As we promised, we bring you today a list of the most important PR websites and resources of the year. As 2009 comes to an end, we look back to see the real movers and shakers of the industry. Twitter, Google Wave, Bing, and Facebook will of course have important presences in this top, but we will also include the classic PR “go to” sites like PRWeb, social media sites, business and finance and so on. We base our selection on what we personally reviewed and tested, the resources we use every day to monitor the media, and also on what we use in our PR endeavors for our customers. Today we offer you the first 50 sites, best in the following categories: News, Business and Finance, PR News, PR Blogs and Social Media.
News Websites
- CNN, the absolute leader in online news and information delivery (based on popularity and traffic stats), features the latest multimedia technologies, from live video streaming to audio packages to searchable archives of news features and background information.
- Yahoo! News – a convenient place to find headlines from local to world news sources across the Internet. More popular than Google News, Yahoo! News is more than a news search engine.
- The New York Times – still the reference for professional journalism standards, and still one of the most popular news publishers in the World.
- USA Today – it doesn’t need more introductions. Ideal for US news, it has however a very well researched international coverage too.
- BBC – delivers news in 32 languages, an amazing network of information globally. In adittion, the BBC is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world.
- Reuters – reliable, the world’s largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information.
- The Washington Post – news and video on politics, national, federal government, foreign policy, business, green issues, science and more.
- Google News – a news search engine, with some cool features not many know of (like Fast Flip), indicative of what the world is interested in (displaying most popular stories based on its own algorithms).
- The Huffington Post – coverage of politics, media, business, entertainment, living, style, the green movement, world news, and comedy, and is a top destination for news, blogs and original content.
- FOXNews – when everything above fails, this is the only valid alternative.
Business and Finance
- CNN Money – business news and financial market coverage updated throughout the day, along with stock quotes, investing and personal finance advice, tools, lists & archival magazine content.
- Yahoo! Finance – free stock quotes, up to date news, portfolio management resources, international market data, message boards, and mortgage rates.
- Forbes – online source for the latest business and financial news and analysis. Covering personal finance, lifestyle, technology and stock markets.
- Bloomberg and BusinessWeek – since BusinessWeek sold to Bloomberg this year, we can safely include them both on the same link. Bloomberg was already regarded as the premier site for news and financial information, and BusinessWeek still keeps its profile, featuring the latest international business news & stock market news, company profiles, financial advice, global economy and technology news.
- Bizjournals – the online media division of American City Business Journals, the nation’s largest publisher of metropolitan business newspapers. It features local business news from around the nation, updated throughout the day, top business stories from American City’s print editions, industry-specific news from more than 40 industries, advice columns, and a full menu of tools to help business owners and operators manage their businesses more successfully.
- MSN Money – not very thrilled to add an MSN venture to the list, however, we cannot ignore a quality resource. This is a comprehensive source for money and personal finance needs, ideal for business and private use.
- CNBC – features the latest stock market news, information and headlines, up to date business news as well as financial and earnings news.
- MarketWatch – a financial information website that provides business news, analysis and stock market data; offers personal finance news and advice, tools for investors and access to industry research. Along with its flagship website, the company operates BigCharts.com and the stock market simulation site VirtualStockExchange.com.
- Entrepreneur – information to help start, grow or manage a small business.
- AllBusiness.com – offers resources including how-to articles, business forms, contracts and agreements, expert advice, blogs, business news, business directory listings, product comparisons, business guides, a business association and more.
PR and Marketing News Sites
- AdAge – the leading global source of news, intelligence and conversation for marketing and media communities. Our top favorite as well.
- Alltop PR – indexes various PR resources, randomly categorized, submitted by website owners and approved only if they meet a set of quality requirements.
- PRSA – the world’s largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals. It has an extensive network of periodicals, daily news updates and blogs and a vast, easily searchable database that gives instant access to research, articles, white papers and Silver Anvil Award-winning program case studies organized by subject, industry and business outcome.
- PR Week – news, reviews, profiles, techniques, and timely research for in-house and agency professionals. The annual PRWeek Awards honor the best campaigns, companies and people in the industry.
- PR News Online – describes itself as the “blueprint for the strategies, tactics and insights you need to become an even more effective and successful communicator.”
- Topix Public Relations News – somehow it manages to index high quality titles in the industry. Refined, focused, very useful.
- Brand Republic – one of the best online business portals for the advertising, media, marketing and PR industries. It aims to keep the people who work in those sectors informed, educated and connected with each other.
- Everything PR – hopefully you already know who we are and what we do. If you don’t, stick around.
- Marketing Magazine UK – ideal for European marketing news and analysis, exclusive industry data, such as Adwatch poll of which TV ads consumers recall, league tables of the biggest marketing services agencies and rankings of the biggest-spending advertisers and brands. There are also dedicated news sections for digital, media, branding and direct, plus features that explore the cutting-edge issues facing the sector.
- BrandWeek – everything from online marketing, CMO news to increasing brand loyalty analysis and news coverage.
PR and Media Blogs
- PR 2.0 by Brian Solis – is among the top 1.5% of all blogs tracked by Technorati and is ranked as one of the leading voices in the Ad Age Power 150 index of worldwide marketing bloggers.
- Ogilvy PR 360 Digital Influence Blog – more than a blog. It actually aggregates all Ogilvy PR Twitter feeds, video and pics, blog network, portfolio of best practices, the events they will attend and job openings.
- Deirdre Breakenridge – social networking, blogging, microblogging, podcasting, streaming video, RSS technology and how communications is changing the way that businesses need to think in order to fully take advantage of community networking.
- PR Sarah Evans – pink and classy. Sarah is a “social media freak,” who initiated and moderates #journchat, the top-trending weekly live chat between PR professionals, journalists and bloggers on the microblogging platform, Twitter.
- The Bad Pitch Blog by Richard Laermer – PR professionals should read this more often. It teaches them what NOT to do when pitching a media source, journalist or blogger.
- Richard Edelman – a veteran in PR, extremely busy and too important, but the man still finds time to write.
- Chris Brogan – the most powerful voice in communication and social media, a ten year veteran of using social media and both web and mobile technologies to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals.
- Marketing Pilgrim – brings the latest news, rumors and reviews of all things related to internet marketing and online advertising.
- Online Marketing Blog – provides insights, resources and commentary on a range of digital marketing and public relations topics including: search engine marketing and optimization, social media marketing, business blogging and marketing and online public relations.
- Dosh Dosh – internet marketing and blogging tips, alongside social media strategies. Best consumed by bloggers, entrepreneurs, web publishers, marketers, freelancers and small business owners.
Social Media and Social Bookmarking
- Twitter – needs no introduction.
- Facebook – is a a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. It finally shows potential.
- Digg – surviving… stubbornly. Still popular, and still managing to bring out the best stuff on the Web, as voted on by the users.
- Yahoo! Buzz – new and trendy, more popular than Mixx, Propeller and a few others. Like Digg, it brings out Web’s most remarkable stories, determined by the users who vote.
- Reddit and Delicious – probably unfair to include them in the same place, but they are not that different. Delicious managed to improve its aesthetics a bit. Both bookmarking sites.
- Newswine – smart news networking, brings together big and little media in a way which respects established journalism and empowers the individual at the same time.
- Dzone – free link-sharing community for developers, ideal for the PR industry to understand the tech audience.
- Diigo – research and collaborative research tool on the one hand, and a knowledge-sharing community and social content site on the other.
- Business Exchange – by BusinessWeek, content aggregator for business professionals. We already reviewed this, please follow this link for more information.
- LinkedIn – networking tool that helps users discover inside connections to recommended job candidates, industry experts and business partners.
About Liliana Dumitru-Steffens
CJ, make sure you don’t come back. It would be a waste of time.
As far as selling HARO at Everything PR goes, comments closed.
HARO is social media phenomenon that is well-documented in the media. I would personally think twice about hiring any PR professional who hadn’t used it. I used the service earlier this year to get my company in The New York Times. Also, The Wall Street Journal is indispensable to me as PR professional and everyone else in the world who needs to know what is going on in business, finance, and many other segments. I cannot imagine why it was left off this list.
Hi CJ, Only because we did not use it and have not tested it. It would be like giving a recommendation for a job to someone you did not know and had never met – to your boss.
Always,
Phil
And yet another one to consider: http://www.ReportersSource.com. I’m for promoting any alternative to HARO.
@Gail Kent – thank you for the tip, Gail. Noted and we will consider reviewing it in the near future. :)
@Jill Ross – your comment was deleted. Please read the comments policy and refrain from personal attacks. Your IP is banned, as well.
A national query service that you might want to consider for the future is http://www.PitchRate.com. They offer free queries from national writers looking for sources, and their online media kits (not free) are a great service for grabbing the national media light. (I put one of my clients on, and she got almost immediate attention.) And they are very nice people, to boot, which shows that you don’t have to act like a jerk to provide a great service.
@Peter Shankman. Sir, social media is about respect and collaboration. You came here to attack something because it did not include your product, and you continue to attack the authors and this site. That in itself is a mistake. Even more, you send people to “help out” – at least this shows you have many friends, and I am happy for you, although you have a pretty nasty attitude towards your colleagues and your defenders will learn this the hard way, sooner or later. It may come as a surprise to you, but Liliana is a colleague. You don’t need to work in the same building to be colleagues, you share the same line of work. We did not attack HARO, we mentioned that we will “test” (yes, meaning we will sign up and use) it. How can we include something we are not familiar with? And instead of giving us the chance to actually understand your product, you continue in the same tone. Why on earth did you call your product help a reporter out is my question. You obviously are not helping here. You are not even helping yourself. You are arrogant, self important, self centered and asocial. This is my impression after reading your first comment, and your second.
@everyone else: please understand, we were familiar that HARO existed. However, since we never used, never signed up as the owner says, we cannot include it this time.
@Thom Brodeur – you are a true professional. I never changed my mind about HARO, I do intend to review it in a future, in-depth entry. As we stated, Thom, we have a lot planned for next year. This time this is the best we could do. Please discuss with your boss about the attitude.
I’m glad that someone finally called out Peter Shankman at HARO. The attitude that you picked up in his short comment post is the REAL Peter Shankman. He threatened me with legal action because I started a small, local media service in Virginia, called Hampton Roads Media Connectionz that is completely free and does not make a dime, unlike his overly hyped HARO that he professes to do for “karma.” What karma? He makes thousands with each email from selling sponsorships. And the funny thing is, I met Peter at a conference in LA and personally TOLD him I was doing this, but he was so eager to scan other people behind me to find someone more interesting (read younger and sexier) to interract with, that he did not hear a word I said. He barely acknowledged me with a weak smile and a nod of the head and then dismissed me. His schtick is to show up at events and announce, “anyone interested in buying me dinner — or a drink” like he’s a rock star. Later when he discovered I had launched my site (http://www.hrmediaconnectionz.com), he accused me of “stealing” his code (I didn’t) and black balled me from getting his query list (I resubscribed under an alias). When I discussed my site with him, he seemed to back down, but then A YEAR later, he had a lawyer email me a threatening letter demanding that I put a disclaimer on my site that it was not affiliated with him or HARO, and demanding that I take off my reference to him on the site where I gave him cudos for the inspiration and referred people interested in national leads to subscribe to his site. I gladly took off the referral to him, added the disclaimer and sent him a nasty response. Why would I want to promote somebody like this? Peter Shankman may be one of the internet darlings today, but what goes around comes around. I’m thrilled that somebody is finally standing up to him.
First, this is a nice list. I do agree with several of the resources listed here, particularly the PR/marketing sites and blogs, since some of those might be lesser known resources for PR professionals.
However, I must agree with Kristin, and furthermore Peter, about my surprise over HARO not being included in this list. I’ve read the comments – you can’t review everything, you didn’t review it, etc. But my question is, “Why?” As a news blogger, it’s brought me amazing sources. As a former PR person, which I realize is the focus of your list, it brought me amazing story opportunities and connections I might not have otherwise gained. Sure, the wrapper and presentation isn’t fancy, but I tend to be one of those old-fashioned people who values substance over sparkle.
The other thing that struck me was how aggressive / snarky you are being with the people that come to your blog to express an opinion. Sardonic humor is all right, but attacks because people don’t agree with you? You’re the hosts of this blog. Would you invite people to a dinner party and then punch someone in the face who might not finish his or her salad? Maybe you had good reasons for not including HARO in the list (though I am still surprised it wasn’t reviewed), but any of those reasons are now lost within the childish post responses. I agree with Kristin. You guys initiated the tone of the comment section of this blog post when you laid into her. Why are the people who followed suddenly “unprofessional”?
The sad thing is, this *is* a nice list. But you’ve damaged your credibility by showing that you don’t understand how to integrate yourselves into the community you serve. You say you’re trying to help, yet come across as a defensive group of teenagers when disagreement arises. Why should any PR people want to follow that path?
Just some food for thought.
I am not a PR person, but I know kind of a “who’s who” in the PR field. I have had very little success in PR for my business until I ran across HARO and this Shankman guy. Utilizing a list that has over a 90% open rate is unheard of. 110,000 people have signed up to have it sent to them 3 times a day. I thought it was to good to be true. Long story short, I sponsored a newsletter and made my money back in an afternoon.
I respect that you guys are trying to provide a service and I respect what you do. I am not attacking you. I question the validity of your list when the gretest source of PR I have ever found by a long shot, is omitted
I definetely have a vested interest in HARO, because not only have I been an advertiser I have had the luxury ov being used as a source. This has allowed me to be published in various books and major newspapers–for free.
We all need HARO.
Michael Jordan
Hi Phil, Liliana and others,
Thom Brodeur here. In the interest of full disclosure…I am the COO of HARO. First, before any of the other comments I’d like to make, I’d like to say this…Liliana — I LOVE YOUR NAME. It’s truly one of my favorites. One of my closest friends throughout high school shared your name. It is rare, so I felt it worth noting. No accidents as far as I’m concerned.
In fairness to your list, and the parameters you’ve defined, I can see why HARO wouldn’t have been included. Doesn’t mean I don’t wish that hadn’t been the case, but I understand it. HARO carries a very similar policy when it comes to who we allow to advertise on HARO…in an overwhelming majority of cases we like to taste test, use, or at a minimum “see the whites of the eyes” of what we write about there – part of the charm of HARO and value to our sponsors. So, to that end, I ‘get’ exactly what you’re saying. I would argue against the notion Mihaela suggests that HARO cannot be considered social media. Oddly enough that’s precisely what HARO is…a community of active and engaged journalists, sources and small businesses and entrepreneurs who all come together to connect. Journalists leverage HARO for free access to mainstreet and expert sources (and there are tens of thousands of them who do so regularly). Mainstreet and ‘expert’ sources (to the tune of nearly 100,000 of them) use HARO every week and offer themselves up as resources to the media. Thousands more small business owners and entrepreneurs promote their products and services directly on thrice-daily distributed HAROs to build their brands, generate demand and sell their products and services. This is an active community of folks who just happen to use an email news digest as a means of connecting. I love my boss, and his passion for the phenomenon he has built, but I have a more pragmatic view of the fact that not EVERY PR professional on the planet has actively used HARO — frankly, our failure to be ‘known’ to you guys is more my fault than anyone’s. But, we hope to fix that.
Phil – I do hope you’ll reconsider your most recent position on taking the time to indeed review HARO and see how it may be useful to you, Liliana and your other colleagues. Moreover, perhaps this exercise and the experience of publishing your ‘first’ list may well inform a new (or other) categories that could include services like HARO in the future. I, for one, am pleased that you didn’t lump us into the “blog” category. We’re not that. So, we would have no business being listed along the likes of Brian Solis, Deirdre or Chris’ category. Now Peter Shankman, the man…HE may be a different story for that category…quite a prolific blogger, tweeter and influencer in social media circles, but HARO stands on its own, and I appreciate your recognition of that.
And, Phil – as for the branding criticism. You’re right. We’re working on it, and in three short weeks you’re going to see a new and improved “landing” for HARO that I think you will be quite pleased with.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment.
Thom, Thanks for clarifying your company’s position. I least of all want to deprive people of tools that will help them. I made a valid criticism, tried to explain our situation, and look where it got us. You offer the gauged response where something positive could come out of this for consumers and your company. We do not want anyone to bend over backward to get reviewed, we have so many who see stories like this and email or call us to look at them. Instead of that though, the trolls start flowing in. As for Peter? Well, you see his disdain and threatening tone.
Let’s see where we are here. We do a list that does not even include Edelman, for reasons I won’t go into. We did not include ourselves, because our corporate site is awful for the moment and we obviously do not have the reach some of these others do. Then Peter drops by like freaking Darth vader expecting someone to shiver in their Jedi boots because he has some readers? I will not say what I am thinking, though I probably should.
I will reconsider testing this for two reasons. First, because at least one person at your company (you) knows how to speak with a civil tongue in his mouth. Secondly, because if it is as good as you say it is, some of our constituents might benefit from it. But, let me clear about something else. I firmly believe that any company is really a mirror reflection of the people behind it, the company is really about the people. That given, a big part of your operation is not very nice, and arrogant as hell. Short advice for any of our PR constituents right now? I would point directly to these comments.
Always,
Phil
What about ESPN??? :(
Maybe you guys don’t know Peter well enough to see through his tone and understand his intent.
That said, there are few tools / sites / whatevers that are more influential in the PR world. Not to add any fuel to the fire, but I would have found a category for them, or created a “Misc.” category for things that don’t fit neatly into another category.
But without a doubt, no list of 100 PR anythings is complete without a mention of “HelpAReporterOut.com”
Just my two cents. Thanks to Mr. Shankman for a great service.
Thanks for the appropriate comment Digital. However, in case you did not notice the list clearly states that we covered only those platforms we had experience with. If this platform were Wikipedia, and we had no knowledge of it, we would not mention it. What is being asked here, is for a publication to include something they know little or nothing about? What is expected then? To just regurgitate that company’s jargon and call it true? What is that? A lie? I hope you see the point. I made the criticism on the landing of that platform for a reason. If I had not used it, and ran across an article on PRWeek about it, I would not give it a second look because of the online branding element of the landing. Then their head honcho comes and criticizes me for making a valid comment? I hope you see that too.
As you can also see, any number of people have come in support of this platform. I hope you know what that is about too. Our reader base is far too eclectic for this to happen naturally. We did not target this story like that. We are as willing as anyone to help and highlight great innovation. But when I have personally criticized some of the most powerful PR companies in the world, and then they make changes and ask for feeback – in a nice way – do you expect me to jump through hoops for people who insult me? I am just being honest here.
Always,
Phil