Media monitoring is a vital part of any digital publisher’s path to success. It is necessary to hear stories as they happen, track the competition and remain alert to any oncoming crises — and the best media monitoring software and news monitoring tools automate all of this.
While the practice of media monitoring has existed for more than a century, the introduction of internet news and online social networks has seen the practice undergo radical new shifts in innovation. This is where media monitoring tools enter, leveraging AI technology to gain insight into trends and public opinion across billions of discussions on a daily basis.
These tools are also becoming ever more popular, with the expected global market share to more than triple from $3.96 billion in 2022 to $11.54 billion by 2029. As digital media sees its popularity increase over traditional media, media monitoring tool options have also climbed.
But with so many choices out there, how do publishers ensure they choose the best one for their company? To help alleviate decision paralysis, we’ve drawn together a list of the 13 best media monitoring tools.
Why Is Media Monitoring Important?
Media monitoring allows publishers to identify upcoming trends, compare their content to their competitors and alert them to any emerging crises. In the information age, being the first to act can secure more viewers as well as help head off potential reputational harm.
News monitoring is crucial for staying updated with relevant topics and brand mentions, protecting a brand’s reputation, and understanding public sentiment.
Media monitoring has a rich history. Emerging in the industrial era as print became more accessible to the general public, artists would monitor the press for mentions. Since then, media monitoring has continued to be a valuable resource for organizations looking to review their image and see how they stack up against their competitors.
Gone are the days of copying, cutting and pasting print articles, with software having now taken over. The process has become automated and streamlined to suit a far more competitive and timely industry.
The continuing media evolution has made software tools essential for news and brand publishers alike. For example, the standardization of the 24-hour news cycle meant that news outlets looking to update around the clock needed information around the clock.
Likewise, the radical shift in the general public’s power to damage brand reputation has necessitated greater media monitoring. Social media channels have created opportunities for the public to directly communicate with organizations — but that doesn’t mean all interactions are positive. The 2012 #McDStories are a prime example of this.
Media monitoring tools play an important role in mitigating the effects of public relations (PR) disasters. They allow publishers and marketers to rapidly react to crisis situations by keeping them informed in an ever-changing environment.
3 Types of Media Monitoring Tools
While each media monitoring tool overlaps with one another in terms of capabilities, there are some broad differences in terms of functionality. A media monitoring solution can help track efforts, make mid-campaign adjustments, and measure against business objectives. The software tends to lean towards one of three categories:
- Public relations
- News gathering
- General trend analysis
PR Tools
One of the consequences of the invention of social media, online forums and the 24-hour news cycle, is that news now spreads incredibly quickly. Company crises now spread like wildfire.
PR media monitoring can provide a heads up to oncoming disasters, with the tools generally focusing on online social spaces. They come equipped with the ability to measure sentiment, that is the negative or positive emotions attached to messages. Media monitoring providers offer integrated communications platforms and advanced features to support PR efforts.
News Monitoring Tools
News-gathering tools are generally focused on detecting emerging news trends or events as quickly as possible. They generally monitor for keywords, or a general area, and alert a publisher or content creator to any potential trends. A news monitoring tool can track and analyze news mentions across various channels to detect specific information.
Some even go a step further, such as Help A Reporter Out platform, which connects journalists to useful sources for their articles.
General Trend Analysis
The more general media monitoring tools are usually the cheapest or sometimes just outright free. They generally have limited capabilities, have less automation and tend not to fill any niches.
Take, for example, Google Trends and Google Alerts. These tools are simple to use, free and proficient at what they do. However, they don’t provide sentiment analysis.
Essential Criteria for Selecting an Effective Media Monitoring Tool
Evaluating media monitoring tools is crucial for publishers seeking to effectively track and analyze the impact of their content. Here’s a summary of key criteria to consider:
1. Coverage and Reach
Ensure the solution monitors a comprehensive range of media types, including traditional outlets (TV, radio, print), online news, blogs, podcasts, and social media platforms. Verify its ability to track media from regions or countries pertinent to your target audience. Confirm support for multiple languages, especially if catering to an international or multicultural readership.
2. Accuracy and Relevance
Evaluate how effectively the solution filters out irrelevant content, delivering only pertinent mentions. Assess the accuracy of sentiment analysis in determining positive, negative, or neutral tones in coverage. Check if users can set specific criteria, such as keywords, topics, or competitors, to refine monitoring.
3. Real-Time Monitoring
Determine if the solution offers real-time alerts for breaking news or mentions. Look for customizable alert preferences, such as email, SMS, or dashboard notifications. Consider how quickly the solution processes and delivers new content.
4. Data Analysis and Reporting
Seek customizable dashboards that provide actionable insights, such as share of voice and engagement metrics. Ensure access to historical data for trend analysis and performance tracking. Verify the ability to create custom reports focusing on specific metrics. Check for various data export formats like PDF, CSV, or Excel for further analysis.
5. Engagement Metrics
Assess how well the solution tracks social media engagement metrics, including shares, comments, and likes. Determine if it provides data on the reach and potential audience size of mentions. Check if the solution can monitor mentions by key influencers or media personalities relevant to your brand.
6. Competitive Intelligence
Ensure the solution allows tracking of competitors’ mentions and media coverage. Look for features that enable comparison of your coverage to competitors to assess share of voice or media presence.
7. User Experience and Interface
Evaluate the platform’s intuitiveness and ease of navigation for all user levels. Check how easily users can customize dashboards, alert settings, and reports. Ensure the solution provides training, tutorials, and responsive customer support.
8. Integration with Other Tools
Verify if the monitoring solution integrates with your content management system for seamless data sharing. Assess compatibility with other tools, such as analytics platforms, CRM systems, or PR tools.
9. Cost-Effectiveness
Understand the pricing structure, whether subscription-based, pay-per-use, or tiered. Consider if the solution offers sufficient features and functionality for the price, with scalability for future needs.
10. Security and Data Privacy
Confirm adherence to best practices for data protection, especially when handling sensitive content. Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR or CCPA.
11. Customer Reviews and Reputation
Research the general reputation of the media monitoring solution within the publishing industry. Review existing customer feedback on reliability, customer support, and effectiveness. Look for case studies or testimonials showcasing how the solution has benefited similar publishers.
12. Customer Support and Service
Determine the level of support offered, such as 24/7 availability, live chat, or phone support. Assess the ease of getting started with the solution and the availability of onboarding assistance. Check for detailed user manuals, FAQs, and other support resources.
By thoroughly evaluating these factors, publishers can select a media monitoring tool that best fits their needs and objectives.
14 Best Media Monitoring Tools
Here is how we rated each platform for different parameters out of 5:
| Platform |
Coverage and Reach |
Accuracy and Relevance |
Real-Time Monitoring |
Data Analysis and Reporting |
Engagement Metrics |
Competitive Intelligence |
User Experience and Interface |
Integration with Other Tools |
Cost-Effectiveness |
Security and Data Privacy |
Customer Reviews and Reputation |
Customer Support and Service |
Score |
| AlphaMetricx |
4.5 |
4.5 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
4.5 |
5.0 |
4.0 |
3.5 |
4.0 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
5.0 |
4.5 |
| Brandwatch |
4.5 |
4.6 |
4.5 |
4.7 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
4.4 |
4.5 |
3.8 |
4.6 |
4.3 |
4.2 |
4.4 |
| Brand24 |
4.2 |
4.5 |
4.6 |
4.3 |
4 |
4 |
4.4 |
4.2 |
4 |
4.7 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
4.3 |
| Meltwater |
4.4 |
4.5 |
4.6 |
4.4 |
4 |
4.1 |
4.3 |
4.2 |
3.8 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
4.1 |
4.3 |
| Agility PR Solutions |
4.3 |
4.5 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
4.1 |
3.9 |
4.4 |
4 |
3.8 |
4.6 |
4.3 |
4.1 |
4.2 |
| CISION |
4.5 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
4 |
4.2 |
4.3 |
3.7 |
4.5 |
4.1 |
4.1 |
4.2 |
| Dataminr |
4.6 |
4.7 |
4.8 |
4.3 |
3.8 |
3.5 |
4.2 |
4 |
3.5 |
4.7 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
4.2 |
| KeyTrends |
4.3 |
4.4 |
4.5 |
4.4 |
3.8 |
3.9 |
4.2 |
4.1 |
3.7 |
4.6 |
4.3 |
4.1 |
4.2 |
| Muck Rack |
4.3 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
4 |
4 |
3.8 |
4.4 |
4 |
3.7 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
| Google Trends |
4.5 |
4.3 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3.8 |
4.7 |
3.5 |
5 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
3.5 |
4.1 |
| Isentia |
4.3 |
4.4 |
4.2 |
4 |
4 |
3.8 |
4.1 |
4 |
3.7 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
4 |
4.1 |
| Determ |
4.2 |
4.5 |
4 |
4.3 |
4.1 |
3.8 |
4.4 |
4 |
3.7 |
4.6 |
4.2 |
4 |
4.1 |
| Prowly |
4.2 |
4.3 |
4 |
4.1 |
3.9 |
3.5 |
4.5 |
4 |
4 |
4.5 |
4.3 |
4.2 |
4.1 |
| News Exposure |
4 |
4.2 |
4.1 |
4 |
4 |
3.8 |
4.3 |
3.9 |
3.7 |
4.5 |
4.1 |
4 |
4.1 |
Let’s learn more about each of these tools in detail to ensure you make an informed choice.
How to Choose the Best Media Monitoring Tool
There are many factors to weigh up when deciding which monitoring tool is the best fit for your organization. Here are a few to consider:
What Formats It Monitors
For some sectors of publishing, some functions of media monitoring tools are absolute musts. For example, a publisher working within the broadcast sector must ensure that their media monitoring tool monitors formats standard in the industry — audio and visual.
Some social media monitoring tools also specialize only in those platforms but don’t monitor paywalled content, digital newspapers or other forms of media. For some publishers monitoring online social spaces, this may be okay, but others may need to monitor both traditional media and social platforms.
Scale
The more money a publisher is able to invest into a media monitoring tool increases the amount of monitoring they are able to accomplish. However, publishers should consider whether this is necessary before deciding.
If a publication is on the smaller side, focusing on a single niche, then perhaps a single keyword alert will be enough for them. For enterprises, options for unlimited keywords will prove necessary.
Its Feature set
Media monitoring tools have features that cater to select needs. For monitoring tools related to public relations, features that alert quickly and generate efficiently automated reports are useful for quick action against crises. For media monitoring tools that focus on news, any features that contribute to sourcing stories, such as gathering snapshots of media and identifying related keywords, are a boon.
Free Trials and Demonstrations
The best way publishers can determine whether or not a media monitoring software will benefit their organization is to try it out for themselves. Luckily, many of the listed options have some sort of free trial or demonstration attached to them.
However, publishers shouldn’t stop at just one, as it’s important to compare the features of several before deciding.
Media monitoring tools are an essential part of a publisher’s editorial strategy. They play two key roles: generating inspiration and information sources for content and mitigating risk to brand image.
However, their use isn’t limited to digital publishing, or even marketing more broadly. Organizations working within the public sector regularly find some use for media monitoring tools, whether it be gathering insight into the general public opinion over legislation or quickly and accurately identifying damage in case of a disaster or crisis.
Publishers can use these tools to strategize and plan for their content. Content strategy is a broad segment, however, and there are other tools that could be more useful on this front.
For tools that can help publishers organize their content, check out our article on the 13 Best Editorial Calendar Software.
FAQs
What Is Media Monitoring and Analysis?
Media monitoring and analysis is the process of tracking and analyzing trends in print, social, broadcast and other types of media. Media monitoring in digital software automates many of these processes and can alert its users to breakout stories, news trends and other emerging topics in media.
How Can I Track Media Mentions?
Media monitoring software with a keyword tracking feature can be used to track media mentions. This keyword could be a topic, brand or locale. Different software may have different steps to input a keyword, while others such as Google Alerts have its keyword input on the main page. The software then notifies the user of any mention.
How Do I Monitor Media Coverage?
Monitoring media coverage can either be done manually by sifting through various different news sites to build a report or doing it automatically using media monitoring software. Media monitoring software aggregates data from inputted keywords and generates a holistic report of the media coverage.
