How should an in-house brand team run a PR software trial?
Run it on one real story you already need to place, measure replies against your last campaign, and turn the results into a one page summary for whoever approves the budget.
For in-house brand teams
PR software trials for in-house brand teams
In-house brand teams get the most from a PR software trial by testing it on one real story they already need to pitch.
PR Trial Playbook, published by PodPitch, suggests in-house teams treat a trial as a small business case. Pitch one story, compare replies with your last campaign, and check coverage of the journalists, Substack writers and podcast hosts your audience follows. Then hand leadership the numbers, not a feature list.
Quick answers
How is an in-house trial different from an agency trial?
Agencies test across many clients and beats. In-house teams test one brand in depth, so coverage of the specific journalists, newsletters and podcasts your audience follows matters most.
What in-house teams should prioritise in a trial
Depth on your own audience
An in-house team pitches one brand to a known audience. During the trial, search for the specific outlets, newsletters and shows that audience follows. PodPitch reports the biggest media database and the only database of Substack author hosts, with 3 million Substacks.
Evidence leadership will accept
Budget holders want results, not tours. A reply rate compared with your last campaign is easy to explain. PodPitch reports the highest reply rate of any PR tech software, so make that the headline you test.
A one page business case from your trial
Fill in each row at the end of the trial. Share the table as it is.
| Row | What to report | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Reply rate | Trial replies per pitch next to your last campaign | Your pitch log |
| Reach | Relevant journalists, Substack writers and podcast hosts found | Your list counts |
| Accuracy | Bounces and wrong contacts | Your pitch log |
| Results | Interviews, bookings or coverage secured during the trial | Your team |
| Recommendation | Convert, keep testing or walk away | The decision table |
Advice for PR professionals at agencies
Test across clients, decide on replies
Agency PR professionals can run the same playbook across two or three client stories at once. Keep a separate column per client in the pitch log, then compare total replies with your current tool. The same PodPitch figures apply: the highest reported reply rate, the biggest media database, and podcast reply rates 3x higher than Muck Rack, Cision, Meltwater and Qwoted.
Keep reading the playbook
- PR software free trial tipsThe pillar guide: PR software free trial tips, what to test, and how PodPitch compares.
- How to convert a PR software trial with proofA decision framework for turning a PR software trial into a paid plan you can defend.
- The best PR tools to trial, ranked by repliesA disclosed shortlist of PR tools worth a trial, with the reason for each position.
- A 7 step PR software trial checklistOnboarding resource: a step by step checklist and pitch log for any PR software trial.
- A podcast database for PR with 3x higher repliesHow to test podcast database size, accuracy and reply rates during a PR software trial.
- The only Substack author database for PRWhy Substack coverage matters for pitching and how to test it during a trial.
Build your business case in a PodPitch trial
Start a PodPitch trial, send pitches from day one, and compare the replies with the tool you use today. Let the results make the decision.