What PR Pros Dislike About Old-School PR Software

It’s crystal clear that one of the best PR tools for PR and communications professionals is PR automation software that helps manage everything from media list creation to pitching to media monitoring and reporting.

While teams once tried to circumvent the cost and implementation time of these PR tools by building their own PR workflows (usually with an overpacked Google Drive of spreadsheets and documents), the ever-changing PR landscape now requires them to stay on top of too much information to do their work efficiently outside of PR management software.

The reason is quite obvious. Over time the ever-changing editorial contacts, the need to pitch media across remote teams, and the desire to provide client reports with detailed data have all made PR automation software critical to doing business successfully (without losing sanity).

Now there are a lot more tools for PR professionals and teams than ever, and these options are not the “old-school” PR software systems we recognize, like Cision, Meltwater, and MuckRack. The time has come when you can get the same PR software solutions with fewer costs and less time. These PR software companies are providing new and, dare we say, the best PR tools on the market. Prowly is one of them, and we’re about to tell you why.

In this article, we’ll share:

How Prowly measures up to established PR software players like Cision, MuckRack, and Meltwater
Four ways that Prowly outperforms these old-school options
What PR pros are saying about their switch to Prowly as their automated PR solution

How Prowly Compares: The Best PR Software Comparison

If you’re going to invest time in looking for the best PR platforms, then you want all the bells and whistles, right? A start-to-finish PR tool is no longer a pipe dream, and PR software companies like Prowly deliver.

For example: just like with traditional PR software companies, Prowly gets you the full suite of PR services. Yes, the same time-saving, team-sharing, end-to-end PR tools you need like:

A web-based PR CRM where you and your team can manage all media contacts in one place. Sort and save them in lists categorized by location, media type, and beat.
A press release creator where you can build and share your latest news online.
A media pitching system where you can deliver personalized emails to your media contact list with the push of a send button, with client announcements displayed in an eye-catching template that stands out from everything else in their inboxes.
An online newsroom which lets editors easily grab the text, photos, brand logos, and spokesperson quotes they need to publish your news right away.
Media monitoring that allows you to easily track where your news is being published and shared.
An analytics and reporting feature that saves you hours of work each month as you prepare great-looking reports for your clients that show the value of your PR work. Online clippings can be built right in!

P.S. Here's the Practical Guide to PR Clippings for your PR agency if you'd like to delve a bit deeper into the topic.

4 Ways Prowly Outperforms

We’re going to take this a step further and show you where Prowly outperforms its PR software competitors.

We’ve spent a lot of time researching the details of the very best PR management tools on the market, and we’ve found time and time again that Prowly excels in 4 key areas.

1. Ease of Use (No Learning Curve)

Sometimes, we avoid bringing a new tool into our PR process because we just don’t have the time to learn anything new. A new software program that comes with an inch-thick user guide is not something we’re willing to sign up for these days. It’s a lot to add something new when we’ve relied on existing systems for so long.

But with Prowly, you can be up and running in no time. A team specialist will walk you through your new software and give you support along the way.

We’re convinced you and your team will find the software intuitive and easy to learn, whether you’re building your first media list, following up on opened emails from your latest email blast, or creating end of the month reports for each of your clients.

2. Media Database Size

You might think the lower cost of Prowly will mean less media contacts in the media database. This is absolutely not the case. In fact, with over one million contacts, Prowly outstrips some of the most expensive PR automation software solutions with the size of its database.

And just like its more-expensive competitors, Prowly automatically updates media contact information as it becomes available, so you don’t have to worry about pitching to the wrong people.

Imagine the hours you and your team can save building media contact lists with the press of a button. In fact, the Prowly database allows you to expand your business into new industries and markets because you can rely on accessing specific contact lists for each.

If you need access to the journalist database, you can use the Prowly’s media database, which is completely free for 7 days. No need to sign up for any obligations until you know if the tool matches your needs.

3. Free Trial

On top of these three huge benefits, Prowly offers a free 7-day trial so you can make sure the software is right for you. Most software solutions don’t give you a chance to test drive their software’s capabilities before you buy. Prowly will give you full search access and dedicated support during your product trial.

4. Cost & Commitment

Would you like to spend a lot less for a more robust PR software solution? We thought you’d say yes!

One of the main reasons PR agencies and teams sidestep PR automation software solutions is that they don’t want to take on the large expense that comes along with Cision, Meltwater, and Muck Rack subscriptions.

Where those solutions are priced annually and start at $6,000 a year, Prowly starts at just $258 per month. And unlike the historical competitors, you don’t have to commit to an annual contract. You can subscribe monthly, giving you the flexibility to use Prowly to match your business needs.

What PRs Are Saying About Prowly

We could talk all day about why we think Prowly is the best online PR tool out there, but we’ll let some PR professionals who actually use Prowly tell you more.

The Answer is Prowly

So we’ve learned in our own detailed comparisons that Prowly offers not only everything but more than established PR software players.

Add to this fact the software’s lower cost (by hundreds a month), an easy-to-use interface that your team can pick up quickly, and a large media database, and Prowly comes out miles ahead of the competition as one of the best PR tools out there.

This was what we set out to do, so we’re thrilled to see it all came true!

If you feel ready to give Prowly a try, remember that you don’t have to commit right away. Instead, try our 7-day free trial or book a demo so we can show you how easy your PR workflow management can be. Our support team will get you started fast, and you’ll be able to drive around the software to get a feel for the significant improvements you’ll see in your day-to-day PR systems.

We make getting started easy; it’s something we take a lot of pride in. Here’s what one of our customers had to say about trying our PR software: