Recommended Products Archives | Class:PR https://class-pr.com/topic/recommended-products/ PR training for small businesses Mon, 27 Mar 2023 15:17:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://class-pr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/cropped-Screen-Shot-2018-03-07-at-10.54.06-32x32.png Recommended Products Archives | Class:PR https://class-pr.com/topic/recommended-products/ 32 32 Podcast Hosting Platform: The 9 Best Services [2022] https://class-pr.com/blog/podcast-hosting-platform/ Wed, 24 Jun 2020 08:45:57 +0000 https://class-pr.com/?p=36851 Looking for the best podcast hosting platform for your new show? You’re in the right place. Podcasts can play an important role in the best public relations campaigns and should be at the heart of your PR plan. But getting the technical side of things right can be tricky. And that starts with choosing a […]

The post Podcast Hosting Platform: The 9 Best Services [2022] appeared first on Class:PR.

]]>
Looking for the best podcast hosting platform for your new show?

You’re in the right place.

Podcasts can play an important role in the best public relations campaigns and should be at the heart of your PR plan.

But getting the technical side of things right can be tricky.

And that starts with choosing a quality podcast hosting platform for your show.

This is our rundown of the best podcast hosting platforms in 2022.

1. ZenCast

best podcast hosting platform

If you’re ready to record your first show then ZenCast comes highly recommended for podcast newcomers.

A super easy to use podcast hosting platform to use, ZenCast helps you get to grips with the software and launch your show onto Apple Podcasts or Spotify in no time at all.

A brilliant feature of the site is the ‘Resources’ section, where you can find step by step guides to uploading your first show.

It also includes insights into keywords and artwork that will really help your show stand out in the podcast listings.

Alongside this, you can direct your questions to real people via live chat, and get set up within minutes of entering the site.

ZenCast’s real time analytics help you build off your most popular content.

If you know how your audience is listening, and what they like listening to, you’re armed with powerful data.

This data can inform all your show planning and help you grow your show’s listeners the smart way. And of course quickly.

The essential podcast features are included in every plan and there are no hidden catches like adverts or upload limits to restrict use of the site to pricer packages.

With packages starting from $12 a month, ZenCast is a serious competitor for the best podcast hosting platform.

Best For: New podcasters who want to upload their first episode to Apple or Spotify.

Get ZenCast

2. Castos

castos start a podcast

Castos is certainly one of the more personable podcast hosting platforms.

Entering the site, you are welcomed to the online community and invited to explore their user-centred plans at your own pace.

It seems like a really small detail, but provides such a different user experience. 

Aside from the generic features of podcast hosting platforms, Castos stands out with its tailor-made ‘Seriously Simple Podcasting’ plugin for WordPress, which users seem to love. 

It’s a simple but highly efficient way to create and manage podcasts all from the WordPress dashboard.  

What is most striking about Castos as a podcast hosting platform is that it’s more than just a host site.

It really is a community with a support network on hand to optimize your podcast hosting experience, especially during the daunting times like set up or file migration.

There’s also a dedicated blog space that has up-to-date advice and tricks for pretty much any type of podcasting you can imagine, whatever your target audience.

Castos offers competitive rates, with the same monthly pricing structure as Captivate, but even better! 

You can upload unlimited episodes for an unlimited number of podcasts, and receive in-depth listener analytics, all for just $19 a month on the ‘starter’ package.

Best for: Podcasting community and excellent value for money for all stages of podcaster.

Get Castos

3. Alitu 

Alitu have gone out of their way to make podcasting as simple as possible on their podcast hosting platform.

They distinguish between automated actions, that can be done easily and with just a click of a button, and ones that Alitu will support you with which can be a little more tricky. 

Upload clips from your library to the custom episode builder, and edit your podcast within just a few minutes. It’s that easy! 

Personal touches like show audio branding software speed up the editing process, as Alitu does it for you.

There’s also a cache of sound FX and jingles so you can customize your show, and have some fun playing around with sounds.

Support also plays a big role on the Alitu site. 

Best for: From helpful videos and How-to’s, to a dedicated support page that displays topics and articles on creating episodes and workflow demo’s, Alitu is there to help you make the best podcast possible.

Get Alitu

4. Captivate 

best features for podcast hosting

Captivate is one of our favourite podcast platforms for 2022.

The dashboard is so easy to use and everything you need is accessed in just one click.

For someone new to podcasting this is essential to stop you getting bogged down with the technology.

Captivate offers some great technology including advanced analytics and a free import of your show from another podcast hosting platform.

You also get your own podcast website which can use your brand colours or design from scratch. 

Better yet they’ve just announced that they have achieved IAB Certified status as a podcast analytics provider.

There are also some impressive marketing communications features that allow you to monetize.

This includes a podcast sponsorship kit PDF which will help you get those all-important sponsors for your show. The PDF lets you show download numbers and highlight recent episodes. 

The payment plans are based on downloads and start at $19 a month for anything up to 12,000 downloads.

There’s no completely free option here, but each plan comes with a 7-day free trial.  

Best for: Hosting multiple shows and advanced insights and analytics. 

Get Captivate

5. Podbean

best starting podcast site

Podbean is specifically designed for businesses, organisations and educational institutions to host a podcast.

So whether you want to broadcast internally to your workforce/student base, or increase your external reach, this podcast hosting platform is a great choice for you.

This state of the art platform boasts easy uploading and publishing tools, stunning templates, custom domains, social and promotional tools, embeddable podcast player, monetization tools and more.

Podbean is excellent at helping you decide which plan to go for based on your needs and budget.

Their pricing plans are clearly broken down into categories and the key components that you would want from a podcast hosting platform. 

Podbean is great for beginners – they make the process of ‘publish, distribute, measure and monetize’ very clear. 

There’s no difficult technology to learn.

There are more advanced packages if you’re looking for more sophisticated features on monetization and analytics.  

Best for: Easy publishing, unlimited hosting and a professional podcast website.

Get Podbean

 

6. Transistor 

best site for podcast statistics

Transistor’s message is simple: record; upload; distribute.

This streamlined process makes podcasting really easy.

Transistor offers detailed insights into listener trends, such as mapping how and where they listen, so you can use this information in your influencer marketing efforts.

Transistor also has an excellent blog hidden at the bottom of the site, which offers helpful guides on everything ranging from technical podcast hosting tips to industry insights. 

Best for: Pricing is competitive, at $49 a month for the ‘Professional’ package, you can expect a comprehensive range of features that allow you to be flexible and support the growth of your show. 

Get Transistor

7. Blubrry 

wordpress plugin for podcast

When entering the site, Blubrry offers the choice of podcast hosting, statistics and the PowerPress Plugin, all which lead to their own mini-sites.

This tailored approach helps to define your search and provide the tools to help you achieve podcast success. 

Blubrry offers seamless integration of your website and podcast by using PowerPress, a WordPress plugin feature.

This means you can access all the benefits of podcast hosting from your self-hosted WordPress site. 

Podcast plans are comprehensive and range from a standard $12 per month to the by request ‘Professional’ package.   

Statistics analysis plans are also available separately. They provide you with readable reports and visual aids to understand your podcast statistics. 

Best for: Blubrry take their analysis seriously and are one of the few companies to be IAB Certified Compliant with Podcast Measurement Guidelines. 

Get Blubrry

8. Spreaker

start a podcast now spreaker

Spreaker is a great tool for new podcasters wanting to dive in because they promise to get your podcast up and running in 10 minutes or less.

Though the site and its features appear a little less refined than others, this is a great option for newbies and seasoned show makers who want to experiment with new online tools. 

Plus, you can still distribute and monetize your podcast on all of the most popular platforms, including Spotify, Apple and Stitcher. 

Not including the free option, plans start from $6 pcm for basic features including live podcasting and episode scheduling, which is a great deal for those starting out. 

You can also find a great selection of shows to listen to, a testament to hosting success with Spreaker and listen online or through the app. 

Best for: Free starter plan and live audio streaming. 

Get Spreaker

9.Buzzsprout

best podcast hosting buzz

It’s easy to see why so many people choose Buzzsprout as their podcast hosting platform. 

The major attraction to Buzzsprout is the diversity of features available to hosts – from hosting, to promoting and tracking your show – they have it all.

The beautifully designed interface provides clear visuals of podcast statistics as well as an easy to use process for uploading and organising your shows.

Starting from a monthly payment of just $12, this allows you to upload three hours of audio each month with options for additional features at the best price. 

If you can afford to pay more there’s a whole range of technical gems such as the automatic episode optimization, which converts files with minimal fuss. 

They also make it super easy to automatically list your show in popular podcast directories such as Spotify, Apple and Google Podcasts.

This means that wherever people are searching, your podcast will appear in just a few clicks. 

Best for: If you want to make money from your show you’re in the right place because Buzzsprout have added a new affiliate marketplace. 

Get Buzzsprout

Which Podcast Hosting Platform Will You Choose?

So there you have it.

Our 8 favourite podcast hosting platforms in 2022.

As you can see they all offer similar types of service at comparable price points but some will appeal to you more than others.

My advice is to take the free trials where you can and play around a bit.

When you podcast regularly, as we do with The Famous Business, you’ll find you repeat the same actions time and again when you’re publishing.

That means you want a podcast hosting platform that feels intuitive to YOU.

And remember don’t keep your podcast in isolation, make sure it’s integrated into your wider public relations campaign.

A decent podcast can be the source of endless free PR.

And if you’re ready to take your PR work to the next level grab our PR Starter Kit.

Our must-have kit has every template, script, strategy and guide you’ll ever need to do PR – all in one place.

Good luck!

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase we will earn a small commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission we receive from your purchases.

The post Podcast Hosting Platform: The 9 Best Services [2022] appeared first on Class:PR.

]]>
19 Best Media Monitoring Services for Small Business https://class-pr.com/blog/media-monitoring-services/ Wed, 22 May 2019 09:35:51 +0000 https://class-pr.com/?p=35015 Finding and choosing the best media monitoring services isn’t as easy as you think. There are a lot of media monitoring services out there and it can be confusing. This article will help you find the service that’s right for your business. Our comprehensive overview of the best media monitoring services of 2022 will provide […]

The post 19 Best Media Monitoring Services for Small Business appeared first on Class:PR.

]]>
Finding and choosing the best media monitoring services isn’t as easy as you think.

There are a lot of media monitoring services out there and it can be confusing.

This article will help you find the service that’s right for your business.

Our comprehensive overview of the best media monitoring services of 2022 will provide the intelligence you need to make the right investment.

Why Have A Media Monitoring Service?

Measurement and monitoring is an essential part of any PR Plan – but we know what it’s like.

Subscriptions mount up – you’ve already subscribed to a press release distribution service or a social media management tool.

But this is a service that you cannot overlook.

If you’ve put the effort in to figure out how to get a story on the local news or how to write a press release then you do not want to miss your media coverage.

Below we run through the cost of each service and outline their strengths and weaknesses so you can choose the right one for your public relations campaign.

Whether you’re monitoring the success from your influencer marketing and awareness days campaign or you’ve implemented some of our best marketing ideas for small business this guide to media monitoring is a good place to start.

1. Critical Mention

critical mention media monitoring service

 

Entry level: Price withheld

Main features and benefits: You can be across all mentions of your brand on TV, radio, social media and online thanks to Critical Mention. Better yet, you can clip and share broadcast mentions and delve deeper into the analytics of their reach with ease.

Billed as the fastest and one of the best media monitoring services out there, Critical Mention customers also love the user-friendly platform and getting their notifications in real-time.

A good fit for organisations who regularly appear in broadcast, need to harness audience data and share insightful reports with colleagues and stakeholders.

9/10

2. Gorkana

gorkana media monitoring

Entry level: £250

Main features and benefits: PR juggernaut Gorkana pride themselves on having the “most comprehensive list for global media across all channels”. This is one of the best media monitoring services.

What’s great about their offering is the ability to create tagging tools for self-evaluation of your campaigns. So, you can chart your mentions and then layer other analytics on top. This is just the beginning of the functionality offered by Gorkana’s platform, but with training for newbies and a customer service team on hand 24/7, you can go deeper and make sure you have an exceptional monitoring and assessment system in place.

Tiers of affordability of freelancers vs agencies mean that Gorkana aims to be accessible for all. It’s definitely worth the premium price tag if you can afford it.

10/10

3. Meltwater

Meltwater media monitoring service

Entry level: If you go for Meltwater Press alone, you’ll pay around $7,000 a year.

Main features and benefits: Meltwater bills itself as business intelligence software and it’s all about the analytics. Users say they love the ability to build your own dashboard, enabling you to decide on the metrics that mean the most to your clients and then delivering vital insights.

With their analytics, you can work out neat things like the locations where your most receptive audiences are, performance comparisons with your competitors and a return on campaign investment.

It’s not a cheap option, but businesses who want to drive growth by delving deep into their data are going to love what Meltwater has to offer.

8/10

4. LexisNexis Newsdesk

LexisNexis media monitoring

Entry level: LexisNexis doesn’t publish it’s prices, you have to call for a quote.

Main features and benefits: There’s a good reason why LexisNexis has a great reputation for being the media monitoring service that gives businesses the access they want. They offer unlimited search terms on their content and that content includes licences for outlets that can be missed by their competitors.

The relevant content is delivered in real-time and it lands in your inbox, rather than requiring you to go into the platform to retrieve it. Customers praised LexisNexis for helping them to find reporters, outlets and influencers to which their brands and clients should align, but reported some frustrations with the platform itself.

It’s likely to price itself out of the start-up market, but established and big businesses will definitely want to have a preliminary chat and try out this well-respected service.

9/10

5. Glean.Info

glean.info.media monitoring

Entry level: $1,000 per month

Main features and benefits: Monitoring media and social is the name of the game for Glean.info but it’s in the reporting analytics that the company really excels. 

You can easily create dashboards for each customer or line of business you are working in, helping large organisations track specific brands, clients or campaigns seamlessly. The reporting is in real time, so reports are continuously updated and the data sets arrive looking clean, if not that pretty.

You can get accurate insights and impact data in just a couple of clicks, helping you quickly tailor your campaigns accordingly. That’s no small thing for brands who need to stay ahead of the competition.

It’s not cheap to glean that info, but you get plenty of powerful data-driven insights for your money. It’s easy to see why big businesses would see Glean.info as a great fit for them. One of the best media monitoring services.

9/10

6. Kantar Media Monitoring Services

Kantar media monitoring

Entry level: Pricing isn’t available unless you talk to Kantar Media’s team, so expect it to be a bespoke offer depending on your requirements.

Main features and benefits: Want to know your consumers inside out? Media monitoring is only part of strategy giant Kantar’s offer – it’s all about the insights.

Kantar’s team comprises of experts in many different fields, allowing you to create strategies using metrics from everything from online outlets to exit polls. Their aim is to empower the user with unparalleled insights into their target audience and the opportunity to craft your strategy using their results. Needless to say, they have a lot of happy customers.

If you plan to get serious about strategy and building business plans from extremely-detailed consumer analysis, Kantar is the place to go.

9/10

7. Trackur Media Monitoring Services

trackur media monitoring

Entry level: $97 per month

Main features and benefits: Let’s be clear, Trackur doesn’t offer the comprehensive deep dive of the main players – it’s all about social media. That said, it still deserves a spot amongst the best media monitoring services because it is a well supported and useful marketing tool.

As well as offering a few news blogs too, it’s on the main social channels that Trackur comes into its own, offering impact metrics, sentiment analysis and competitor tracking. It allows brands to find the right influencers to court on a simple dashboard, but don’t expect a global report of mentions, because Trackur doesn’t offer it.

If your marketing campaigns all revolve around social, this is a smart choice and will help you track the conversations around your brand.

6/10

8. Mediatoolkit

Media Toolkit media monitoring

Entry level: $58 per month.

Main features and benefits: Brand reputation is key and Mediatoolkit is a great product for those businesses seeking to track and respond to all good and bad feedback.

The ability to track mentions across forums and chat rooms, as well as the usual social, media outlets and influencer analytics mean that you can be across all the conversations surrounding your brand. That empowers the user to react quickly, chart their marketing metrics and provide detailed reports from the same place.

This is a particularly good product for those who need a robust crisis comms strategy as well as the benefits of traditional media monitoring and metrics.

8/10

9. Linkfluence

link influence media monitoring

Entry level: $500 per month

Main features and benefits: Like Trackur, Linkfluence is all about social media and helping clients discover, track and analyse all the conversations around their brand on those platforms.

Their Radarly software has collected a lot of positive reviews as it easily integrates with any system and offers users multi-lingual options. A pioneer in ‘social listening’, the Radarly software has been adopted and championed by big players including McDonald’s and Coca Cola.

It’s been a winner for many big businesses, so brands wanting to be as thorough in their own social listening and response may be willing to dig deep to get this level of insight.

8/10

10. Vueilo

vuelio media

Entry level: £3,000+ VAT per year

Main features and benefits: Vueilo is a PR all-in-one, just like Gorkana, where you can get media contacts lists, press release distribution and media monitoring in the same place.

They score big when it comes to influencers, bloggers, and reporters because their metrics assess how important different contacts are to your business. This helps your brand focus in on the most important contacts and build relationships that have a meaningful impact on your target customer base.

With a mid-level price tag, Vuelio is for businesses with a decent budget, but the targeted insights could pay dividends and save hours of courting the wrong contacts.

8/10

11. Mention

Mention Media

Entry level: $29 per month.

Main features and benefits: Mention is a social media monitoring system that delivers results in real-time, allowing you to jump into conversations involving your brand straight away.

As such, it allows brands to be agile in their customer conversation, manage their reputation and understand where they are winning and losing in their market place.

So, if social media is where your market lives, Mention is the perfect tool to keep on top of everything, and steer the conversation where you can. Set your keyword alerts and wait for notifications to roll in as Mention monitors the internet and reports back to you straight away.

Given how small the cost is, this tool is a no-brainer purchase for any brand. It’s a great starter product for those doing big marketing drives on social.

8/10

12. Newsmeter

news meter media monitoring

Entry level: $199 per month

Main features and benefits: There’s no need to download Newsmeter, this online platform is easily accessed with just a browser and has great functionality. The offer is simple, comprehensive global media monitoring of traditional media outlets and social, in-depth reporting on your target keywords and data-driven insights.

Users can analyse campaign performance, keep on top of their mentions and use analytics to inform strategy decisions going forward. The interface and reporting is clear and user-friendly and the company has won awards for indexing technology.

Their price tag may put off small businesses with small budgets, but there’s no doubt that Newsmeter is worth the money if you have it to spend.

9/10

13. News Exposure

news exposure media

Entry level: You need to contact News Exposure to get a price, but the word on the street is that they are pretty reasonable.

Main features and benefits: News Exposure keeps you informed of all the conversation of your brand/business and has won plaudits from customers for never missing a mention.

They are particularly popular for their broadcast clippings service, which is delivered fast and in a high-quality video format. According to reports, their customer service and response time is also impressive and they scored big on being great to work with in general. They definitely save those monitoring TV and radio broadcast a lot of time and help reporting to clients be much easier.

This is the perfect place for broadcast-focused brands to keep on top of their mentions, and have HD quality clippings to use in their reporting.

9/10

14. Onclusive Media Monitoring Services

Air PR media monitoring

Entry level: Onclusive don’t share their prices, but sources suggest they are at the higher end of media monitoring platform costs.

Main features and benefits: Data scientists Onclusive deliver marketing and communication analytics that promises to help their customers ‘shape the conversation’ around their brand.

There’s no doubt that the customisable dashboard, which offers unlimited widgets, helps you get granular with your data insights, helping you understand your target market better. The dashboard itself is user-friendly and clean, the media monitoring is impressive and the quality of the AI-driven data is great.

This is a great tool for marketers and communications professionals to showcase the impact of their work and direct their efforts into the most effective channels.

9/10

15. Muck Rack

best media monitoring service with Muck Rack

Entry level: $99 per user

Main features and benefits: Muck Rack offers PR professionals a full service and media monitoring is just part of what they deliver. They bill their Muck Rack alerts as superior to Google Alerts as they are delivered in real time because they don’t have to wait until articles are indexed by Google.

There’s a true benefit to that as it allows brands to be agile and quick to respond, and the targeting functions on their alerts help you keep focused on the coverage that matters most. The coverage reports and broadcast clip sharing services also impress, but their analytic offering doesn’t look quite as stellar as the real media monitoring giants.

PR pros who want to do it all on one platform will be impressed with Muck Rack’s service – and it’s affordable for start-ups too.

8/10

16. eMedia Monitor

emedia.media.monitoring

Entry level: Price withheld.

Main features and benefits: eMedia Monitor is focused on TV and Radio and for businesses looking for broadcast-specific reporting, they are a great fit.

They offer seamless integration into your media production system, high-quality clips and real-time alerts. Users praise their global, multi-lingual range, but have been somewhat negative about the look and feel of the platform. There’s also a nice feature, called ‘Waterfall’, which allows you to the timeline of a story, so you can track the news and the mentions before comparing it to other stories.

If broadcast is your focus and you want to share clips and data with colleagues to help shape your future marketing, eMedia Monitor is a good place to start.

8/10

17. Signal Media

signal media monitoring

Entry level: This is a bespoke product and that means the pricing is bespoke too.

Main features and benefits: With the power of artificial intelligence, Signal Media promises to provide its customers with detailed monitoring and reports in real time. They begin each contract with a briefing session to help train their AI to deliver what the customer is looking for.

However, users report that there are some outlet omissions and accuracy problems that have left them feeling unsatisfied with the product on offer. Signal Media seems to be paying attention and trying to close these gaps when they find them. However, this feels like a platform that is still finding its feet and will improve as it evolves.

The bespoke pricing model and AI-led service may make this a more affordable option for small businesses, who are willing to hang in there as Signal Media improve their offer.

6/10

18. Trendkite Media Monitoring Services

trend kite media monitoring

Entry level: Brands can sign up for a dashboard and that costs in the low five figures per year, for PR agencies, it’s a two-client minimum and an additional cost for each new client. Agencies should expect to pay in the mid-four figures for the entry-level service.

Main features and benefits: As its name suggests, Trendkite is all about tracking trends and that’s super useful for companies that need to know how much of the conversation around a trend is being generated or involving them.

Users wax lyrical about Trendkite’s interactive reporting systems, that allow their customers to get straight to mentions and relevant content fast. They also speak highly of the customer service team, who has won a reputation for being incredibly quick to respond to problems and fix them. The interface also gets a big tick from users, they say it’s easy to navigate and delivers the results they need fast.

This is a great tool for brands with the budget to track, analyse and measure their impact in the marketplace. Startups may need to find a more cost-effective tool to get started with.

7/10

19. Universal Information Services Media Monitoring Services

U media monitoring

Entry level: £125 per month.

Main features and benefits: Accuracy and integrity are the focus of the Universal Information Services brand, who back up their AI with a team of analysts, experienced editors and broadcasters to maintain their standards.

One of the things their customers appreciate is the ability to customise the reports to have a local, regional or global focus. The usual analytics, reporting, and insights are all present and correct, but there’s no doubt that the US-based UIS users get the most out of their US-based service.

The entry-level price allows Universal Information Services to be affordable for most businesses, from start-ups to established corporations.

8/10

What media monitoring service will you choose?

So that’s it… the 19 best media monitoring companies in 2022.

You may find some are better at monitoring TV and radio coverage, while others may be more targeted at the types of digital coverage you get using PR tools such as Help a Reporter Out or Response Source.

But whatever your size of business or budget, and particular monitoring needs there’s a service for you. Marketing is all about tracking your efforts and monitoring the results, and these services will enable you to do just that.

If you need ideas on how to get coverage then make sure you read our 46 public relations examples to inspire a campaign with an attention grabbing headline.

And if you’re ready to take your PR work to the next level grab our PR Starter Kit.

Our must-have kit has every template, script, strategy and guide you’ll ever need to do PR – all in one place.

How to Do PR for Free

The post 19 Best Media Monitoring Services for Small Business appeared first on Class:PR.

]]>
HARO: Get FREE Press Coverage For Your Business https://class-pr.com/blog/haro/ Fri, 26 Apr 2019 09:33:55 +0000 https://class-pr.com/?p=34848 Want to get some easy press coverage for your business? Something that you won’t find even in the best marketing books? The Help a Reporter Out (HARO) service is a great way to do that and should be at the heart of any public relations campaign. HARO is a simple, and free, way to connect […]

The post HARO: Get FREE Press Coverage For Your Business appeared first on Class:PR.

]]>
Want to get some easy press coverage for your business?

Something that you won’t find even in the best marketing books?

The Help a Reporter Out (HARO) service is a great way to do that and should be at the heart of any public relations campaign.

HARO is a simple, and free, way to connect with thousands of journalists from major media outlets around the world – it’s a lot like Response Source in the UK (although that is paid-for).

When you sign up to Help A Reporter Out you’ll receive daily emails with journalists looking for quotes, expert opinion, case studies, feature story examples and spokespeople for their stories.

It’s perfect for businesses like yours who want to be heard – it’s an essential public relations tool.

Crucially, by helping to give a journalist the information they need when THEY need it you have a much better chance of getting media coverage for your business. This is free PR.

If you’re wondering how to get a story on the local news or even crack influencer marketing, HARO is incredibly effective.

Want to give it a try?

This is how to do HARO the right way so you get great press coverage

Firstly head over to the HARO website (it’s run by a company called Cision – don’t worry you are in the right place) and register an account as a media source. Cision also owns PR Newswire, one of the best press release distribution companies

HARO sign up button

Choose the “BASIC Free!” package – there will be more than enough media opportunities there to start with.

Once you have an account you’ll be able to select the types of media requests that are relevant to your business.

HARO categories

Choose wisely as you will get as many as 50 requests from journalists under each category.

Make sure you only select categories that are directly relevant to your business and its speciality.  

Going forward you’ll receive three emails a day at 5.35am, 12:35pm and 5:35pm EST Monday through Friday.

Look out for source requests relevant to you and your industry, expertise or personal experience.

Your emails will look something like this:

Example of HARO email

It can be a little overwhelming to face so many media opportunities so only chose the ones that are fully relevant to your business.

PRO TIP: Use the Apple F/Ctrl F feature on your keyboard to find keywords that are relevant to you – so, for example, I would look for ‘PR’. 

This a great way to cut out the time-consuming scanning and get straight to the request that is relevant to you. There are tons of effective marketing ideas for small business, so don’t spend more time than necessary.

Now you’ve found a great media opportunity for your business what’s the best way to respond?

The Best Way To Respond to a HARO request

In each media request, the journalist will spell out exactly what they want.

It will look something like this:

HARO email example

Don’t deviate from these instructions as you’ll be wasting the journalist’s time and they will just delete your email.

Here’s what a successful response to Help A Reporter Out would look like to this request:

HARO pitch email

If you know how to write a media pitch much of this will be familiar to you.

Your email subject line is critical.

It must contain something newsworthy, something that makes you stand out. Knowing how to write a press release will help you out with this.

In this instance, the thought of making money online selling vegetables is so paradoxical that the journalist is bound to click on this email and read it.

Then the secret is to get straight to the point and give the journalist EXACTLY what they have requested.

In this case, the reporter wants a punchy quote, less than 100 words and something that they can simply copy and paste.

Remember journalists are getting at least 200 email pitches a day so you MUST make it easy for them to choose you.

HARO’s own rules are very clear on what works in terms of a pitch.

  • Do not spam reporters with off-topic pitches in response to their queries.
  • Do not pitch products in your source request reply unless the source request specifically asks for a product.
  • Reply with complete, relevant answers to their questions, include a short bio and your contact information.
  • Do not reply with incomplete information or solely, “Would like to talk to you about this.”
  • Do not include attachments in your reply to a reporter source request. Attachments are automatically stripped from the email in order to protect reporters from viruses.

Crucially don’t ignore  “Anonymous” queries – ones where the media outlet has not been named.

These are often larger outlets that choose to anonymize their listing to alleviate spam or deter story poaching.

If you ignore these you could miss out on the opportunity for media coverage with some of the biggest media outlets in the world.

The likes of the New York Times, Mashable, Time and Reuters all use Help A Reporter Our to source information on stories.

Help a Reporter Out (and skyrocket your business)

And there you have it.

This is how to do HARO to get quick and easy high-impact media coverage for your business. Put it at the centre of your PR plan.

Sign up today and make it a daily habit, just five minutes, to see if there are press opportunities for your business.

And don’t worry if you’re not a Fortune 500 company, that doesn’t matter.

Reporters are looking for insightful, interesting and fresh content for their readers. And if you’ve had media training you can really make the most of interview opportunities. 

Respond quickly, give the reporter exactly what they need and never miss an opportunity. The press coverage will soon follow – just like it did in these public relations examples. And make sure you use one of the best media monitoring services to track your success. 

And the reason this all works so well?

Because you are truly aiming to help a reporter out – they need you just as much as you need them! You won’t just be relying on awareness days and your own content.

And if you’re ready to take your PR work to the next level grab our PR Starter Kit.

Our must-have kit has every template, script, strategy and guide you’ll ever need to do all your public relations jobs.

The post HARO: Get FREE Press Coverage For Your Business appeared first on Class:PR.

]]>
15 Best Press Release Distribution Services [2022 Update] https://class-pr.com/blog/press-release-distribution/ Tue, 04 Dec 2018 11:01:54 +0000 https://class-pr.com/?p=35944 Do you want to get your press release distributed quickly and easily? Great, this article will help find the best press release distribution services for your business. Our 20+ years of PR experience have taught us a lot. So we want to start with a slight disclaimer: Press release distribution services can be an invaluable […]

The post 15 Best Press Release Distribution Services [2022 Update] appeared first on Class:PR.

]]>
Do you want to get your press release distributed quickly and easily?

Great, this article will help find the best press release distribution services for your business.

Our 20+ years of PR experience have taught us a lot.

So we want to start with a slight disclaimer:

Press release distribution services can be an invaluable tool to help you pitch your press release – but they work best when you know how to write a press release and use the right press release template.

With that said, here’s our rundown of the top 15 press release distribution companies.

These are widely regarded as some of the best in the world.

Each has a slightly different offer but you can be sure one will be the right fit for your business – whatever your public relations goals or PR plan.

With that, let’s get into it.

1. EIN Presswire press release distribution

EIN Presswire press release distribution

Entry option: $99.95

EIN Presswire combines a press release distribution service with media monitoring and RSS feeds that are used worldwide by journalists.

What makes these guys one of our favourites is that they are both a destination (EIN Newsdesk) and a distributor (EIN Presswire).

In one place you can distribute your stories to your target audience and monitor news on topics relevant to you. Very neat.

Follow your company, industry, even your competition, and place your stories and comment into the live world of news cycles for maximum impact. A breaking news dream.

If you need to be convinced then try their starter package with one press release for only $99.95.

For this price you get a number of the usual Pro features including: one embedded image, one embedded quote, one embedded video, one embedded stock ticker and press release scheduling.

The team are super helpful and really know their stuff – highly recommend.

 

2. Linking News press release distribution

Linking News Press Release Distribution

Entry option: $159

Linking News is one of the best online press release distribution services and has access to more than 10,000 news and media sites around the globe.

Your press release will be guaranteed to be published on many top tier news and media sites, including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and many more notable names, with their white label press release distribution solutions.

Linking News is a platform whose services are used by thousands of startups, businesses, digital marketing & PR agencies. If you want an easy to use and fast solution this is a winner.

 

3. Newswire press release distribution

Newswire distribution service

Entry option: $349

Newswire is rated #1 by customers and peers for its outstanding customer satisfaction and excellent coverage throughout its comprehensive network.

Its partnerships provide the same distribution from other ‘well-known’ platforms but at better pricing.

Newswire has AP, Google, Yahoo, Twitter and many major media outlets as part of their network.

In addition, businesses of all sizes can opt for additional programs like the Earned Media Advantage Guide Tour for earned media opportunities in 2022. Choose from a variety of Guided Tours to meet your specific business goals.

If you want the #1 rated platform, Newswire is well worth checking out. They have the scale of reach you’re after but with a bespoke approach for your business.

 

4. E-releases press release distribution

PR distribution eReleases

Entry option: $299

Guaranteed postings on 75 media sites and a press release sent out to one targeted industry list. Write a press release of up to 400 words. eReleases provides wire distribution via the Associated Press in the US reaching 30,000 journalists.

Through eReleases, your press releases are also permanently stored in PR Newswire for Journalists. 

Good for businesses who want to know that their press release WILL get some exposure – that is not always the case, even with the best press release distribution services.

 

5. NewswireJet press release distribution

NewswireJet press release distribution agency

Entry option: $59

NewswireJet are new on our radar but are getting some rave reviews from fans so we had to add to our list.

Their entry-level product, ‘News Power’ is a bargain at just $59 and guarantees you 250 placements, including all the big names – Google News, Yahoo and Bing with a full PDF report of all placements.

But if you want something a bit more bespoke and all-inclusive then their ‘Buzz Maker Plus’ package is probably your best bet.

This gives you 400 + guaranteed placements and a done-for-you press release package, with professional PR writing, included – all for just $149.

 

6. 24-7 Press Release

press release distribution service 24-7

Entry option: $49

For the starter package, your news release (on a two-day turnaround) can appear on search engines Google, Bing & Yahoo and will be sent to 50+ premium news sites.

You get to include your news in up to five industry categories and attach up to four images or documents. You’ll also be able to access statistics to measure your campaign.

A great option for small businesses, mainly because you can start with this really cheap approach.

If you have success they have another four different price points, stepping up to the premium option linking in with PR Newswire. Their pricing is super transparent and easy to use – it’s almost free PR.

 

7. PR Web

PRWeb distribution

Entry option: $99

Excellent for low-cost online reach – you can select the sectors you want to target. Increase release visibility in relevant search results across major search engines – Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. – by permanently hosting your press release on PRWeb.com.

PR Web has the largest website distribution with press releases being sent to over 30,000 bloggers and journalists.

A great price point for small businesses who want to take a low-risk approach to PR online.

 

8. PR Newswire

PR Newswire best press release service

Entry option: $299

Main features and benefits: They are the most known press release distribution service.  From a journalist’s perspective – they are the establishment. They have more than 4,000 websites, nearly 3,000 media outlets, and more than 550 news content systems.

The network also includes more than 39,000 PR Newswire for Journalist members at more than 9,000 media organizations. This is the Rolls Royce option.

A good fit for medium-sized businesses who want to get some serious media reach. Note: there is an annual membership for the service. If you want the best you’ve got to pay top dollar.

 

9. RealWire press release distribution

press releases RealWire

Entry option: $190

RealWire gives you unlimited words on your press release (and boilerplate) – although don’t forget more words doesn’t mean you have a better story! They have a huge list of industry and geographical categories and will target your release to all relevant areas.

Each press release distribution includes a provision of up to three images and up to three documents all with relevant links. Their distribution is through M2 PressWIRE. They also offer to index by Google News and other aggregators and search engines.

Ideal for small businesses – especially in the UK – who want to try PR distribution out for the first time and know how to get a story on the local news.

 

10. Vuelio

Vuelio small business marketing

Entry option: Price withheld

Sends your release to more than 3,500 of the most-visited news websites, online services, and news aggregators. You’ll also receive follow-up reports on the performance of your press release.

You can distribute your press release across all major wire services in the UK and Ireland—ensuring your story reaches news desks across traditional and new media platforms.

Really only suitable for bigger companies and corporates. Their clients are huge names.

 

11. Presswire press release distribution

Presswire release services

Entry option: $250

Presswire claims to send your press release directly to the journalists most likely to write about them. 

They do this by tailor-making bespoke lists for each individual release from their live Media Contacts Database of more than half a million editorial opportunities, across Regional and National Newspapers, Magazines (Trade and Consumer), TV, Radio and Online.

Press releases can be sent through their website by registered Presswire users, or directly if you email them in. They can be sent as pure text or HTML, complete with images and embedded video at no extra cost.

Good for small businesses who want to spend a bit more to guarantee their press releases are actually going to help a reporter out. They also test send each release to ensure it always reaches the recipients’ Inbox folders, avoiding overzealous spam/junk filters.

 

12. ReleaseWire press release distribution

press release ReleaseWire

Entry option: $49

This rock bottom price includes syndication to 350+ media sites. Distribution to Associated Press journalists/editors and submission to major search engines and news search engines. You can also add multimedia including photos, videos, and audio.

This is perfect for startups on tight budgets who want to dip their toe in the water with a first press release but still know that they are hitting all the most important media aggregators.

 

13. PRGloo press release distribution

PRGloo pr company

Entry option: Price withheld

This is a slightly different approach to press release distribution. Rather than a pure PR distribution service, PRGloo is a complete media relations platform combining easy to use tools with analysis.

That means they have relationship management software (never lose a media contact again), systems for creating content, distributing your news stories and reporting on their success.

If you’re a business owner who is really looking for a one-stop-shop to take control of your entire PR process then PRGloo could be for you. But if you just want press release distribution service this will be overkill.

 

14. PR Underground press release distribution

PRUnderground

Entry option: $49

The starter option gives you one release that will be sent to Google News and published on 80 major websites including the likes of FOX/CBS/ABC/NBC.

The initial price also includes social media distribution and a post on DigitalJournal.com. The team will optimize each release for SEO too.

A great option for small businesses on a budget but be careful that you actually provide the team with a decent story. Like all of these press release distribution services – you will only get major pick up if you have a decent news story.

 

15. Pressat press release distribution

press release distribution service 24-7

Entry option: $140

These guys are big on targeting and know that there’s no point in spamming journalists who aren’t relevant to your story.

Pressat uses tried and tested methods to precisely target media contacts based on beat, geographic region, industry and journalist back-history (previously covered stories).

They also serve more than 33,000 opt-in subscribers with customized news alerts, ranging from journalists and editors right through to analysts and bloggers. All press releases are syndicated to Bing News, DowJones, NewsNow, Thomson Reuters and major news agencies worldwide.

This is a great choice for any business that has put in the time to develop a serious public relations campaign with tailored messages and audience profiles. 

 

Which press release distribution service will you choose?

So there you have it.

The 15 best press release distribution companies in 2022.

As you can see they all offer similar types of service at comparable price points. A lot will be down to the personal relationship you have with each company and your account manager.

My advice is to try a few single press release distribution products, and compare the quality for yourself. 

You may find some are better at B2B and trade media, while others outperform on the consumer and the mainstream media front. 

And when you’re buying these services try not to be wowed by salespeople telling you how they will GUARANTEE your business 1000s of pieces of coverage.

Yes, they have massive reach, but ultimately the success, or not, of using a press release distribution service all boils down to the strength of the story you are providing to them.

And don’t forget many of these firms also operate the best media monitoring services.

Now try using one of our 46 public relations examples and get inspired to write your own killer press release.

And if you’re ready to take your PR work to the next level grab our PR Starter Kit.

Our must-have kit has every template, script, strategy and guide you’ll ever need to do PR – all in one place.

Good luck!

 

The post 15 Best Press Release Distribution Services [2022 Update] appeared first on Class:PR.

]]>