I don’t know why the new service from Cision makes me want to play hide and seek. Perhaps because it’s named Seek or Shoutt and it makes me all juvenile.

But the service itself is not juvenile (apparently that’s just me).

For those of you who have been in the PR industry a long time, you likely know HARO, or Help a Reporter Out, created by Peter Shankman and then sold to Vocus in 2010. HARO, for those who don’t know, connects journalists with sources.

Now Cision has a similar service, and it’s for journalists, bloggers, and PR pros.

From its website:

Seek content, expert sources, research and other support for stories. Shout to let the community know you have a story to tell. Join Seek or Shout today and see what a difference the right connection and the right time can make.

I’ve been using it since there were only five (I made up that number, but it was very few) of us on there, and it’s a great way for me to get story ideas and sources for blog posts. I also really love that I can push pitches to come through there instead of to my inbox.

For the PR pros who need extra tools in determining the best relationships to build either for your company or your clients, Seek or Shout uses the Cision database and combines it with personal preferences, most recent stories, and stories that are culminating in real time.

It also tells you about job changes, promotions, and new jobs at the media outlets. It’s come a long way since the big green books that were updated only once a year.

If you’re seeking sources or story ideas, you click the “seek” button. If you have something newsworthy to tell—a new product, campaign, or award—you click the “shout” button. Either way, it enables you to connect directly on stories, blog posts, videos, and podcasts that are most valuable to you right at this moment.

You can learn more in the video below (or click here and it’ll magically appear).

It’s free to join. I highly recommend you do so, no matter which side of the table you sit—or if you sit on both sides, like me.



Gini Dietrich is founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, Inc. This first appeared on the blog Spin Sucks.