10 PR Tools that Simplify Your DIY PR Efforts

I remember working at a large PR agency many years ago. Some of my older PR colleagues would tell me how fax machines were revolutionary in helping them disseminate information. Then came the email – and whoa! – suddenly, information spread as fast as lightning.

While some would argue that disseminating information is easier than ever today, many would say that such instant communication has made the profession of PR more challenging than ever. Information overload is hard to overcome, and everyone is passing themselves off as a “journalist” these days. Plus, newspapers are going by the wayside, and Google seems to be the first place people turn for answers.

However, if you’re doing PR, there are some excellent tools available to you to help you gain control of your PR efforts and better capture the hearts and minds of your target audiences.

Let’s talk about the top tools used by PR people (including myself) today to get the job done.

1. Help A Reporter Out (HARO)

HARO is a free service that connects reporters looking for sources with individuals looking to be a source. It was founded by a long-time PR expert, Peter Shankman, and is now owned by a media conglomerate, Vocus. ProfNet is a similar service, but you’ll have to pay to subscribe.

2. PR Web

PR Web is a news release posting site that will push your news to its extensive distribution network of major news sites and search engines. This helps you not only get your story gets in front of consumers and journalists but also helps build SEO. Other press release distribution sites include PRNewswire.com, BusinessWire.com, and a sleuth of others – some free ones, too, but they pepper your release with advertisements.

3. BlogPRWire

BlogPRWire is a PR distribution service that says it “picks up where traditional newswires and media database services fall short – by connecting marketing professionals with niche, targeted blogging communities that want to receive their news, host contests, and giveaways, or review new products.” In other words, this service will blast your news releases to bloggers in need of content and story ideas.

4. Build Your Own Media List

Once you have your story, you’ll need the email addresses of your target sources. But where do you get them? You can spend a small fortune purchasing media lists, but Elena from PR in Your Pajamas has some great suggestions here on how to do it for free. Holly also has a great list of sites that interview women for free.

5. Pitch Engine

This PR tool invented the Social Media Release and enables users to create and share news and content in an interactive setting – going beyond traditional press release distribution services like PR Web.

6. Viola Norbert

Finding the right person to contact and their email address can be a major undertaking. But with Viola Norbert, you can find anyone’s corporate email address in a snap. You can try Viola Norbert for free, up to 50 leads; after that, it’s just $0.10 per lead if you choose the pay-as-you-go option.

7. Social Media Tools

While there are many social media management websites out there, this is one I like and use a lot. It helps you find friends on Twitter with its keyword friend finder, and it enables you to send automated DMs to people, cue up tweets to go out later, and more. It also allows you to manage your Facebook status updates. Anyone managing a variety of online communities should use SocialBee or Tailwind.

8. Contact Any Celebrity

You can use the Contact Any Celebrity database to look up the contact details for most celebrities. This will enable you to ship off your product to a celebrity in hopes they’ll wear or use it – a great way to get your company some publicity. Another celebrity tool to consider is Entreprenette.com/Instantly-Famous. This site receives requests for products from TV shows, movies, and celebrities themselves and then notifies you of these requests so you can submit your product for consideration. It’s free too.

9. Email Marketing

There is a long list of companies that help you develop and automate your email marketing, from Constant Contact and ConvertKit. Whichever platform you use, having an eNewsletter is one of the BEST marketing tools you will use because it continually connects you with your consumer directly and often.

10. Image Tools

These two tools go hand-in-hand. Pixability will help you create a welcome or demonstration video at a low cost. When you send your product to ViaU they’ll take professional pictures of it and send them to you to use. Both services are low-cost and very easy to use – thus making them great tools to keep in your PR toolkit.

Conclusion

Doing PR in today’s information-savvy world is tough. By adding a few of these PR tools and tricks of the trade to your toolkit, you’ll be successfully getting good publicity for your company in no time!

Jenny Finke owns Red Jeweled Media, a PR agency specializing in PR and marketing for small and mid-sized businesses. Please find her online at www.RedJeweledMedia.com.