{"id":6161,"date":"2015-07-23T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mention.com\/blog\/?p=6161"},"modified":"2021-09-30T14:07:34","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T14:07:34","slug":"networking-pr-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/networking-pr-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"5 PR Tools for Building Better Relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What\u2019s your biggest strength as a PR pro? What makes you stand out? We\u2019re all using the same tools, tactics, and strategies. So landing a job or a new client frequently comes down to who you know.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competition can write a press release just as well as you can. It\u2019ll come down to who has the relationships that the client or hiring company needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you\u2019re an agency trying to land a client in the health technology space, and know zero journalists in that niche? Yeah, not gonna happen. Not when another agency has a list of perfect contacts to pitch such a client to already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when a company is hiring for in-house PR, they want someone who knows people to reach out to now<\/em>, not down the road once connections have been made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Tweet “Build relationships with journalists *before* you need them.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why my PR motto is, \u201cbuild relationships before you need them.\u201d <\/strong>Regular outreach<\/a> to journalists in new niches is investing in your agency\u2019s future, since those relationships help bring in new business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even for us in-house PR pros, contacts are everything. With only one niche to immerse yourself in, your boss will expect you to know everything about everyone.
But making contact with someone is just the first step. You can\u2019t go a year between emails with someone and still expect them to care about your clients. You need to keep in touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Tweet “The larger your network is, the more valuable you are as a PR pro.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, we have a double edged sword here. The larger your network of contacts is, the more of an asset you are. But on the other hand, the larger your network is, the harder it is to stay in touch with everyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, we live in the world where there\u2019s an app for everything. Sign up for these networking tools to build a stronger professional network for your PR agency:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Contact manager<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Where do you keep the master list of all your agency\u2019s contacts? Please, don\u2019t answer with \u201ca spreadsheet\u201d or \u201cmy Outlook address book.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why won\u2019t that work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, spreadsheets are basic and old school, and not the best place for tracking contacts. For example, it\u2019s a pain to click on a contact\u2019s email address, wait for the link to your mail app to open, and start typing your message. Contact managers can handle storing contact info and<\/em> sending the actual message. Using a spreadsheet adds an extra step, and an extra tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Tweet “Look for a contact manager that’s either for PR pros, or very flexible.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your email app\u2019s address book won\u2019t work either, because it\u2019s made for anyone. You want to keep track of things that only PR pros care about, like the journalist\u2019s niche, preferred contact method, and when he or she last accepted one of your pitches. Where are Outlook\u2019s fields for that info?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a contact manager that really makes things easy for you, look for either a tool built specifically for public relations use, or something that\u2019s really customizable and flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suggested contact managers:<\/strong> Contactually<\/a>, BuzzStream<\/a>, NinjaOutreach<\/a>, Prezly<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Newsle<\/a> – get digests of network updates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"pr<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure a lot of you are familiar with Newsle, which sends you email updates when something has been published about someone in your LinkedIn network. It\u2019s a helpful tool for anyone, but absolutely necessary for PR pros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joining Newsle will help your agency in so many ways. For one, you\u2019ll make your pitches and emails better when you personalize them. Your digests from Newsle are ripe with updates to mention in your next email intro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Tweet “#PRtip: Newsle makes it easy to follow a journalist’s recent work.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the biggest reason PR pros should use Newsle is sort of hidden in your account settings: That\u2019s right. You can get alerts when journalists you know write new articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should always read the work of anyone you pitch. Familiarity with their work will help you write a better pitch. Plus, mentioning how much you loved their last article won\u2019t exactly hurt their ego. But when you\u2019re following journalists for multiple beats, niches, and locations, you need the organization that an email digest provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Feedly<\/a> – read your beat<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A cup of coffee and a full RSS reader – how many PR pros start their day this way? Probably too many to count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you need to know your niches inside and out. You need to read the important publications to know what\u2019s going on in your industry, and those of your clients. You need to stay familiar with what certain reporters are covering. You need to know what\u2019s up with your client\u2019s competitors. PR is heavy on research and reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Tweet “PR is heavy on research and reading. Organize it all with @Feedly.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep it all manageable in a neat and organized Feedly account. I took 30 seconds to brainstorm how a PR agency might want to organize their Feedly account, and came up with a few options for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n