Colleen O'Connor
May 20, 2020 | 04:07:06
Public relations pros and others are always looking for ways to stay connected now that in-person interaction is paused. In our business, we’re fairly glued to our mobile devices because we need to be accessible to both journalists and clients.
On average, mobile device users have about somewhere between 60 to 90 apps on a single device. Those of us in PR naturally have the obvious social media and communications apps like Twitter, LinkedIn and Slack, but what are some others that help us stay connected and productive?
This one bears repeating because it’s a PR person’s best friend. It helps us stay connected to co-workers and even clients while cutting down on unnecessary emails. Slack’s long list of integration partners, like Google Drive, Zoom and Outlook, can help nearly any team work smarter.
Do you want to make sure you’re up-to-date on the latest news? Flipboard is a curated news app that tailors news to your preferences – perfect for newsjacking. It has some of the world’s largest publishers, like New York Times, CNN, TechCrunch, and WSJ, to name a few.
Think Tinder meets pitching. Simply upload your pitch on the app to connect with interested journalists. Just like on Tinder, or any dating app, journalists will swipe right if they feel your pitch is a fit for them. Once ‘matched’ a chat will open and you can work together to set up that interview. It works the other way around as well, for PR pros looking for journalists.
Mention makes media monitoring so much easier. It will track mentions of your clients and its competitors to make sure you never miss conversations or coverage.
Scheduling meetings can be a nightmare when juggling multiple schedules. With Calendly, connect it to your Outlook or Gmail calendar so only free time shows up on the app. Never worry about being double booked again!
Do you have an important onboarding call and don’t want to overlook anything? Rev Transcription is a lifesaver. Simply record your call and it will be transcribed and a transcript emailed to you. Never miss an important nugget of information on a call again.
In the fast-paced climate of a PR agency, to-do lists are essential. Upgrade your to-do to the 21st century and go digital. Todoist will help keep you organized by categorizing tasks into groups depending on projects or teams. Set up alerts if tasks are timely and should be checked off your to-do list first!
For content marketers, Hubspot or a competitor is a must-have. It’s an effective content marketing platform for any industry, but especially for PR people. From email marketing, blog optimization, to social media marketing, Hubspot offers a wide range of features to help content marketers.
PR folks love brainstorming for new campaign ideas or ways to land that new project. Right now creative collaboration looks different given our need to stay apart, but with Jamboard, it can still work. This virtual whiteboard allows users to drop images, add notes, and pull assets directly from the web while collaborating with team members from anywhere.
While this may not like a PR must-have, it can save time and frustration in a crunch. It will securely store all website and account login usernames and passwords in one convenient place. When you’re in a rush to access an article, the last thing you need is to forget your password!
Harvest makes time tracking – a necessary evil in the PR business – relatively easy. You can download the app and enable push notifications so you’ll be reminded to keep track of our hours as you go along.
Self explanatory. Zoom is the hero of COVID-19 for staying connected. Check out some tips on Zoom hacks you might not know in this post.
Bonus: Starbucks
Let’s be honest, how would we get through our days without coffee? As of May 5, 2020, 85% of Starbucks locations reopened for mobile ordering and delivery. Download the Starbucks app (or Dunkin’ Donuts or a local coffee shop) and treat yourself to a large cold brew before diving into that PR plan; you deserve it.
What app can you not live without? Let me know on Twitter @colleeno_pr.