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Meltwater Media Intelligence Platform review
September 30, 2021

Meltwater Media Intelligence Platform review

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Meltwater Media Intelligence Platform

As a PR group, we need a reliable resource for capturing [the] news coverage we earn on behalf of our clients. We tested Meltwater [Media Intelligence Platform] as a possible alternative for monitoring, capturing, and reporting media coverage. We are aware that Meltwater [Media Intelligence Platform] also features a media research database, but we are entirely satisfied with the current vendor we use for that. Only our PR department evaluated the platform.
  • The user interface is fairly intuitive and easy to navigate
  • Reports are impressive
  • Engaging the customer support team is fairly simple when needed
  • Whatever algorithm they use to automatically apply the sentiment to media coverage needs serious adjustment.
  • It seems like Meltwater is a sales organization that offers media monitoring. [In my experience,] I've never used a product that offers so many features as upsell opportunities.
  • Speaking of sales, [I believe] the front-line salespeople at Meltwater are the absolute worst. [I feel] I'd rather deal with a sleazy used car salesman in a cheap suit at a sketchy roadside lot than a hyper-aggressive, sell-anything-and-everything-at-all-costs Meltwater salesperson. [In my experience,] the salespeople we worked with were so aggressive that they bordered on sociopathic.
  • We were able to use Meltwater [Media Intelligence Platform] to generate media coverage reports that were impressive to clients and mostly effective at demonstrating the value of the results we were showing. That's of utmost importance when you're trying to justify a client's spending with you.
  • Ultimately, there were too many limits on what we could and couldn't do with Meltwater [Media Intelligence Platform]. [In my experience] if we wanted greater access, more saved searches, and influencers, we would have to pay more, which made no sense when you compare the value to other platforms.
Customer service was better than average. They're easy to reach and provide quick responses when issues arise. Unfortunately, [in my experience,] the customer service team is the best part about Meltwater [Media Intelligence Platform].
[In my opinion,] Meltwater [Media Intelligence Platform]'s media database simply doesn't stack up to what Cision offers. It doesn't matter how nice the interface is if the data included in the database you're pulling from isn't complete or well organized. Cision can be clunky, but it works. Winner: Cision. In terms of media monitoring, Meltwater [Media Intelligence Platform] has nice reporting features, but it's far behind Critical Mention when it comes to finding the coverage you generate. Winner: Critical Mention. In terms of doing business with the company, [I feel] Meltwater Media Intelligence Platform comes in dead last compared to everyone else. This is mostly because of [in my opinion,] the awful experience their salespeople bring to bear.

Do you think Meltwater delivers good value for the price?

No

Are you happy with Meltwater's feature set?

No

Did Meltwater live up to sales and marketing promises?

No

Did implementation of Meltwater go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Meltwater again?

No

Meltwater [Media Intelligence Platform] could be a decent alternative for in-house or agency PR practitioners looking for reporting and research options. You really only learn about the platform's shortcomings when you use it, but fear not: they have a solution! [In my experience] the only issue is that you have to buy up into the feature that will solve the issue. [I believe] it seems deceptive, and the last thing any of us need is to do business with a company that's not up front with what they're selling.