The PR Pro App Store — GVSU PRSSA – Grand Valley State University Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America

Public Relations is a constant, never-ending, ever-changing whirlwind of a career. The brave and creative souls who dare to choose this life need to be constantly on the go and in the know. Thankfully, we live in the era of the smart phone, which makes it easier than ever to accomplish this. Here are five free apps that can help.

Hootsuite (iPhone and Android)
This may be the very lifeblood of your PR career, especially if you are focused on social media for a client. Hootsuite has the links all of your social networks to one easy-to-use page that allows you to post across multiple platforms at once. This saves time for busy PR pros.

Periscope (iPhone and Android)
Periscope is an up-and-coming app that could develop into a crucial tool for PR warriors. It provides users with the ability to live stream events to the public or to select users. This service has the ability to one-up the idea of live-tweeting an event by showing users what is happening instead of telling them. It also allows real-time feedback from people viewing the livestream.

Adobe Photoshop Express (iPhone and Android)
As a PR pro, you are never sure of what may be asked of you. In some situations, you maybe be separated from your trusty sidekick/best friend/significant other (your computer) and need to do some photo editing on the run. In this case, Photoshop Express is your go to. It allows you to edit photos in a more advanced fashion than most phones will, but not quite as in depth as the full Photoshop program allows. The cliché “a picture is worth a thousand words” can be almost annoyingly accurate, so it never hurts to have a powerful photo editing and sharing tool in your pocket.

Time Management
This is a life tip for a PR pro. Time management is key to the success of almost everything we do, including campaign work. There are tons of different time management apps that can be downloaded for both iPhone and Android operating systems. Everything from creating to-do lists to blocking distracting websites (I am looking at you BuzzFeed and YouTube) can be done by these fantastic little creations. Remember there are 24 hours in a day, use them wisely.

The public relations world is fast moving, and PR pros need to be able to keep up with it to communicate effectively. There are hundreds more apps that could be mentioned, everything from other forms of social media to apps that provide real time news right to your mobile device. Whatever your niche in the field may be, your ability to stay informed and active is crucial.

Cameron is a senior at Grand Valley majoring in advertising and public relations. He currently serves as an account associate for GrandPR and is a member of the Grand Valley PRSSA Chapter. Originally born in New York, Cameron has moved five times and owes his breadth of different life experiences to this constant change. He looks to build on these experiences and his future career with another move to a big city post-graduation. Avid outdoorsman, festival goer and die hard New York Rangers fan Cameron is always looking for new passions to immerse himself in.