Meltwater vs. Cision: Which and Why?

There are reasons why PR pros prefer one to the other

A woman thinking about which one is better. Meltwater and Cision are software as a service products that PR and marketing teams use for media monitoring, social listening, engagement, identifying relevant influencers, creating and sharing relevant content, and tracking the content’s effect.

Essentially, both solutions assist marketers and PR pros with their communication ambitions so they can target, reach, and engage their audience.

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However, PR experts prefer one to the other and have their unique reasons for doing so. This post explores those reasons, as well as why other vendors are worth considering. Keep in mind that many PR pros are likely to recommend what they’ve used and what they’re familiar with instead of being open-minded. We’ve experienced this ourselves at our agency.

Reasons for choosing Meltwater

Meltwater seems to be the go-to option for many PR experts. The reasons for this are outlined below.

Meltwater has impressive data visualization, media monitoring, and reporting options.
The media monitoring is user-friendly and churns out reports for leadership.
Their customer service is top-notch, and they yearn for recommendations that will help them improve their product.
Meltwater seems to be more budget-friendly.
The software pioneered captures excellent analytics and provides social listening tools.

Reasons for choosing Cision

Cision has made its mark as the original PR software. However, that is not the reason why some professionals favor it over other software. Some pros of Cision include:

Cision seems to have a fresher and more recent media database directory for pitching.
Its integration with PR Newswire sets it apart.
Cision boasts notable earned media attribution capabilities.

Noteworthy considerations when deciding on which tool to use

While choosing between Meltwater and Cision, it’s important to bear some concerns in mind. Most PR and marketing teams tend to overlook these considerations. They are:

Deciding whether you’ll hire an agency soon and if they’ll be using the tools in their service
Determining if you need the tools or an agency to manage the tools

We see this happen a lot: A company buys the software and then realizes they need an agency (who already has this software). Addressing these concerns will let you know whether or not to proceed with either of the tools in the first place.

Why other options besides Meltwater and Cision are worth considering

It’s imperative for PR professionals to consider other vendors besides just Meltwater and Cision. This is because:

There are a variety of other solutions that may be better suited to deal with your PR and marketing team’s media relations.
There have been multiple consolidations and acquisitions, which have various advantages and disadvantages from a customer’s perspective. Thus, exploring the market is necessary.
The various solutions have their individual strengths in various areas. While one might excel in terms of media contact databases or media monitoring, another might be ahead in terms of earned media measurement.

If you are still uncertain as to which option will best suit you, conduct a listening exercise to learn what other customers say about the various software. Some things you need to find out are:

What people like about each product
Where each product disappoints
The timeliness and completeness of each product’s data
How each product handles paywall data (for media monitoring and clipping)
If the products clip the right type of content

Know what you’re looking for. Additionally, ask other public relations professionals about their experiences and try demos of products that interest you. Read our post for insight on how to select the best media monitoring platform for you.