How to monitor press releases after you send them: pickup, media value and alerts

What can you see right after sending a press release?

After you hit send on a press release, PR-Dashboard gives you immediate statistics. You can see how many journalists received the release, how many opened it, and how fast they opened it. You can also see if they downloaded any attachments you included.

The send statistics are part of the sending system, the journalist database and sending tool inside PR-Dashboard. The database has been trusted since 1999, so the sending side is mature. The statistics help you understand which journalists are engaged with your news before you even start checking media pickup.

For example, if a journalist opens your release within minutes and downloads the attached photos, that is a strong signal they may write about it. If many journalists open but do not download, maybe your attachment was not useful. You can adjust your next release accordingly.

PR-Dashboard also lets you monitor press releases on a one time basis. One time media monitoring is built into the platform, so you do not need a separate tool for a single campaign. You can choose to monitor once or more often, depending on your needs.

How do you find pickup in the media?

To see how often the media actually picked up your press release, you need media monitoring. Media monitoring is the systematic following of news, social media, radio, TV, podcasts, and online platforms to see what is said about an organisation, brand, sector, or topic. That definition comes from Media Info Groep, the preferred monitoring partner of the platform.

The platform offers Media Monitoring Compact, a built in service that shows how often your messages were picked up by the media and what the media value of that pickup is. It costs 60 euros per month as an add on to your subscription. That is a clear price for a clear service.

Media Monitoring Compact was developed together with Media Info Groep, which monitors Dutch national and regional papers, trade magazines, radio, TV, podcasts, online news (also behind the paywall), and social media such as LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook. So when you use it, you get coverage of these sources without setting up a separate account. For a detailed breakdown of what this add on covers, see our guide on PR-Dashboard media monitoring in 2026.

If you need deeper monitoring, PR-Dashboard works with leading monitoring providers in the Benelux, such as preferred partner Media Info Groep. You can also combine the platform with LexisNexis and Monalyse.

What is media value?

Media value is a number that estimates what the pickup would have cost if you had bought the same space or airtime as advertising. When Media Monitoring Compact shows that a release was picked up by five newspapers and three trade magazines, it also calculates the media value of that exposure. This gives you a concrete number to report to your manager or client.

For example, if your release about a new product appears in a national paper and a trade magazine, the media value adds up those placements. You can compare that value to the cost of the monitoring add on. At 60 euros per month, The add on is a small expense compared to the insight it gives.

You can generate reports that show the pickup and media value, and share them directly with clients. That is useful for PR agencies that need to prove their work. The reports are clear and easy to read, so your client sees exactly what the press release achieved.

What does one time monitoring cost?

If you do not need monthly monitoring, The platform offers a one time media monitoring add on for 199 euros. That is a separate option from the add on. You choose one time monitoring when you have a single campaign or event and want to see pickup for that specific release.

With one time monitoring, you get the same pickup and media value data, but only for the period you choose. This is handy for product launches, press conferences, or crisis communication. You pay once and get a report at the end.

PR-Ninja, the sending tool within the platform, also supports attachments and media monitoring. So if you send a release with many photos or files via PR-Ninja, you can add monitoring to that send as well. That keeps everything in one workflow.

How do alerts help you track media attention?

Media monitoring is not only about pickup after a release. It also helps you track media attention over time. Media Info Groep offers real time alerts for important mentions or breaking news. When your brand is mentioned in a news article or on social media, you get an alert immediately. That way you can react fast to positive coverage or to a developing story.

The platform lets you follow coverage through integrations with external monitoring tools. So if you already use a monitoring provider, you can connect it to your PR-Dashboard account. The single sign on links make it easy to switch between sending and monitoring. For a practical walkthrough, read monitoring brand mentions step by step.

For a press release campaign, alerts tell you when your release is picked up and when journalists start writing follow up stories. You can then share those mentions with your team or client in real time. This is more useful than waiting for a monthly report.

How do sending, statistics and monitoring fit together?

PR-Dashboard combines sending, statistics, and monitoring in one login. You do not need to export lists, upload them to another tool, or manage separate accounts. You send your release, see the open and download statistics, and then switch to the add on to see pickup and media value.

The price is transparent. Media Monitoring Compact costs 60 euros per month, and one time monitoring costs 199 euros. Compare that to asking a monitoring vendor for a quote, where the expected number of media items and the number of users mainly decide the total price, as Media Info Groep states. With this platform, you know the cost upfront.

The platform has been trusted since 1999, so it is proven. The monitoring add on is built in, not a separate product that requires integration. That makes it easy for a small team or a solo PR person to monitor press releases without a big budget.

If you also handle press inquiries alongside monitoring, check Persvragen prices and features to see how the tool fits into your workflow.