PR Resources: 50 Tools, Groups and Sources to Bookmark

The 50 PR resources below cover the five jobs a communications professional does every week: staying informed, finding journalists, pitching, distributing news and proving results. They are grouped by job, each with a one-line reason to bookmark it. Tools change fast, so the list notes one case where a long-time resource disappeared: HARO's successor Connectively shut down on December 9, 2024.

Updated November 3, 2026

On this page: associations, news sources, media databases and monitoring, source-request platforms, newswires, research and data, analytics and measurement, writing and design tools, compliance references, and FAQs.

Which professional associations belong on a PR team's list?

Six associations give a PR team standards, training and peers. Join the ones that match the work you do.

• PRSA (Public Relations Society of America): the largest US professional body, with a code of ethics, chapters and training.

• CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations): the UK professional body, with qualifications and best-practice guidance.

• Institute for Public Relations: a research body that publishes studies and measurement guidance for the profession.

• PR Council: the US trade group for communications agencies.

• AMEC: the international association for measurement and evaluation of communication, publisher of the Barcelona Principles.

• NIRI (National Investor Relations Institute): the professional body for investor relations officers.

Which news and trade sources should a PR professional read?

Eight outlets cover the PR industry and the media that PR professionals pitch.

• PRWeek: industry news, agency rankings and campaign coverage.

• PRNEWS: trade news and awards focused on communications practice.

• Ragan Communications: articles and training for corporate and internal communicators.

• O'Dwyer's: reporting on PR firms, rankings and industry business.

• Poynter: journalism education and ethics, useful for understanding how newsrooms think.

• Nieman Lab: reporting on the future of news, from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard.

• Columbia Journalism Review: media criticism and coverage of how stories get made.

• Press Gazette: UK journalism and media business news.

Which media databases and monitoring tools help find journalists and track coverage?

Seven tools help build media lists and watch what is said about a brand.

• Muck Rack: a journalist database with monitoring and reporting features.

• Cision: a long-standing media database and monitoring platform.

• Meltwater: media and social monitoring with analytics.

• Talkwalker: social listening and consumer intelligence.

• Brandwatch: social listening and audience research.

• Prowly: PR software for media lists, pitching and press rooms.

• Google Alerts: a free email alert for mentions of a name, brand or topic.

Which platforms connect sources with journalists?

Six platforms matter for reactive pitching. The landscape changed in 2024, when Cision shut down Connectively, the rebranded HARO, on December 9, 2024. Featured then relaunched the HARO name in April 2025.

• Qwoted: a source-and-journalist platform often named as a leading HARO replacement.

• Featured: a source-request platform that holds the relaunched HARO brand.

• Source of Sources: a free, email-based service launched by HARO's founder, Peter Shankman.

• Help a B2B Writer: a source-request service focused on business and technology writers.

• SourceBottle: a source-request service used heavily in Australia and the UK.

• ProfNet: an expert-query service run by PR Newswire.

Use two or three at a time. One platform can change its model or close, as HARO did.

Which newswires distribute press releases?

Three newswires carry announcements to media and financial audiences. Our press release distribution guide explains when a wire is worth the cost, and our press release format guide covers the layout.

• PR Newswire: a global wire that also runs ProfNet.

• Business Wire: a wire widely used for financial and corporate announcements.

• GlobeNewswire: a wire used by public companies for regulatory and press releases.

Where do PR professionals find research and data?

Eight sources supply surveys, statistics and trend data for pitches and reports.

• Edelman Trust Barometer: an annual global survey on trust in institutions.

• Pew Research Center: public opinion and news consumption research.

• Gallup: polling and workplace research.

• Statista: a statistics portal that collects figures from many sources.

• Google Trends: a free view of search interest over time.

• SparkToro: audience research that shows where an audience spends time.

• BuzzSumo: content research showing what gets shared and linked.

• Google Search Console: free data on how a site performs in Google Search.

Which analytics and measurement standards should teams use?

Four resources help prove results. Our PR KPIs and measurement guide and our guide to evaluating corporate communications show how to use them.

• Google Analytics 4: free web analytics for tracking traffic and conversions from PR.

• AMEC Barcelona Principles 4.0: seven principles for measurement, launched in 2025 at the AMEC summit in Vienna.

• AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework: a free framework for planning and evaluating communication.

• AMEC Measurement Maturity Mapper: a free tool to assess how mature a team's measurement is.

Which writing and design tools save time?

Six tools help produce clean copy and visuals quickly.

• AP Stylebook: the style guide most US newsrooms follow.

• Grammarly: grammar and tone checking.

• Hemingway Editor: a readability checker that flags long sentences.

• Canva: templates for social graphics, decks and one-pagers.

• Figma: collaborative design for larger visual projects.

• Descript: audio and video editing by editing a transcript.

Which compliance references should PR teams keep close?

Two references matter when messaging touches regulated topics.

• SEC EDGAR: the US database of public company filings, essential for investor relations and financial PR. Our guides to Regulation FD and the investor relations hub explain how disclosures work.

• FTC Endorsement Guides: the Federal Trade Commission's guidance on endorsements and influencer disclosures.

For related how-tos, see our guides to what media relations is, building a press kit, getting an op-ed published and PR basics.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most useful PR resources for beginners?

Start with PRWeek or PRNEWS for industry news, Google Alerts for monitoring, a source platform such as Qwoted or Source of Sources for pitching, and the AMEC Barcelona Principles for measurement.

What replaced HARO?

Cision shut down Connectively, the rebranded HARO, on December 9, 2024. Qwoted, Source of Sources, Help a B2B Writer and SourceBottle filled the gap, and Featured relaunched the HARO name in April 2025.

Do I need a paid media database?

Not at first. Free tools such as Google Alerts and free source-request services cover basic needs, and paid databases such as Muck Rack or Cision pay off when a team pitches many journalists each month.

How should a PR team measure results?

Set objectives first, then report outputs, outcomes and impact, and avoid advertising value equivalents. AMEC's framework and the Barcelona Principles 4.0 describe the method.

How often does this list change?

Tools launch, merge and close often, so review any list like this once a year and replace anything that no longer works.