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The 10 best affordable PR tools for small businesses

PR Software for SMEs

For a small business, the most affordable way to do PR is to do it yourself.

Good news, there are plenty of great affordable PR tools out there to help you with that.

There are multiple different options available when it comes to public relations. A lot of them are dependent on the size of your company and your budget. The first option is to use a PR agency, which can help your business get noticed.  However, PR agencies are usually quite expensive and a lot of small businesses cannot afford to use their services. 

Great tools do exist out there to help SMEs do DIY PR at an affordable price.

Here is a list of the best PR tools for small businesses

1.  Tools to plan your PR strategy

The very first thing that needs a good PR strategy needs is an action plan.

Public relations requires planning and organisation, and the ability to plan ahead.

Use JournoLink to get your stories in the press

Easy-to-use, easy-to-learn publicity software built for small businesses.

You need to define which stories you want to share with bloggers and journalists. Are you launching a new product? Are you organising a big event? Prepare your calendar early so you have time to contact the media. Keep an eye on what is in the news; especially in relation to your industry, if a subject is trending, bloggers and journalists will be looking for stories in that sector.

Some great online tools can help you plan ahead:

  • Trello: Trello is one of the best free project management tools on the market. It can be useful when planning your PR strategy, and you can create a new specific board with columns for the next 6 months. Essentially this means that you can create a press release schedule that can tie in with events within your company or your sector.
  • Google Calendar: You may already use Google calendar to schedule your appointments, but it can also be used for project management. The platform enables you to create a calendar that is specific to every project you are running. If you create a specific calendar for your PR, you can enter all the key dates that are important for your company, and it is completely free.
  • JournoLink Calendar: If you want to send information out at times that best tie in with events in your industry, then JournoLink can help you with that. We can provide a business calendar that brings together external events in your industry such as trade shows and award ceremonies, to enable you to build your own robust PR strategy.

Here are Some Press Release Tools for SMEs

2.  Tools to send your press releases

The primary tool in PR is the press release. In contrast to an advert that is designed to reach your target audience, a press release is to be shared with journalists. Unless you have prior experience most small companies do not know how to format a press release or a list of journalists in their contacts. This is where PR tools come in handy.

Custom Designed PR tools:

  • JournoLink: Our platform allows you to send an unlimited number of press releases to a database of over 10 000 journalists, bloggers and broadcasters. When registering, you will be asked to select various industry categories to ensure that your press releases will be targeted to the relevant journalists. Also, JournoLink allows you to receive editorial requests from our journalists, giving you the opportunity to have articles written about your company.

Pricing starts at just £50 per month, but with no long-term tie-ins.

  • Response Source: Response Source also enables you to share your press releases and editorial requests with their database of journalists. They offer a choice of categories, so you can choose who your target media audience is. Their pricing starts at £80 per press release. 
  • prweb: This platform offers different PR services. The platform publishes press releases on their website. Journalists and bloggers can then choose any story they need. From £70 per news release, you can get yours hosted on their website. Thus your press release will appear on search engines and news sites. Prweb offers other plans including a press release distribution service starting at £109 per news release.

Use JournoLink to get your stories in the press

Easy-to-use, easy-to-learn publicity software built for small businesses.

Social Media Management Tools

3.  Tools to manage your social media

Social media plays a major part in any great PR strategy, as it allows your business to connect with your target audience. You can tell share stories about your business and directly engage with existing and potential customers.

But managing different social media accounts can be exhausting; this is where social media management tools come in.

Use any of these tools to manage your social media channels

  • Hootsuite: You have probably already heard about Hootsuite, as it is one of the most recognised social media management platforms. It offers multiple features to help you manage your social media, and can plan your posts, and track your brand mentions. It also allows you to monitor your competitors or journalists and bloggers you would like to engage with. For example, you can create lists on Twitter and create streams for the lists on Hootsuite. You can also create a stream for your brand mentions among other options. Buffer offers very similar services too.
  • Meet Edgar: This time-saving platform allows you to create automated publication planning. When the calendar of content has been created, Meet Edgar publishes it automatically. You will then have more time to engage with your audiences.

How to Monitor your PR Campaigns

4.  Tools to monitor your PR campaigns

If you want to evaluate your PR campaign, this means you need to monitor the results. If you use JournoLink, then you can track the number of journalists reached, views, potential audience, etc., with every press release that you send out.

But there are some other PR tools 

Google Alert: If you have a Google account, you can use this service for free. If you set up some keywords like the name of your company or your products/services, the tool will track them and send the results of its search directly to your Google inbox.

Mention: Mention is similar to Google Alerts, as this platform tracks your keywords on the web and on social media. It provides analytics and up-to-date insights for your business. The first plan is worth $29 per month for the basic features

This list of PR tools is just a start, but if you want to see how JournoLink’s PR tools have helped other businesses, check here.

Use JournoLink to get your stories in the press

Easy-to-use, easy-to-learn publicity software built for small businesses.

Learn more about how PR can grow your business. Contact the JournoLink team on sales@journolink.com

Use JournoLink to get your stories in the press

Easy-to-use, easy-to-learn publicity software built for small businesses.

We hope you enjoy reading our PR resources!

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