The Story Behind PRToolfinder -
Your Go-to Source for PR Tools
About a decade ago I found myself faced with a decision on which media contact database to invest in. The market had shifted, new tools were on the scene, and being pressed for time, I enlisted the help of a colleague to review all the available options to assist me in making the right choice.
The process involved identifying all of the similar tools, researching the websites for functionality & pricing, and creating a comparison. Many vendors did not make pricing easily available so she had to sit in on a demo. 12 hours later we had the comparison.
That drove home two key points for me: that a) it IS important to conduct thorough research when making a PR tool buy decision; and b) that researching tools should NOT be an onerous investment of time on its own – that an online database of tools truly would be a huge timesaver!
I continued to receive more and more emails related to PR tools. I printed them out and put them in a pile. One rainy day I organized that pile into independent stacks that I now call tool categories. Gotta say, I was shocked at the sheer number of tools (over 200) both free and paid— no wonder finding tools was so hard! I’d just ask my colleagues for a recommendation too!
The process involved identifying all of the similar tools, researching the websites for functionality & pricing, and creating a comparison. Many vendors did not make pricing easily available so she had to sit in on a demo. 12 hours later we had the comparison.
That drove home two key points for me: that a) it IS important to conduct thorough research when making a PR tool buy decision; and b) that researching tools should NOT be an onerous investment of time on its own – that an online database of tools truly would be a huge timesaver!
I continued to receive more and more emails related to PR tools. I printed them out and put them in a pile. One rainy day I organized that pile into independent stacks that I now call tool categories. Gotta say, I was shocked at the sheer number of tools (over 200) both free and paid— no wonder finding tools was so hard! I’d just ask my colleagues for a recommendation too!
It wasn’t easy to build, but it does save a ton of time!
That’s when I decided to create the first online directory of PR tools. Tools would be defined as either “specifically built for, or commonly used by PR Professionals.” I initially called it Junglebuzz because it truly felt like navigating through a jungle of options.
Then I realized I didn’t have “ PR” in the company name! How about Junglebuzzprtools.com? I adopted a freemium and ad-based model; that didn’t work well. You know what else didn’t work well? JunglebuzzPRtools on a squeezy ball. Even if you find the best squeezy ball on the planet (which I did) if your company name is too long – it’s going to be really small!
Then I realized I didn’t have “ PR” in the company name! How about Junglebuzzprtools.com? I adopted a freemium and ad-based model; that didn’t work well. You know what else didn’t work well? JunglebuzzPRtools on a squeezy ball. Even if you find the best squeezy ball on the planet (which I did) if your company name is too long – it’s going to be really small!
Turns out, the site is not just useful to PR Professionals!
The Squeezy Ball was a big hit at the PRSA International Conference when we exhibited in Washington DC. We learned something else there too — we learned that it’s not just PR people that found a PRtool database useful! A large government consulting firm came up to tell me how useful their staff also found the website!
Evolution
So, the concept proved a success, the business model did not, and while it was an expensive lesson, it was worth its weight in gold!
I rebranded the platform as PRToolfinder.com, and while the name may still be somewhat long; it better encapsulates the essence of the platform. Fast forward to today, while there are numerous online directories available, none of them are curated and managed by actual human PR professionals as is PRToolfinder. And over the years, we’ve learned quite a lot about what our users want and have some very cool new features coming!
I rebranded the platform as PRToolfinder.com, and while the name may still be somewhat long; it better encapsulates the essence of the platform. Fast forward to today, while there are numerous online directories available, none of them are curated and managed by actual human PR professionals as is PRToolfinder. And over the years, we’ve learned quite a lot about what our users want and have some very cool new features coming!
Humans are not yet obsolete
As the PR industry and storytelling evolve, our tools evolve as well. Category changes and database updates reflect the innovations introduced by tool vendors. Even with today’s AI and automation capabilities, the decision to collapse or add categories is made by human PR professionals (and the PRT community) who possess a deep understanding of each tool’s features and usage, while keeping a pulse on industry trends. It’s a little like crowdsourcing but more like a group effort!
Currently, PRToolfinder features over 250 tools across 24 categories. Whenever a category becomes obsolete or merges with another, we update the database and provide relevant information to our audience. We deeply value the opinions and feedback of our users in terms of enhancing the user-friendliness and value of our site. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve, please let us know!