Journalist research: which PR tools have it? 35 tools, dated

Meltwater Press

Available May 10, 2010.

Meltwater launched Meltwater Press, a web database that finds media contacts by topic using natural language processing, with a tool to send releases and pitches.

Features: Media database, Sending and follow-up, Journalist research.

Source: Business Wire via CNBC (10 May 2010).

New Mira Companion

Available October 2026.

Mira Companion now reads where the user is in Meltwater and helps build searches, research articles and journalists, explain dashboards and act without switching pages; it remembers chat history and preferences.

Features: Chat assistant, Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater product updates.

Redesigns Media Relations search around Contacts, Sources, Topics and AI Search

Announced June 2026.

Journalist and outlet search is reorganized into four modes, including an AI Search mode.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater product updates (page 5).

AI Relevance Assessment for Journalist Profiles

Available March 2026.

AI-generated Strong fit, Moderate fit or Mismatch label with a short reason on journalist profiles.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater product updates.

Influencer Discovery AI Assistant (Klear)

Available February 2026.

Describe a campaign in plain language and get guided questions and creator recommendations.

Features: Chat assistant, Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater product updates.

Shows journalists' social posts in Unified Profiles

Announced December 2025.

Journalist and source profiles switch between All, News and Social content to review recent work before outreach.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater product updates (page 11).

AI-Suggested Contacts in Outreach

Available November 2025.

Shows AI-recommended journalists while the user writes a pitch in Outreach.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater product updates.

Klear AI influencer discovery (natural language search)

Available Oct. 22, 2025.

Klear AI enhancements for finding influencers with natural language search.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater press release.

AI Journalist Search

Available Oct. 29, 2024.

Search that analyzes the meaning of a story and recommends best-fit journalists, beyond name or keyword search.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater press release.

Visual Search (influencer search)

Announced June 21, 2023.

Finds influencers/creators by searching for visual elements within their content.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Meltwater press release.

News Outlet Discovery & Ranking tool

Available Oct. 31, 2012.

PublicRelay added a tool that prioritizes and ranks news outlets as part of its influencer suite.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: PublicRelay (news, read from the 2022 web.archive.org copy).

Influencer Recommendations and Campaign Calendar, with PR Newswire integration

Available April 4, 2017.

Cloud release added influencer recommendations, a campaign calendar and PR Newswire distribution inside one application.

Features: Distribution and newsroom, PR CRM, Journalist research.

Source: Cision press release via Cision MediaRoom (4 Apr 2017).

Adds "Add to List" from journalist and outlet charts

Announced May 2026.

Users select journalists or outlets driving coverage in Instant Insights charts and add them to media lists.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: CisionOne help center: Product Updates May 2026.

Adds Outreach profile previews inside Monitoring

Announced February 2026.

Clicking a journalist or outlet in Monitoring shows bios, emails and sectors and lets users add them to media lists.

Features: Journalist research, Media database.

Source: CisionOne help center: Product Updates February 2026.

CisionOne Outreach

Available July 11, 2023.

Media/journalist database combining AI-driven and human-validated research to help users find and pitch journalists.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: PR Newswire (UK release).

PodMatch launch: automatic matching of podcast hosts and guests

Available June 15, 2020.

PodMatch launched as software that matches podcast guests with hosts and handles the booking steps, the origin of its guest and host slots service.

Features: Podcast, speaking and award slots, Journalist research.

Source: Podcast Junkies (Alex Sanfilippo interview).

Podchaser Pro

Available Oct. 27, 2020.

A service for PR and ad professionals with podcast reach, contacts, demographics, a Power Score, notes and pitch lists across 1.4M+ podcasts.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Podchaser (Introducing Podchaser Pro).

Tell Me Why

Announced Dec. 14, 2024.

AI assistant in Podchaser Pro that scores a podcast's fit against a user prompt and generates a tailored outreach pitch.

Features: Pitch writing, Journalist research.

Source: Podchaser Pulse (Beehiiv newsletter).

The Podcast Audience Graph

Available Jan. 21, 2021.

A 3D graph from Apple Podcasts data that shows which shows share an audience with a given podcast.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Sources: Podnews (Podcast Audience Graph), Product Hunt.

Discover New Podcasts (recommendations)

Available July 19, 2021.

Users pick favourite podcasts and get similar shows, improving as they like or dislike results.

Features: Journalist research.

Sources: hunted.space (Product Hunt launch record), hunted.space Product Hunt archive.

Hunter.io integration

Available April 22, 2021.

Group plans and above can find contact emails through Hunter.io inside BuzzStream.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: BuzzStream (blog index, 2021-04-22).

ListIQ

Available July 22, 2025.

AI-driven media list-builder that generates targeted journalist lists with verified contact details directly from Google News searches.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Complete AI Training.

Tag Filtering and General Recommender

Available June 25, 2021.

Journalist lists can be filtered by tags pulled from pitches, and a recommender lists the journalists most relevant to all of a user's pitches over time.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: MarTech Series (press release).

OnePitch PR AI Hub

Available June 15, 2026.

A bundle of 14 specialized AI tools spanning the PR workflow: pitch writing, journalist research, media strategy, and coverage analysis.

Features: Pitch writing, Coverage analysis, Journalist research.

Source: OnePitch.

Newsjacking Strategist

Available June 15, 2026.

Tracks breaking headlines, finds journalists covering them and drafts rapid-response angles.

Features: Trend detection, Story ideas and angles, Journalist research.

Source: OnePitch PR AI Hub.

Podseeker podcast database

Available Sept. 14, 2021.

Podcast-only media database with contacts, custom lists and audience size estimates, sold at $50 a month.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Sword and the Script (Frank Strong, Podseeker product review).

Find similar podcasts by guest or topic click

Available July 2025.

Click a guest name or topic tag on a podcast page to find other shows with the same guest or topic.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Podseeker blog (Product Updates; Wayback capture 2025-10-14).

Semrush link-data campaigns

Available Aug. 9, 2022.

Two new campaign profiles pull backlink data from Semrush to build prospect lists.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Pitchbox blog (9 Aug 2022).

NewsDB journalist search

Available Oct. 13, 2022.

Finds journalists who recently wrote on topics related to a press release, in real time, and builds custom media lists from them.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Newsworthy.ai newsroom.

Press Monkey first version: journalist list suggestions

Available 2023.

The first version suggested a journalist list.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Press Monkey (About).

AI source requests with matching

Available March 1, 2023.

Journalists file a source request with a deadline and get instant suggestions of brands, products and experts on the platform; brands whose profile fits are notified. Built on GPT-3.

Features: Journalist requests, Journalist research.

Source: MarTech Cube (Press Hook release).

Intelligent Relations PR Platform

Available March 13, 2023. In beta.

Self-serve PR platform for non-PR professionals that spots news trends and recommends story ideas and media outlets.

Features: Trend detection, Story ideas and angles, Journalist research.

Source: AccessWire (via Yahoo Finance).

Preston freemium AI PR copilot (daily story matches, journalist flags, pitch drafts)

Available July 13, 2026.

Preston opened free access to a copilot that finds story opportunities daily, flags relevant journalists and drafts pitches for human approval.

Features: Story ideas and angles, Pitch writing, Journalist research.

Source: EIN Presswire (Intelligent Relations release, 13 Jul 2026).

Preston mobile app

Available Aug. 12, 2025.

iOS and Android app for Preston with real-time alerts, AI-generated pitches and press materials, and AI contact suggestions.

Features: Pitch writing, Media monitoring, Journalist research.

Source: GlobeNewswire.

Journalist recommendations, regional coverage analysis and lookalike journalists

Available Nov. 9, 2023.

Preston added machine-learning journalist categories by topic and region, deep coverage attributes and lookalike journalists.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Newswire.com (press release, 9 Nov 2023).

AI email engine / AI for PR pitch engine

Announced March 14, 2023.

AI assistant reads a target journalist's past articles and drafts a personalized pitch email referencing their work.

Features: Pitch writing, Journalist research.

Source: JustReachOut Blog.

PressPal.ai

Available April 6, 2023.

AI tool that drafts a press release from a prompt and surfaces relevant journalists based on that release's keywords.

Features: Press release and content writing, Journalist research.

Sources: AiThority (syndicated BusinessWire release), Muck Rack blog.

Muck Rack Agent

Announced September 2026.

A chat agent inside Coverage Hub that answers plain-language questions with answers grounded in the team's Muck Rack data. Teams can also reach it from ChatGPT or Claude through the MCP.

Features: Chat assistant, Coverage analysis, Journalist research.

Source: Muck Rack blog.

Media List Agent

Available Feb. 2, 2026.

Muck Rack's first branded AI agent: recommends journalists to add or remove from a media list based on pitch content, with explanations.

Features: Journalist research.

Sources: Manila Times (syndicated GlobeNewswire release), GlobeNewswire (Muck Rack press release).

Recommended Journalists

Available Oct. 25, 2023.

Generates a tailored five-contact list of journalists to add to a media list from Muck Rack's media database.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Muck Rack Blog (verified via LinkedIn repost; direct fetch Cloudflare-blocked).

AI Media List Builder

Available May 5, 2023.

AI-powered media database that auto-suggests the most relevant journalists to pitch based on a press release, keywords, or company name.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: MarTech Cube.

Propel 2.0 general release: AI-powered media database out of beta

Available Nov. 12, 2024.

Propel 2.0 takes the AI media database out of beta and adds Projects, analytics and self-checkout.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Propel newsroom (Propel Launches Propel 2.0).

AI-Powered Journalist Matching (Propel 2.0)

Announced Feb. 21, 2024.

Deep-learning-driven matching of PR professionals to the most relevant journalists, part of the Propel 2.0 platform update.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: CustomerThink.

AI-Powered Media Database

Announced June 20, 2024.

AI scours Press Ranger's journalist database to generate a tailored list of press contacts most relevant to a company.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Press Ranger (vendor press release).

PR CoPilot Recommended Contacts

Available July 2, 2024.

PR CoPilot reads a press release or pitch draft and recommends the media contacts who will want to cover it.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Agility PR (Support news, July 2024).

Audience analytics in the Media Database

Available July 22, 2024.

Prowly added visitor profiles of media outlets' domains (from Semrush data) as filters for building media lists.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Prowly Journal.

AI-cited media finder

Available 2025.

AI-Cited Media Database identifies the top AI-cited media outlets in an industry, letting users build lists ranked by AI-citation influence.

Features: AI-cited sources, Journalist research.

Source: Semrush blog.

AI-powered tools (AI pitch writer + media discovery tools)

Available March 2025.

In-platform customizable AI tool that drafts pitches and helps discover media/journalists, framed as keeping the human relationship intact.

Features: Pitch writing, Journalist research.

Source: Pitchcraft (Wayback capture, 2025-03-14).

Voices in Contacts

Available March 26, 2025.

A Voices data layer inside the Contacts tool to find, tag and compare media, influencers, celebrities and partners by MIV and reach.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Launchmetrics newsroom.

Perigon MCP server

Available May 7, 2025.

A hosted MCP server over Perigon's news API: news and story search, journalists, sources, sentiment and monitors. An agent plugin with 2 skills joined the repo in October 2026. Usage is billed to the account.

Features: Media monitoring, Journalist research, MCP server.

In the skills library.

Source: GitHub commit.

Advanced Search with intent-based filters

Available Dec. 30, 2025.

Talks.co added directory filters for show activity, experience, mailing-list size, pay type and guest swaps, plus Quick Connect auto-accept for warm intros.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Podnews (press release: Talks.co Introduces Intent-Based Search).

Database topics search (community topics)

Available 2026.

Search any topic to find journalists who cover it, and add them to lists.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Roxhill (Product board).

Distribution Advisor

Available Jan. 8, 2026.

Recommends targeted outlets for a release; the site does not say whether it matches named journalists.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Pitchengine newsroom.

AI-powered journalist discovery and matching

Available Jan. 23, 2026. In beta.

Private Beta Launch ships AI-powered journalist discovery and matching, workflow tables, and beat/relevance scoring.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Medialyst Changelog.

Newsjack v0.1.21 bundles its full skill and Medialyst MCP reference in the plugin

Available Oct. 22, 2026.

Point release of the MIT-licensed Newsjack agent skills. The plugin now ships the complete skill and a Medialyst MCP reference, with Slack delivery fixes and tighter journalist-contact privacy and press-clip access rules.

Features: AI agents, MCP servers and connectors, Journalist research, Agent skill.

Source: GitHub release (elvisun/newsjack).

In PR software this week: Oct. 20 to 25, 2026.

same-outlet-ranker (newsjack)

Announced Aug. 5, 2026.

Ranks which journalist at one publication to approach first, using fit-check plus comparative outlet signals.

Features: Journalist research, Agent skill.

In the skills library.

Source: GitHub.

/journalist-fit-check

Announced June 18, 2026.

Newsjack-powered copilot slash command that checks a journalist's fit for a pitch in chat.

Features: Chat assistant, Journalist research.

Source: Medialyst Changelog.

journalist-fit-check (newsjack)

Available June 1, 2026.

Gates a pitch against one journalist, returning fit/soft-fit/no-fit/unknown anchored in recent bylines.

Features: Journalist research, Agent skill.

In the skills library.

Source: GitHub.

The Database That Researches Itself

Announced March 2, 2026.

Journalist database enriched live by AI agents pulling from author pages, social profiles, and 10+ data providers.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Medialyst Blog.

Find Journalists

Announced February 2026.

AI feature that takes a press release or URL and recommends matching journalists from HARO's 33,000-plus.

Features: Journalist research.

Source: Featured press page.

Find TV Stations: local TV newsroom contacts inside Featured's newsjacking chat

Available Oct. 20, 2026.

Featured added Find TV Stations to its Newsjacking chat: search 1,757 US TV stations by state, market, city or call sign, with newsroom contacts for 470 stations in 195 markets, and draft a pitch to the news desk from a station card. Available on every plan, including Free.

Features: Media database, Journalist research, Pitch writing, Story ideas and angles, Chat assistant.

Source: Featured press release.

In PR software this week: Oct. 20 to 25, 2026.

Find Substacks: search 38,746 Substack publications from Featured's chat

Available Oct. 19, 2026.

Featured added Find Substacks, a chat search over 38,746 Substack publications by topic, showing subscriber counts, whether DMs are open and linked socials, after which Featured can draft the pitch. Featured's 10-19 research report says 90.8% of the publications have Substack DMs open.

Features: Media database, Journalist research, Pitch writing, Chat assistant.

Source: Featured research report (plus @Featureddotcom X post, 2026-10-20).

In PR software this week: Oct. 20 to 25, 2026.

Featured Newsjacking (free)

Available Oct. 14, 2026.

A workflow per client that watches the news as often as every 15 minutes and sends breaking stories with a suggested angle by email or Slack, then finds journalists, open HARO requests, podcasts and speaking slots to pitch. It drafts a pitch but never contacts journalists.

Features: Trend detection, Story ideas and angles, Journalist research, Journalist requests, Podcast, speaking and award slots, Pitch writing.

Source: Featured press release.

In PR software this week: Oct. 5 to 19, 2026.

Identifies the journalist and story behind each Google Alert

Announced Feb. 11, 2026.

Google Alerts results now show the journalist, publication and story, with one click to message, list or news-track the journalist.

Features: Media monitoring, Journalist research.

Source: MVPR product updates.

Builds journalist target lists from competitor coverage

Announced Feb. 11, 2026.

Users ask Ivy to pull every journalist who covered their competitors in a period and add the list in one action.

Features: Media lists built by agents, Journalist research.

Source: MVPR product updates.

Adds In-Article Search and recent-article targeting to PR Manager

Announced Feb. 27, 2026.

PR Manager finds journalists by keywords in their recent articles and shows each journalist's last 60 days of published work, drawn from the Global Content Hub.

Features: Journalist research, Media database.

Source: Onclusive newsroom (France).

Group suggestions in the Media and Political Database

Available March 2026.

Suggests contacts to add as journalists change outlets or beats and politicians change roles.

Features: Media database, Journalist research.

Source: Vuelio.

CraftBot PR and comms agent bundle

Available June 12, 2026.

An agent bundle for CraftOS's CraftBot with 19 PR skills that call Muck Rack, Cision, Brandwatch and Qwoted through API recipes. Each skill has a free fallback when no paid database is available.

Features: Journalist research, Pitch writing, Agent skill.

In the skills library.

Source: GitHub commit.

Media List MCP server

Available Oct. 6, 2026.

A hosted MCP server with 9 read-only tools over Media List's database of more than 1.5 million media contacts: contacts, outlets, saved lists and campaigns. It needs a paid Media List plan.

Features: Media database, Journalist research, MCP server.

In the skills library.

Source: GitHub commit.

RunPR MCP pilot: client research in Claude Code, drafts returned for review

Announced Oct. 19, 2026. In beta.

RunPR opened a limited-access OAuth MCP pilot that lets an enrolled Claude Code user read a selected client's context and saved AI Visibility citations, research a byline, and submit a pitch draft to RunPR for review. The tools cannot approve, send or delete work.

Features: MCP servers and connectors, Journalist research, AI-cited sources, Pitch writing, MCP server.

Source: RunPR blog.

In PR software this week: Oct. 20 to 25, 2026.

Pytch AI PR agent: approve a strategy, then it pitches and follows up from Gmail

Available Oct. 19, 2026.

Pytch launched an AI PR agent that finds journalists who covered a topic in the past 30 days, verifies contacts, writes personalized pitches and sends them with follow-ups from the user's Gmail or Google Workspace. The user approves a proposed strategy once, after which the agent runs outreach autonomously.

Features: AI agents, Journalist research, Pitch writing, Sending and follow-up.

Source: MarketersMedia wire release.

In PR software this week: Oct. 20 to 25, 2026.