tools.
Pricing: Brandwatch offers various pricing plans starting from individual credits packages up to dedicated enterprise solutions. Pricing is available upon request for an personalized demo and quote.
Some key stats about Brandwatch include:
– Over 2,500 customers worldwide including 60% of Interbrand’s top 100 brands
– Processes over half a trillion conversations per year
– Monitors coverage from over 275,000 global news sources
11. Socialbakers
Socialbakers is a leading social media marketing platform used by top brands globally. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, Socialbakers helps marketers gain valuable insights and manage campaigns across major social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Pros: The key advantages of using Socialbakers include: Advanced publishing, listening and engagement tools. Robust campaign management, reporting and analytics. Large customer base of global brands already using the platform.
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the platform is more geared towards large enterprises with dedicated social media marketing teams. The pricing may be higher for smaller businesses and startups.
Pricing: Socialbakers offers flexible pricing packages starting from $999 per month for smaller teams up to customized enterprise plans for large global brands. Discounts are available based on team size and annual commitments.
Some key stats about Socialbakers include: Used by over 2,500 brands worldwide including Starbucks, Sony and Samsung. Provides social analytics for over 100M social profiles. Processes over 500 million social interactions daily across major networks.
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12. Lithium
Lithium builds powerful customer communities and digital customer care solutions that help brands maximize the lifetime value of their customers. Companies use Lithium’s solutions to attract, engage and retain customers at every stage of the customer journey.
Pros: Some key advantages of Lithium’s products include:
– Robust online brand communities platform that helps grow advocacy and strengthen customer relationships
– Advanced social listening and engagement tools to monitor conversations and respond at scale
– Enterprise-grade community management features to facilitate high-volume discussions and deliver consistent CX
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that as an enterprise solution, Lithium may be overkill for some small and medium-sized businesses with more basic needs.
Pricing: Lithium offers both perpetual and subscription-based pricing models to suit different business needs. Pricing is customized based on factors like number of users, data volume, community size, and desired features.
Some key stats about Lithium include:
– Over 250 enterprise brands globally trust Lithium to power their digital customer experiences
– Supports over 50 languages
– Processes over 5 billion community interactions per year
13. Prezly
Prezly is a public relations (PR) software created to help PR and marketing professionals manage modern PR. Based in Australia, Prezly was founded in 2016 and has since grown to serve over 2,000 customers globally. Their platform aims to make PR simpler by streamlining workflow and allowing teams to measure the impact of campaigns.
Pros: Some key advantages of Prezly include:
– Affordable pricing starting at $29/month making it a good option for small PR teams
– Feature rich with media databases, analytics, and pitching tools built-in
– Intuitive interface optimized for PR workflow
– Mobile apps allow teams to work on-the-go from any device
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the platform may not have as many features as some of the more expensive enterprise-level PR software options on the market.
Pricing: Prezly offers three paid plans:
– Solo – $29/month billed annually
– Team – $69/month billed annually
– Agency – Custom pricing
All plans include unlimited users, stories, and media contacts.
Some key stats about Prezly include:
– Over 2,000 customers worldwide
– Integrates with tools like Google Analytics, Mailchimp, and Zapier
– Mobile apps available for iOS and Android
– Media database with over 1.5 million contacts
14. AgoraPulse
AgoraPulse is a leading social media management platform that helps companies and organizations gain actionable insights from social data. Founded in 2012, AgoraPulse has offices in Montreal, Quebec and Amsterdam. The platform provides robust social publishing, listening, engagement and analytics capabilities to help brands better understand and interact with their audiences.
Pros: Some key advantages of Agorapulse include: Advanced social listening, influencer mapping and analysis – Identify trending topics, monitor brand mentions and gauge audience sentiment. Strong crisis communications and brand monitoring tools – Stay on top of breaking news and potential issues. Robust API for custom integrations – Connect Agorapulse data and workflows to other tools and systems.
Cons: Potential disadvantages could include a steeper learning curve for less intuitive features and a higher price point compared to some other social media management platforms.
Pricing: Agorapulse offers several pricing tiers starting from a Free plan up to an Enterprise plan customized for large businesses and organizations. Pricing starts at $99 per month for the Starter plan and scales up based on the number of social profiles, users and advanced features needed.
Some key stats about Agorapulse include: Manages over 10,000 brand pages and profiles, Processes over 70 million daily social interactions, Supports all major social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram, Has over 500 employees worldwide.
15. Tailwind
Tailwind is a social media management platform that allows users to plan, create and optimize social media marketing campaigns all in one place. Founded in 2019 and based in San Francisco, Tailwind aims to streamline the social media publishing and engagement process through its unified interface.
Pros: Some of the key advantages of Tailwind include:
– Simple and intuitive social media management interface
– Strong analytics and reporting on social engagements
– Offers nice integrations with top email providers
– AI-powered copywriter tool to help create engaging social posts
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that it lacks some more advanced campaign tracking features found in some competitor tools.
Pricing: Tailwind offers 3 pricing tiers – Solo ($19/month), Growth ($39/month) and Agency ($99/month). Pricing is per user/month and increases with the number of users, platforms and advanced features included.
Some key stats about Tailwind include:
– Over 50,000 active users
– Supports major social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter
– Generates over 150 million social engagements per month for its users
Conclusion
All the platforms highlighted offer compelling features and meaningful benefits for PR, comms and marketing teams. The top choices truly stood out based on criteria like audience size, influence on the information ecosystem, and proven track record of driving measurable results for clients and customers. The right software choice can be transformative – helping teams maximize coverage, gauge true impact, and refine strategic efforts to tell brand stories more powerfully. With the top platforms evaluated, communications professionals have insight to find the perfect fit to accelerate success.