tools

Continuing with our 2018 focus on tools, here's a rundown on eight of them that can help tech PR and marketing pros. Some you know, some you may not. We're always on the hunt for new tools to publicize. Please share your insights with us on SWMSTweet and in your SWMS Slack channel.

TechCrunch editor-at-large John Biggs spoke with us last week about Tech4Reporters, a tool designed to help busy reporters understand the technology they’re writing about. It’s a tool John funded himself and he gives it away. Why? He wants journalists to have access to tech experts who don’t expect positive publicity in return for their insights.

A new, beta version of TechNews emerged this week. You may know the product by its old name, IT Database. By any name it’s a trusted search tool that unearths who’s been writing about what in B2B tech edit. It celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The latest TechNews version, in beta, allows users to “follow” reporters and be alerted when they write something new.

If you use Twitter to spot influencers, you absolutely have to make some time for MentionMapp. It’s an easy and fun way to see who has been yapping with whom, but more important, it can lead you to an influencer’s sources and connections without lots of keystrokes and menus.

Mining Twitter for influencers is every PR pro's job. A great tool for that task, Little Bird, was updated this week in important ways. Since its founding in 2011, cloud-based Little Bird has indexed Twitter users primarily by how much clout they have with other Twitter users. We've used Little Bird for years and love it.

Like you, we at SWMS are always interested in the latest tool, either to measure influence or make a PR pro's life easier. We've got a pair of tools to discuss this week.