Top 5 tools to boost PR productivity

31/08/2023By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter

How can you boost your communications productivity with digital PR tools? Julie Osborne from Scandinavian Communication’s Public Relations Global Network partner Roop & Co. shares her top five tools.

By Julie Osborne, Account Supervisor – Roop & Co.

In the ever-dynamic world of public relations, we all know that there are many hats to be worn, various tasks to be juggled and conflicting deadlines to be met. Without the ease and convenience of digital PR tools, your competitors will beat you to the punch every time. But by building a robust arsenal of the right PR tools, you will ultimately empower your communications team to not only be more productive and efficient, but garner more effective results.

Here are five key digital PR tools and apps to introduce to your communications team in 2023:

1. PR Monitoring & Analysis Tools
Media monitoring and analysis is an essential part of any communications toolkit. To implement an effective public relations strategy, your communications team must be able to easily track important information such as brand sentiment and engagement, media mentions, industry news and trends, and competitor analysis. The ever-evolving nature of social media, in particular, has afforded the public immense power over brands’ reputations—in turn only adding to the crucial role of media monitoring in PR.

Popular examples of these tools include Meltwater, Agility PR and Brandwatch. From optimizing your media pitching process and tracking media coverage in real time to exploring industry trends to leverage for potential story angles, media monitoring and analysis tools offer a variety of capabilities. Your individual priorities and needs will greatly influence which specific features are necessary.

2. Project Management Software
Public relations professionals are working within an increasingly digital landscape and are serving a wide variety of stakeholders. They’re also often working on multiple projects, along with the many tasks that fall under each of those projects.

In this kind of fast-paced, dynamic environment, a shared digital platform for project management is absolutely critical. Having this tool will enable your communications team to effectively track everything from general task status and project timelines, to PR campaign development and media outreach.

Choosing the right project management software for your team will require considering factors such as the size and budget of your organization, as well as which system and features are going to be the best fit for your team. A few well-known examples of these tools include Basecamp, Asana and Monday.

3. AI-Powered PR Tools
Exploding seemingly overnight in the communications field earlier this year, AI-powered tools offer a wide variety of potential applications—including many that are highly relevant to PR work. ChatGPT, for example, has the capability to rapidly generate text based on specific prompts. As a result, it can not only be used for drafting items such as press releases or articles, but can also assist in the research and editing stages.

With its ability to process language, it can even produce content that is customized for specific audiences—a particularly important feature for PR professionals. However, keep in mind that any AI-generated content should only be considered a first draft and will need to be thoroughly reviewed, fact checked and polished.

It’s also important to note that, while still rapidly evolving, AI-powered tools will completely revolutionize the PR industry in the years to come. Although certainly powerful on their own, they work best when used strategically by experienced communicators who know how to write effective prompts and can weave in the human element of storytelling. While there are new AI-powered PR tools popping up every day, a few popular examples include Determ, Jasper and Sprinklr.

4. Marketing Automation Platforms
By streamlining and automating numerous PR activities, marketing automation platforms like HubSpot, SharpSpring and Marketo can help with many aspects of your communications team’s work—from social media and digital advertising, to lead generation and email marketing. They can even help with overall PR campaign implementation and measurement.

By bringing a variety of marketing assets under a single platform, marketing automation enables smoother and more efficient processes—ultimately enhancing the customer experience. In many cases, these tools can even be integrated with other marketing platforms such as customer relationship management (CRM) software, social media management tools and account-based marketing (ABM) orchestration platforms.

5. News Aggregator Sites
News aggregator sites can act as tools to help your communications team stay on top of emerging news in a highly efficient and effective way. They provide you with relevant articles and content as well as timely updates. AP News, Feedly and Google News are a few examples you can consider leveraging as your news aggregator tool.

Users can customize their feeds to track the news content that they want to see—whether that be national news or specific industry news. This way, users can view only the content that is relevant to them without getting inundated with unnecessary information. Because these tools sort through and filter all news, users get quality sources and content all in one convenient location.

Each of the described digital PR tools offers its own way to help your communications team do great work.

Read the full article here

Disruptive media monitoring tool launched in Europe

25/05/2023By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter

We worked 2 years behind the scenes on this! Now we launch the new, disruptive tool Monitio that reinvents media monitoring, translation and assisted fact-checking through AI technologies. We are so excited to launch Monitio as a first step in the European markets of Spain, Portugal, the UK, and Germany – in the pictures showcased at Monitio User Day in Madrid last week.

In the Monitio project, Scandinavian Communications is part of a pan-European Consortium collaboration with frontrunner tech-company Priberam, the international public broadcaster Deutsche Welle and the University of Cambridge. We have received EU funding for the development of the core technologies and readiness for commercial launch in the programme “Fast Track to Innovation” under Horizon 2020 – which aims to reduce the time from idea to market.

Monitio is the first tool on the market to monitor media from countries worldwide in real-time AND simultaneously translate the content from the original language into English, Spanish, Portuguese, or German – also in real-time. Also, Monitio has assisted fact-checking newer seen before in the market of media monitoring. Monitio automatically structures thousands of articles into thematic clusters, so users get an overview of how media content relates to specific topics, persons, companies etc. This gives much deeper insights into your industry, markets, and competitors.

Learn more at Monitio.com

Scandinavian Communications welcomes new Finnish partner agency

11/05/2023By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter

Scandinavian Communications are excited to welcome our new Finnish partner agency Ellun Kanat to the Public Relations Global Network.

Partner Ville Tuominen from Ellun Kanat and our Founder Christina Rytter meet in person last week together with 43 of our 55 agency partners from around the globe at the Public Relations Global Network conference in Budapest.

Public Relations Global Network gathers in Budapest

08/04/2023By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

This week Scandinavian Communication’s Founder and Trusted Communications Advisor Christina Rytter attended the Public Relations Global Network conference in Budapest.

43 of 55 agency partners from around the globe gathered to share knowledge, get new insights from leading keynotes – and create deeper business relationships and friendships.

Public Relations Global Network are a connected network of 55 hand-selected public relations firms servicing key markets around the world. As leaders in our respective regions, PRGN agencies offer the “boots-on-the-ground” savvy of a local Public Relations agency, yet on a global scale. Our model allows us to deliver a unique level of flexibility – scaling up or down across multiple markets to meet your business needs. Each PR agency knows its local community and it knows how to help clients connect with their audiences in those regions.

Christina Rytter is Past-president of PRGN and Scandinavian Communications an agency member since 2009 offering our clients a single point of contact to the Scandinavian markets of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland – and often beyond.

Read more about PRGN

Global PR Predictions 2023

03/02/2023By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media

By Gábor Jelinek, CEO, Public Relations Global Network 

Ethics and transparency, AI and innovations, ESG agenda and constant crisis mode – these are some of the key trends that will shape 2023 for brands and communicators, say PRGN’s leading global communications experts in our annual collection of PR predictions.

Every year in the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) we give our PR predictions. Some of the key trends that will shape this year for leaders and communicators as we see it are more challenging markets with a constant mode of crisis and change, ethics, transparency, AI and innovations as well as the ESG agenda.

Crisis and Change as a new normal

“With one global, geopolitical, and economic crisis after another corporate leaders and organizations are more or less in a constant state of crisis. Therefore, in my opinion, crisis and change can now be seen as a new normal rather than a rare event. No leader can sit around and wait for things to get “back to normal”. Change is the only constant. We can’t predict what is coming next, but we can improve our management and communications toolbox so our skills to handle crises and change become even stronger,” says Christina Rytter, founder and Trusted Communication Advisor at Scandinavian Communications.

Read the PR Predictions from across the globe in this interesting blog post written by Gabor Jelinek with contributions also from our leading PR and communications partners in Public Relations Global Network

Read the full blog post here

5-Star MarCom Strategy 2023

06/12/2022By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter, Content Marketing, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, Strategic Communications

Ready to reach the stars in 2023? If so, working strategically with Marketing and Communications is a pivotal first step in the right direction. Here you’ll get our recommendations for a 5-Start MarCom Strategy 2023

⭐ Business goals as guiding star
Communications, PR and Marketing are all about supporting your overall business goals. Therefore all activities must drive the business forward according to the overall company business goals. MarCom Strategy is a naturally integrated part of the business strategy of today’s leading companies. Your overall MarCom strategy must link together with a Go-to-Market plan for tactic execution of your campaigns and activities within communications, PR, marketing and social media.

⭐ Key Messages in order
It is absolutely key to have your Key Messages in order. Do a solid piece of work with both your Corporate & Product Messages. Our Corporate messages must be Value driven, authentic and show WHY your company or organisation are in this world? What lights your inner fire? This is feeling-based messages. All studies show that our actions as humans to a large extent are feeling driven. It’s hardwired biology. Your Product messages must address your target group’s pains, needs and dreams. You need to understand and take your target group’s perspective to create relevant product messages. NOT only your own company perspective! 😉

⭐ Segment Target Groups
A vital part of your MarCom Strategy is to segment your target groups and influencers. Successful Communications, PR and Marketing start with a very clear and deep segmentation. Your target groups are often very different. The more we unfold the target groups and influencers in our strategic work, the clearer it becomes, that we have many more, than we realize off the top of our heads. A typical pitfall is therefore, that companies try to reach all target groups with the same type of communication. If you try to reach everyone – often you reach no one. And the MarCom results become too weak to create a really successful impact on the business.

⭐ Relevant Communication Channels
To reach each of your key target groups, you need to tailor your content and then communicate and get into dialogue in the relevant and strategic/tactical selected communications channels. This is NOT necessarily the channels you know and use yourself! 😉 But the channels preferred by each of your target groups and influencers. Again, this often varies in different target groups across business positions, countries, ages, gender etc. To be successful your business needs to engage and communicate in the channels where your target groups are.

⭐ Measure Results
You need to strategically decide on and set KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for your communications, PR and marketing. Otherwise you can only to a lesser extent measure the effect, business value and ROI (Return-on-Investment) of your invested MarCom budget.
When you set KPIs and thereby measure results, you’ll be able to have clear evaluation of, what is driving the business forward. And what is not. Also, you can demonstrate the direct business value of communications, PR, marketing and social media to the management and the board.


Learn more:
Please contact our founder Christina Rytter direct at cr@scandcomm.com  to learn more about, how we create a tailored MarCom Strategy for your company in Scandinavia – or beyond.

Online MasterClass
OR Do-It-Yourself with Christina Rytter´´´s online MasterClass (in Danish) 

New podcast episode about Crisis Communications

21/11/2022By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, Podcast, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Strategic Communications

When a crisis hits, you need a team of key people in place to respond quickly and effectively before the situation escalates.

In this episode of the PRGN Present’s podcast, host Abbie Fink of HMA Public Relations sits down with Scandinavian Communication’s Founder, Trusted Communications Advisor Christina Rytter to discuss the key roles in a crisis communications team and how CEOs should be preparing for a potential crisis.

Episode 6: The CEO’s role in Crisis Communications: 

PRGN Presents is brought to you by Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), the world’s local public relations agency. With PR leaders embedded into the fabric of the communities we serve, clients hire our agencies for the local knowledge, expertise and connections in markets spanning six continents.

PRGN provides customized communication solutions that combine the scale and stature of an international PR firm with the deep insights and hands-on, senior-level service of a local agency. This offers our clients a unique competitive edge. Scandinavian Communications is a member of PRGN.

Read more about Crisis Communications

Scandinavian Communications wins international Gold Award

10/11/2022By scandinaviancomChristina Rytter, Content Marketing, Management Communications, PR, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications

We are proud to announce that Scandinavian Communications won a Best Practice Gold Award in the category Agency Collaborations at this year’s PRGN Awards held in Singapore. The agency won the award for international client collaboration with our four skilled PRGN agency partners; Industrie-Contact in Germany, Sound Public Relations in Italy, Spider PR in UK and Roop & Co based in Cleveland, US.

PRGN (Public Relations Global Network) is a connected network of more than 50 hand-selected public relations agencies servicing key markets around the world. As leaders in our respective regions, PRGN agencies offer the “boots-on-the-ground” savvy of a local Public Relations agency, yet on a global scale.

Our model allows us to deliver a unique level of flexibility – scaling up or down across multiple markets to meet your business needs. Each PR agency knows its local community and it knows how to help clients connect with their audiences in those regions.

How to build a PR crisis team

01/09/2022By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends

By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor,
Scandinavian Communications

When a crisis hits you need to have a team of key people in place, so you can respond quickly and effectively before the situation escalates. So, let’s look at whom you need on your team – and how the team should operate.

The Crisis Communicator
This is the person on your team with the experience and expertise to plan and execute the right communications response in any kind of PR crisis or internal crisis. Ideally, this person will also exude a calming influence on the team, while knowing how to manage the crisis response narrative. If you don’t have an internal Crisis Communicator this role can also be managed by The Crisis Advisor.

The Key Leader
When a major PR crisis hits, it’s inevitable that the CEO will be involved in some way, whether you are making key decisions, delivering a message, or as a spokesperson providing a face for the company’s crisis response. But who else on your team can pivot from their day-to-day work and take on a key decision-making role in the crisis response? Ideally, you will have at least two or three of these key leaders.
You need someone who is an accomplished communicator and a clear thinker to help the crisis communicator and the CEO formulates a response. This person will have a proven track record for making smart decisions with limited information on short timetables. You will also need someone to manage the internal crisis response. Someone who has the authority to control and monitor what your team says and to whom, who can also be a calming influence as they deliver messages from the decision-makers to rest of the team.
Every Key Leader who acts as company spokesperson can also always secure a higher success rate by participating in Media- and Message Training – especially in a crisis. This will also secure the alignment of the company key messages in the crisis-management team

The Media Manager
At some point in your crisis response, you will need a person whose sole duty is to manage media interest. From moderating social media to responding to media requests and connecting the right messages with the right people, this can be a full-time job in the middle of a crisis.

The Crisis Advisor
When you’re very close to a situation, you can miss details or make assumptions that diminish the effectiveness of your crisis response. That’s why it makes good sense to bring in an outside advisor who specializes in crisis communication. This person or team has a different perspective that can prove invaluable in formulating and executing a crisis response.
To get your own Crisis Advisor as CEO also means that someone fully has your back – and that the advisor will work with you and your in-house team to build a narrative and implement a crisis response that should minimize the damage to your brand reputation and put your company in a better position to begin rebuilding credibility.

When facing a PR crisis your Crisis Communications Advisor also has an extensive list of key media contacts with whom they have developed good working relationships. When speed matters and you need positive earned media, knowing exactly whom to call is a vital aspect of an effective external crisis response.

Read more about Crisis Communications

30 PR Tips – you can apply today!

25/08/2022By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

In PRGN (Public Relations Global Network) we have created an eBook with 30 blog posts, where we offer our best tips in PR and communications from our members worldwide.

This is part of our 30th-anniversary celebration, that we want to share with you. Scandinavian Communications’ CEO Christina Rytter contributes to How you can Build a PR Crisis Team.

Download it here for free: