They’ve gone through decades of evolution, but even in 2024, press releases are an important medium for communicating news stories and making sure your client’s brand gets noticed.
And the great information (and curse) is – now there are more tools than ever that allow PR pros to create and distribute press releases!
Yes, great, but what kind of features should you look for? And what press release tool has all the best features in one place? Read on to find out:
- What are press release tools?
- Tools for press release creation
- AI press release tools
- Media database & press release distribution tools
- Analytics & media monitoring tools
- Press release reporting tools
- Choose a tool that suits you best
Ready to start creating press releases with an all-in-one tool right away? Try Prowly for free.
What are press release tools?
Press release tools help PR professionals create, send out and distribute press releases, and analyze the results of their work.
These tools allow PR teams to easily collaborate in the cloud and speed up their workflow through integrations and various other features.
Press release management software: key features
Here are just a few of the many ways that PR management software can help you:
👉🏼 Press release creation – you can build press releases from scratch or from templates and add text and various multimedia, such as images and videos, all in a well-known industry standard PR format.
👉🏼 AI features – language learning models can help write press releases once you provide the right input and directions.
👉🏼 Distribution – good PR management software lets you distribute finished press releases to vast databases of contacts, such as media professionals, journalists, bloggers, influencers and other content creators. Some tools even integrate with newswire services.
👉🏼 Media database – the best press release distribution services have databases of media professionals that you can search and filter through to find the most relevant contact for your press release and to help build relationships in the future.
👉🏼 Analytics and reporting – so that users can get insights about key metrics, like media coverage, social media engagement, sentiment analysis, and more, to determine how well their PR efforts are going.
👉🏼 Workflow management – to speed up and streamline the collaboration and approval processes in PR teams, helping with task assignment and progress tracking.
👉🏼 Integrations – the best press release software integrates with other tools, such as CRMs or marketing automation platforms, helping you remove bottlenecks and speed up processes.
You will get to know various paid and free press release tools in this article. But we will show the meaning of specific features based on Prowly just because we know it better. Plus – it has it all in one place.
Tools for creating press releases
Before distributing press releases, you need a quick way to create them so that they look great and follow industry standards.
How can you use press release tools for writing?
Wondering how to make a press release with tools? There are four common ways:
1️⃣ Make the press release visually appealing and interactive
Press release creators give you wireframes for writing and multimedia. Instead of building a press release from scratch, you can use an editor and add all the elements in one place.
2️⃣ Provide easy access to all assets
PR tools let you share your press releases by sharing a single link. No more fumbling with multiple platforms just to share your press release.
3️⃣ Easy to share with the media and journalists
You no longer need to send emails with large attachments while simply hoping they don’t get lost. Embed your press releases directly into your emails or share them online for easy access.
4️⃣ Encourage collaboration
Set different access levels to your press releases to determine who gets to see what; track the progress on PR creation and send updates to your team members about the changes you make and the overall project status.
Press release creation: website & tool examples
1️⃣ Journolink
Go through a step-by-step process for writing a press release, send it to the media, and get notified about new media opportunities from a shared inbox.
2️⃣ Fiverr
It’s not a classic tool for writing a press release, but rather a website that connects you with people who know how to do it well.
If you need press release services and you don’t have an in-house PR professional, you can hire a freelancer on Fiverr to design and write one for you.
3️⃣ Prowly
The biggest difference? In Word you need to start from scratch and figure out the structure, formatting, assets and basically do everything yourself. Suffering from writers’ block? Word says: figure it out yourself.
Fortunately, it’s different with press release creator tools, such as Prowly.
With a press release creator tool, you get a drag-and-drop interface that allows anyone to create a press release that gets the attention of journalists and media professionals.
If you don’t know how to get started, you can always use one of the templates for inspiration and structure. And AI can help you overcome a lack of inspiration.
AI press release tools
Artificial intelligence is almost a buzzword now.
Thing is – it can actually help you speed up your workflows and ensure your story turns into a news piece sooner, and the outcome could be so good it might surprise you.
Not that silly robotic-talk.
What can AI press release tools help you with?
AI can be a great help, but bear in mind that all it does is provide you with a well structured draft.
Not even the best press release distribution service in the world can help you if all you send out is AI-created content. And the truth is – it shouldn’t. Because PR is about relationships, right?
Before your press release goes out, take the AI’s foundation, polish it up, proofread and fact-check it, and make sure it goes through at least one set of human hands first. AI can help you get around writer’s block, as it provides you with an initial set of ideas, but that’s where it ends.
A human being needs to finish the process.
Top AI press release writing tools
1️⃣ Hypotenuse AI
This AI writing tool has a handy option for writing press releases – just feed it the main information and it quickly whips up a press release for you. However, it lacks all the surrounding relevant PR features.
2️⃣ Copy.ai
Define your brand voice in Copy.ai and use it for generating press releases, among many other popular content formats.
3️⃣ TinyWow
This simple tool asks you to fill in a few basic fields and it generates a quick press release. It’s not as specialized as some other tools, but it gets the job done.
4️⃣ Hyperwrite
With Hyperwrite you can create an easy press release – put in as many details as possible and you’re left with a product that is about 80% finished.
5️⃣ Prowly
Prowly’s AI is specifically built and trained to help you create attractive press releases.
Simply put:
Feed it the main information it needs, and it will create a draft in your chosen tone and voice and with the most important messages you want to relay to the media professional on the other end.
The press release is precisely tailored to your target audience. It does the job by asking you 10 questions before creating your AI-based press release.
This way, all you have to do is polish it up and hit “send.”
Media database and press release distribution tools
These tools have large databases full of contacts, allowing for easy press press release distribution.
Personalized pitching vs. using newswires
There are two ways you can get press releases in front of journalists – using newswires or personalized pitches.
👉 Newswires have been the go-to resource of PR pros for decades, but recently, they’re proving to be less and less effective, while staying fairly expensive.
👉 Personalized pitching means you make fewer pitches, but all of them will be highly relevant. Instead of blasting your press releases out to everyone, you send targeted outreach messages to the journalists who are most likely to publish your story.
And recent studies show that we should leave mass pitching in the past.
Last but not least, pitching lets you build relationships instead of having one-off interactions.
Distribution press release tools
Here are the most popular distribution press release apps you can try:
👉 Newswires
- Newswire – one of the oldest and most reliable newswire services – works well but it’s fairly expensive.
- Pressat – UK-based press release distribution service with one-off or monthly subscription payments.
- ACCESSWIRE – targeted global press release distribution service that works well but has overly complex payment plans.
Since we’ve just scratched the surface, to get to know all about the best press release websites (and find more examples with pros and cons!), this is a great starting point.
👉 Distribution tools
- eReleases – PR distribution for small businesses speaking to US audiences.
- Brandpush – international PR distribution with budget-friendly pricing and extensive reach across popular news platforms.
- Prowly
So how does pitching with a tool work (based on Prowly)?
- You get access to over one million media contacts that you can filter and search through.
- AI automatically suggests subject lines and the best contacts based on what you want to pitch.
P.S. It will also suggest contacts based on the contents of your press release, making sure you get maximum visibility. - On top of that, you get tips on how to dodge spam filters, as well as smart tools for pitch scheduling and automated follow-ups.
- You can personalize your emails and manage them straight from Prowly, without cluttering your mailbox.
Plus – you can also create pitches using our built-in AI generator. Once you finish a press release, the generator creates a preliminary pitch that you can adjust and fine tune so that it aligns with your needs.
And after sending a pitch, you can schedule a follow-up message for those contacts that don’t reply.
This is a great resource for learning how to use AI in press releases.
PR analytics & media monitoring tools
Once you figure out how to send a press release, you want to determine whether they’re driving the results you need. Media monitoring and analytics tools show you whether your press releases are making an impact for your client or brand.
These tools can help you measure the results of your PR campaigns through:
- Sentiment analysis
- SoV (Share of Voice)
- Media tiers
- Top mentions
- The number of backlinks
- Domain authority
A good social listening and PR tool covers all of these features. In Prowly you can also measure the (in)famous AVE, in case you are asked to, along with its alternatives.
Social listening tool examples
1️⃣ Hootsuite
Hootsuite is recognized as one of the leading social media management tools in the industry. It offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline the process of managing multiple social media accounts and campaigns from a single dashboard.
While it may not offer the same level of depth and sophistication as dedicated social listening tools, it provides a convenient option for users looking to consolidate their social media management and listening efforts in one platform.
A great option if you want to kill two birds with one stone, and if you’re looking for marketing features instead of ones tailored to PR pros.
2️⃣ Brand24
Brand24 is a robust social listening application designed to provide users with comprehensive insights into their online presence and brand reputation. It also offers advanced analytics tools that help users track the sentiment surrounding their brands, identify key influencers, and measure the impact of their marketing campaigns.
It can be a good choice if all you need is social listening, because it doesn’t provide any PR features besides that.
However, one drawback of Brand24 is its pricing structure, which may be considered expensive for users who need to track a large number of keywords. This could potentially limit its accessibility for smaller businesses or those with limited budgets.
3️⃣ Sprinklr
An enterprise-grade social listening tool with a large selection of channels and historical data going back to 2014.
While Sprinklr offers a wealth of features and capabilities, it’s worth noting that its enterprise-grade functionality may come with a higher price tag compared to other social listening tools. And it’s a tool with more of a marketing-focus, rather than for Public Relations.
4️⃣ Prowly
Unlike the examples above, Prowly focuses mainly on PR needs.
Meaning its social listening tool covers social media and all other digital media formats important from a PR perspective. That means blogs, websites, Instagram, Reddit, etc.
So whether someone mentions you on X or on their company blog, you’ll get notified. Each mention comes with sentiment analysis, helping you quickly determine how your target audience perceives you.
To avoid crises, respond actively and spot trends as they emerge, you can get notifications in real-time for each mention, or you can get summaries sent to your inbox, daily, weekly or at your own custom interval.
Press release reporting tools
When you submit a press release and results start coming in, you’ll want to show off the results of your great work to your clients.
This is where reporting comes in – you want to create reports to showcase all those detailed analytics around your campaigns.
Press release reporting tool examples
Here are some of the best reporting tools in the market, but if you want to dive deeper into the topic – we’ve covered it in detail here.
1️⃣ Releasd
Releasd is a comprehensive PR reporting tool designed to streamline the process of gathering and presenting data from various sources, including websites and social media platforms. Its primary function is to simplify the creation of professional-looking reports that highlight key metrics and insights relevant to PR campaigns and initiatives.
While Releasd offers a robust set of features, it’s important to note that it does not offer a free trial option. It’s also priced at a premium compared to some other standalone reporting tools, which could be a consideration for budget-conscious PR professionals or smaller agencies.
2️⃣ CoverageBook
CoverageBook is a popular tool for generating reports on media coverage effortlessly. Its key feature lies in its simplicity – users can easily input their featured links onto the platform, and CoverageBook automatically generates comprehensive reports, complete with metrics and visuals, saving users significant time and effort.
However, while CoverageBook offers convenience and efficiency, it’s important to note that its pricing structure may be a consideration for some users. As a tool focused solely on PR reporting, some users may find it expensive compared to other similar platforms that offer additional features or functionalities beyond report generation.
3️⃣ Prowly
After you use all other features to run your PR activities, it’s time to showcase your efforts.
Prowly has a built-in media monitoring app that lets you pull media mentions for your brand or client with the click of a button. You can use it to stay on top of your key metrics, such as:
- mentions and sentiment
- backlinks
- website domain authority
You can sort the key metrics for each media outlet and get the estimated media placement value for each mention.
For the most important mentions, you can add clippings and social media posts, allowing you to create reports in seconds and make them more interactive and responsive.
Last but not least, each report is easy to edit and align with brand characteristics so that it matches the visual identity of your client’s organization. Plus – customization isn’t additionally paid, it’s already a part of your bundle.
Choose a tool that suits you best
There are countless press release tools to choose from, all with varying features and price points. However, finding one tool that lets you create press releases, distribute them, pitch journalists, track the results of your work, and create a report… Seems a bit difficult.
Well, not anymore. With Prowly, you can create amazing press releases and track the impact they make on your clients’ online presence all in one place. And it offers a free trial.
