Social Media Tools for PR Professionals and Journalists

Sarah Evans, a blogger at "Mashable", writes about the 10 best social media tools for PR professionals and journalists.

1. First on the list is Help a Reporter Out (HARO). Created by Peter Shankman, it is the only free resource where journalists can come into direct contact with PR professionals with their queries.

2. The Pitch Engine takes second place. Though still in beta stage, Pitch Engine seems to be catching on fast with people who are looking for the whole range of Web 2.0 tools for PR professionals and journalists (including links to social networks, video and audio capabilities, etc.)

3. Reporting On is number three on the list. This is a social network site designed for reporters, and very similar to Twitter. A user can find anywhere upto 600 reporters and professionals from around the world on the site. Ms. Evans claims that its advantage is that journalists have the ability to tag their beats, making it easy for PR professionals to find reporters and offer sources.

4. Journalisted. This site is developed by Martin Moore and enables customers to search for their favorite reporters and stay up to date on their work. It currently has more that 100,000 users. One disadvantage, though, is that it has only UK reporters, but Moore offers hope that he is currently targeting the US. Main advantage of the site is that PR professionals can check the site before pitching a reporter in the UK to read his recent work.

5. The Wikis. Ms. Evans here offers the suggestion that PR professionals could create a shared space in which to provide information to reporters. It could contain anything from interview source contact information to comprehensive product/company background. The advantage - Wiki pages are created with user generated content and can be edited in real-time to best meet the need of reporters.

6. Media People Using Twitter. Twitter, the all pervasive social network engine, does not go ignored in the PR industry. Though it is not entirely possible to locate a comprehensive list of repoters on the site, a wiki site does exist which is dedicated to journalists on Twitter. The page is organized by geographical location, offering an easy-to-use guide.

7. Twellow makes it to number 7. A user can search and follow reporters and PR professionals using keywords. As simple as that. The search content is based on a person's Twitter bio. Therefore, according to Ms. Evans, it yields surprisingly accurate results.

8. BeatBlogging.org is a resource for beat bloggers, which PR professionals can use as a source to build a strong pitch distribution list. Participants can nominate reporters as 'innovative'. That means that the reporter will be features on the frequently updated Leaderboard.

9. WiredJournalists.com is number 9. This is a tool created for reporters, editors, executives, students and faculty. It allows journalists to access resources with one another. The members keep up with Web 2.0 trends.

10. Your Pitch Sucks! or YPS provides a grand finale on number 10! This is a site where you can submit your pitch to PR experts for a serious review. They will give you a feedback on whether it is up to par or not. They can also give suggestions. Best for freelancers who need a third person perspective of their work.