Cision Communications Cloud Reviews

Cision is well suited for PR staffs, either at a brand or agency level, especially those that are actively executing outreach programs at a national, state or local level. Cision doesn't necessarily replace manual list development or building PR relationships, but it gives PR personnel a significant head start on where and with whom to begin targeted outreach.

Cision PR Software is perfect for the PR practitioner. It has all of the tools one needs to get a job done for a client and to do it well. I especially like the media monitoring function for getting client news delivered directly to my inbox on a daily basis. It's also a great tool with incredible search functionality for finding reporters and influencers by publication, location, specialty, and other ways.

I don't really use Cision much for sending press releases or pitches. The system can be a bit bulky at times and I have other ways of tracking my emails internally.

The real core value in Cision's offering is its robust media database. While some of the other fringe offerings are ok (reporting, reporter inquiries, distribution), they alone would not justify paying for the service because there are other companies out there that do a better and cheaper job with those offerings. The bottom line is that we would not be able to do what we do as effectively without the media database.

The Vocus PR Suite is well suited for public relations and communications professionals looking to research media outlets and contacts to target with news releases or company announcements, then be able to quickly send them out via a distribution through Vocus (versus having to spend a lot more time sending individual emails to each person.) It's not as well-suited if a PR or communications professional always needs to share their news and announcements with a small, specific group of media contacts - in which case, it would be much more cost effective to maintain their own media list via an internal document and then send announcements out individually by email.

It is great for highly targeted, unique audience PR/comm. It is also great for strategic communications to a broader audience, when your company is seeking such a strategy. Overall, it’s a bit pricey and has us considering other options.

If you need to find contact info for reporters, especially phone numbers, Cision is invaluable. If you are a smart media pro, it makes you much better at your job. However, if you don't know much about media, Cision can be overwhelming and won't give you the insight you need to know what to do with the information.

Cision is great for public relations professionals who know the specific reporters they are looking to reach or are doing a basic/general search to find reporters relevant to a specific subject. I don't personally use the monitoring services, I think other products have better monitoring functions.

It's great for those who want to quickly get press releases out to the press. It gives you many options for specific demographics to target and it's easy to use. They now allow you to download a PDF prior to distribution to share among your colleagues.

My experience with Cision has been awful. They miss a lot of press cuttings from a client. When I decided it wasn't right for me I was informed that as I'd signed a contract there was no notice period and I couldn't leave. The customer service has been consistently awful, mainly unresponsive. Their communication is appalling. They're not clear in what you sign up for and having used other press cuttings agencies I'd assumed there would be a notice period. There isn't. Six weeks in they still haven't sorted the direct debit mandate. It's just time consuming. They're really nice when you're signing up and then just rude when you highlight issues.

The media landscape is changing rapidly and Cision's up-to-date contacts are indispensable for those of us out there pitching everyday.

Personally, I feel that Cision is a required media tool for any organization that is interested in generating media coverage -- whether they are a small business or a global organization. I have actually worked at both over the past 15 years, and have always used Cision. When I came to an organization that didn't have Cision, like in my current role, one of the first things I did was work to get approval to order it. Cision PR's media research tool can be used to find any reporter across the country. For a specific example, I recently needed to send out a press release to all reporters covering Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. I used Cision to find all reporters covering these topics, then used the email distribution system to send out the news release. In real time, it took about 20 minutes to do that from beginning to end. If I had to use the Internet to research and contact all these editors, it would have taken days.

Cision is, hands-down, the best database for creating targeted media lists. For example, if you want to target health editors at the top 150 U.S. newspapers, you have that information at your fingertips with Cision. The service isn't the best for compiling lists of social influencers (e.g. YouTube or Instagram stars), but, I believe, Cision is aiming to better develop that capability.

Cision does a great job at quickly pulling media lists and distributing media materials to those lists housed in an internal system that also tracks deliveries, opens, and failed attempts. Cision isn't great at tracking the results of those press releases (as in whether it resulted in media coverage).

Cision is extremely helpful when looking for information for media members, such as television, newspapers, online outlets, etc. It helps you find information both if you know what you are looking for or if you have no idea and need a push in the right direction. It's also good for keeping you up to date on updated information.

Cision was perfect for when I was a Media Booker. It helped me to build my contact lists and get my pitches out, quick and easily!

Less appropriate if you are at a company or position not involved with media or PR.

If you are a business involved with media or PR I would say that having Cision PR is essential to your success.

Cision is great for sending your news to every type of media in selected categories. If I'm doing a launch of a food product, it's easy to select all the editors and reporters in related categories, plus the general business editors, etc.

Media list building is still Cision PR's number one strength. The software provides robust lists that can be tailored by location, circulation, topics, and more. Again, the addition of social media information allows lists to be made of influencers to follow and eventually reach out to. Cision PR is not a social media tracking platform and while it has some capability, the reporting aspect is still not there compared to other programs like Union Metrics.

I honestly think Cision is the best tool for PR and monitoring on the market. They have really updated the ability for tracking your mentions on social media which is extremely useful because it could eliminate a social media monitoring tool. It is also the best for creating lists with up to date media information. Being able to track everything that I have been doing on the wire and the retroactive social posts that come through in one platform is so useful.

Cision is very well suited for building media lists, doing research on members of the media and media outlets, and for conveniently sending out blast pitches to the press.

"News" sources have proliferated exponentially because every internet user is a potential news maker. Cision does a good job of sorting through the chaff and chatter. We went through a lengthy process vetting the various competitors and the Cision platform was the equal or better. Customer service has been excellent. Plus they are price competitive.

Cision's biggest strength is its media database. Other than that, you're better off with a more robust tool.

For us, we use it for reach info and the media database. Outside of that, we haven't had success with monitoring media or doing other PR-related tasks with Cision. It's also not suited for niche media, at least in the faith and family-friendly market that we work in. We mostly use it for mainstream and secular, national media, or well-regarded local media.

Cision PR Software is well suited for anyone who routinely researches media contacts or builds lists. The notes are useful in that they provide context for the reporter and how they preferred to be contacted, as well as their career history.

Cision PR is great for sending out press releases and keeping record of who you contact for what. It also allows you to keep record of activities outside of the software, like phone calls, emails and face-to-face encounters.