Like many people working in the PR industry, I am always looking for ways to achieve a more efficient and organized workflow. Currently I use Smartsheet, Wunderlist and Talkwalker, among other tools. These have proven to be great resources, all of which I utilize on a daily basis—Smartsheet as a project management tool to collaborate with colleagues, Wunderlist to send myself reminders and keep my to-do list organized, and Talkwalker alerts to stay up-to-date on clients, competitors and industry trends.

In the pursuit of some additions to add to my toolbox, I recently stumbled upon a Cision webinar, Tool School: PR Success In 2015, hosted by Kellye Crane, founder of Solo PR PRO. Kellye had a long list of ideas in a range of categories, including productivity, social media and collaboration. She cautioned, though, that before taking the time to invest time, energy and sometimes money into implementing a new tool, make sure it is the right fit and will actually be beneficial to your workflow. With that in mind, below is my short list of tools I am most excited to try:

Productivity

• Evernote— This powerful app allows you to collect articles, photos, or capture handwritten notes, all of which are searchable through the app. Kellye mentioned this could be particularly useful for business cards. Simply take a picture of the card and Evernote will allow you to save and search text through all images saved to the app.
• Pocket— Found something you want to read, but don’t have the time to right now? Pocket allows you to save articles or videos for future reference, so you can read or watch them when it is convenient for you.
• Newsle— Networking is a crucial element of any professionals’ career. Newsle assists by notifying you when a friend or colleague publishes a blog or article, allowing you to stay up-to-date and presenting an opportunity to nurture the relationship by reaching out regarding the blog or article.
• Mention— Similar to Google Alerts and Talkwalker, Mention allows you to monitor the web for topics, clients or competitors. Because all of the tools don’t necessarily catch the same articles, signing up for a few or all of the web-monitoring tools will maximize results.

Visuals

• FreeDigitalPhotos.net— Visuals help bring a story to life, but stock photos can be pricey. This site offers a range of free stock photos.
• Swipe—Web-powered slideshows offer a flexible solution to presentations. Swipe offers the ability to create, edit, view and present on any device, allowing greater flexibility and collaboration.
• Piktochart and Infogr.am— These free apps allow you to create DIY infographics. Piktochart and Infogr.am offer a range of templates, presenting an easy way to bring your data to life with a visual.

I am thrilled that I stumbled across this webinar and am looking forward to testing out these tools. What resources do you find most valuable for improving workflow and/or staying organized?

For more productivity and PR tools, see a post from last December on our blog:  Helpful Apps & Resources for PR Pros.