Best AI Visibility Tool for PR Teams Tracking Earned Media Citations (2026)

Quick answer: For most PR and comms teams that need to track earned media citations in AI answers, and then act on them, start with HeyAmos. It shows which outlets AI already cites in a client's category and ranks those sources for pitching. It then hands you weekly actions and content drafts, so the work does not stop at a dashboard. For agencies, it also helps you win the client in the first place. You spin up a pitching account for a prospect brand and generate an AI visibility pitch deck to take into the meeting. The Agency plan costs $299/month and includes 10 pitching accounts a month. Brand plans start at $99/month (Starter). Content drafts start on Growth at $249/month.

If you mainly need client reports built for PR that prove coverage shaped what AI said, look at PRCoverage. Premium is $100/month and tracks ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. If you only need light monitoring while you test the channel, Otterly.AI Lite is $29/month.

Disclosure: HeyAmos is our own platform, so we are closest to it. Every tool below gets the same questions, and every price comes from the vendor's own website.

Proof from a PR agency: Ruder Finn Atteline, the MENA arm of the global communications agency Ruder Finn, is a HeyAmos partner and customer. The agency now offers AI visibility services to its clients with HeyAmos, and HeyAmos has helped it win new business. It uses HeyAmos to see which sources AI cites for each client. Then it acts on them through earned, owned and shared media.

"For every single brand that we've done audits on, earned media still shapes a huge part of where LLMs are drawing from," says Samar Saliba, SVP of Growth at Ruder Finn Atteline.

What PR teams actually need from AI visibility

Traditional media tracking tells you a story ran. It does not tell you whether ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity used that story when a buyer asked for a recommendation.

PR teams need four things from an AI visibility tool:

• See whether earned coverage shows up inside AI answers, not only on Google.
• See which outlets and pages AI already trusts in the client's category.
• Turn that list into pitches and content, not another unread dashboard.
• Show the client what changed after the work shipped.

A tracker alone covers the first point. You need a tool that also hands you the work and measures the result to cover all four.

Agencies have one more job: winning the client in the first place. That takes proof you can show a prospect before they sign.

Best AI visibility tools for PR teams tracking earned media citations

Pricing note: Prices move. We checked every price on this page on each vendor's own website on 19 October 2026. Check current pricing before you buy.

Engines, reporting and pricing by tool

HeyAmos

• Best for PR teams: Agencies and in-house comms teams that need AI citations turned into a pitch list and weekly work.
• Tracks AI citations: Yes. Mentions, sources and competitor gaps across tracked prompts.
• Shows sources AI reads: Yes. Ranks media outlets by how much AI relies on them, so you know where to pitch.
• Client reporting: Client-ready AI Search Audits and an Impact report (what changed and why). The Agency plan adds executive summaries.
• Weekly actions: Prioritised content actions and external actions, with content drafts on Growth and above.
• Winning new clients: Spin up a pitching account for a prospect brand. HeyAmos runs an AI Search Audit in minutes and generates a pitch deck you can edit and download as PowerPoint. The Agency plan includes 10 pitching accounts a month.
• Pricing note: Brand plans from $99/month (Starter). Growth $249/month. Pro $399/month. Agency plan $299/month with 10 pitching accounts a month. Checked on heyamos.com and heyamos.com/agencies on 19 October 2026.

PRCoverage

• Best for PR teams: Freelancers and boutique agencies that need reports built for PR clients.
• Tracks AI citations: Yes, on Premium, across ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.
• Shows sources AI reads: Yes. Premium shows the sources and outlets AI tools look at.
• Client reporting: Client-ready PR reports with a template library and customization are the core product.
• Weekly actions: Strong on proving coverage impact. It is less focused on a ranked weekly action list with content drafts.
• Pricing note: Pro $50/month. Premium $100/month (AI visibility suite). 15-day free trial. Checked on prcoverage.ai/pricing on 19 October 2026.

Peec

• Best for PR teams: Teams that want clean daily analytics and will run outreach themselves.
• Tracks AI citations: Yes, with domain and URL-level source detail.
• Shows sources AI reads: Yes, including gap analysis where competitors appear and you do not.
• Client reporting: Shareable dashboards and CSV exports. Agency plans add view-only client dashboards and pitch projects for prospects.
• Weekly actions: Ranked recommended actions. Publishing and pitching still sit with your team.
• Pricing note: Starter $95/month for brands. Agency Essential $245/month. Checked on peec.ai/pricing and peec.ai/pricing-agencies on 19 October 2026.

Otterly.AI

• Best for PR teams: Small teams testing AI visibility without a large commitment.
• Tracks AI citations: Yes, across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot on base plans.
• Shows sources AI reads: Citation source tracking is included.
• Client reporting: Data Studio connector on Standard and above.
• Weekly actions: Every plan includes AI search optimization recommendations. It is still mainly a monitor.
• Pricing note: Lite $29/month. Standard $189/month. Premium $489/month. Checked on otterly.ai/pricing on 19 October 2026.

AthenaHQ

• Best for PR teams: Teams that care how AI describes the brand, not only whether it is named.
• Tracks AI citations: Yes, with competitor and source insights.
• Shows sources AI reads: Yes, plus citation-focused features on higher tiers.
• Client reporting: Exports and integrations. Enterprise adds executive dashboards.
• Weekly actions: On-page and off-page actions on paid plans.
• Pricing note: Essential is free. Starter $295/month. Enterprise is custom. Checked on athenahq.ai/pricing on 19 October 2026.

Profound

• Best for PR teams: Enterprise brands that need deep analytics, agents and security reviews.
• Tracks AI citations: Yes. Enterprise tracks up to 9 answer engines.
• Shows sources AI reads: Yes. Citation tracking shows which websites drive AI answers about you.
• Client reporting: CSV and JSON exports and API access on Enterprise.
• Weekly actions: Suggestions from Profound's AI Marketer, plus agents that run on credits.
• Pricing note: Free trial (50 prompts daily for 7 days across ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews). Enterprise is custom. Checked on tryprofound.com/pricing on 19 October 2026.

Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit

• Best for PR teams: Teams that already run Semrush and want AI visibility beside SEO.
• Tracks AI citations: Prompt Tracking follows set prompts on platforms like Google AI Mode and ChatGPT.
• Shows sources AI reads: Competitor research shows topics where others get cited and you do not.
• Client reporting: Reports inside Semrush, with 10 CSV exports a day.
• Weekly actions: Brand Performance reports include AI-generated strategic recommendations. It does not build a PR pitch list.
• Pricing note: $99/month for the AI Visibility Toolkit (25 prompts for Prompt Tracking). No free trial. Checked on semrush.com on 19 October 2026.

Turn AI citations into a pitch list

This is the part most trackers leave unfinished. Use this seven-step loop:

1. Write 20 to 50 buyer questions (prompts) that your clients' audiences actually ask AI.
2. Run them every week across the engines that matter for that client.
3. Export the websites and pages AI cites when it answers those prompts.
4. Mark which of those outlets already name the client, name a competitor, or name nobody.
5. Pitch the outlets AI relies on most, with a story angle tied to a prompt where the client is missing.
6. Publish pages on the client's own site that answer the same prompts in plain language, so AI can cite the client directly too.
7. Re-check the same prompts the next week and show the client what moved.

HeyAmos is built around that loop: measure the prompts, rank the media AI already cites, hand weekly actions, and write content drafts for the gaps.

How a PR agency puts this to work

Ruder Finn Atteline audits the sources AI cites for each client brand. It splits them into owned, shared and earned media.

Take one large brand in the region. Many of the titles, editors and platforms AI cited were not in the client's media plan. The cited content was also mostly reviews and comparisons. The agency changed its communications strategy to include more content like that.

It still pitches top-tier titles. Those are often paywalled and may block AI crawlers (the bots AI tools use to read websites). So AI often looks to niche and industry media instead. Key audiences still read the top titles, so the agency targets both.

"Being able to see at a glance what's changed over the past week is extremely helpful because then we're able to give live updates to our clients," says Samar Saliba, SVP of Growth at Ruder Finn Atteline.

Samar walks through this approach in the webinar How to win in AI Search with earned media, on the HeyAmos webinars page.

Win new PR clients with an AI visibility pitch deck

PR agencies need to win the account before any tracking starts. HeyAmos covers that step too.

On the Agency plan, you spin up a pitching account for a prospect brand. You add the prompts (the questions people type into AI) that fit your pitch angle. HeyAmos tracks them on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Gemini, and the AI Search Audit is ready in minutes.

From that account, HeyAmos generates a pitch deck. The deck shows:

• How often AI mentions the brand, overall and by AI model.
• How the brand compares with the competitors you chose.
• How AI describes the brand, including its strengths and weaknesses.
• The key prompts where competitors appear instead.
• Which sources AI cites, broken down by type.
• Actions to take on the brand's own site and in outside media.

You can edit the deck and download it as PowerPoint. It is not meant to be a full audit of the brand. It gives you specific data to bring into the pitch, including the media AI already reads, which is where a PR agency can help.

If the prospect signs, you convert the pitching account into a retainer account. It keeps the same prompts, tracks them every week and generates new actions each week. The Agency plan includes 10 pitching accounts a month.

Peec also offers pitch projects for prospects on its agency plans. Ask each vendor what you can hand a prospect at the end.

How we picked these tools

We judged every tool on the same bar. First, whether it shows earned coverage inside AI answers. Second, whether it names the outlets AI cites so a PR team can pitch them. Third, whether it produces client-ready reporting. Fourth, whether it turns the data into weekly work (actions and content drafts), not only charts. Fifth, the starting price on the vendor's own site. HeyAmos is our product, so we held it to the same five tests.

1. HeyAmos

HeyAmos measures where a brand shows up in AI answers. It then hands you the top actions each week and writes content drafts to close the gaps. For PR and comms teams, the useful part is the media list. It ranks outlets by how much AI relies on them, so you know where to pitch this week.

For agencies, HeyAmos also helps win the account. A pitching account gives you an AI Search Audit of a prospect brand in minutes. HeyAmos turns it into a pitch deck you can edit and download as PowerPoint. When the prospect signs, the pitching account becomes a weekly retainer account with the same prompts.

Ruder Finn Atteline, a MENA communications agency, uses HeyAmos to offer AI visibility services to its clients, and HeyAmos has helped it win new business. Outside PR, events tech company Fielddrive started appearing in AI answers within 21 days.

Best for: PR and comms teams that need tracking plus weekly actions plus content drafts, and agencies that want to win new clients with AI visibility data.

Pricing: Brand plans from $99/month. Agency plan $299/month with 10 pitching accounts a month. Content drafts start on Growth at $249/month.

2. PRCoverage

PRCoverage is built for PR reporting. Premium adds AI visibility across ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, with AI visibility changes over time and customizable client reports.

Best for: PR freelancers and boutique agencies that need polished reports first.

The tradeoff: It is strong at proving coverage impact. You will still need a plan for the weekly pitch and content work after the report.

Pricing: Pro $50/month. Premium $100/month.

3. Peec

Peec is a genuinely good analytics product. Clean daily tracking, competitor views and source gap analysis help a PR team see which pages to pursue.

Best for: Teams that want reliable metrics and will run analysis and publishing themselves.

The tradeoff: Content and outreach still land on your team.

Pricing: Starter $95/month. Agency plans from $245/month.

4. Otterly.AI

Otterly.AI is the affordable monitor for several AI tools at once. It is a sensible way to validate whether AI mentions matter for a client before you invest more.

Best for: Small teams and early tests.

The tradeoff: It is mainly a monitor, with less help on weekly pitching and content.

Pricing: From $29/month.

5. AthenaHQ

AthenaHQ focuses on brand narrative and sentiment across many models. That helps when the risk is how AI describes the brand, not only whether it is named.

Best for: Brand and reputation-led PR work.

Pricing: Free Essential tier. Starter $295/month.

6. Profound

Profound is an enterprise AI visibility platform with an AI Marketer, agents, and SSO and SOC 2 compliance on Enterprise. It suits a large brand with analysts and a security review.

Best for: Enterprise teams.

The tradeoff: The operating loop (measure, act, draft, measure again) still needs people and process around it.

Pricing: Free trial, then custom Enterprise.

7. Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit

Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit is a solid way to see AI visibility next to SEO if you already pay for Semrush. You can start there without changing tools.

Best for: Teams already living in Semrush.

The tradeoff: Reporting and monitoring come first. A PR pitch list and weekly content drafts are still your process.

Pricing: $99/month for the toolkit. No free trial.

Which tool fits which PR team

• Choose HeyAmos if you want weekly actions, content drafts, a media list AI already cites and pitch decks to win new clients.
• Choose PRCoverage if client-ready PR reports are the main deliverable.
• Choose Peec if you want clean analytics and your team will run outreach.
• Choose Otterly.AI if budget is the constraint while you prove the channel.
• Choose AthenaHQ if narrative and sentiment are the brief.
• Choose Profound if enterprise security and deep analytics come first.
• Choose Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit if your team already uses Semrush.

Related guides

• Best AI Search Tools for Agencies (2026)
• Best GEO Tool for Agencies Managing Multiple Client Brands (2026)
• Recommend a Tool That Helps Your Brand Show Up More in AI (2026)

Frequently asked questions

What is the best AI visibility tool for PR teams tracking earned media citations?

• HeyAmos is the pick when you need tracking plus a ranked media list plus weekly actions and content drafts.
• It shows which outlets AI already cites in a client's category, so pitching starts from sources AI already trusts.
• Agencies can spin up a pitching account for a prospect and generate an AI visibility pitch deck to bring to the pitch.
• The Agency plan is $299/month. Brand plans start at $99/month. Content drafts start on Growth at $249/month.
• PRCoverage is the pick when the main job is client reporting built for PR. Premium is $100/month.
• Peec is a strong analytics option if your team will own the outreach and publishing.
• Otterly.AI Lite at $29/month is the low-cost way to validate the channel.
• Prices were checked on each vendor's own site on 19 October 2026. Check again before you buy.

How is AI visibility different from traditional media monitoring?

Media monitoring tells you a story ran. AI visibility tells you whether AI tools reused that story when someone asked a buying question. Both matter. Only the second tells you whether the brand makes the shortlist when someone asks ChatGPT.

How can a PR agency use AI visibility to win new clients?

Show the prospect where they stand in AI answers before they sign. In HeyAmos, you spin up a pitching account for the prospect brand and generate a pitch deck from it. The deck shows how often AI mentions the brand, which competitors appear instead and which sources AI cites. It ends with actions on the brand's own site and in outside media. If the client signs, the pitching account converts to a retainer account with the same prompts.

What should a PR team measure each week?

Track a fixed set of buyer prompts. Record whether the brand is named, how it is described, which URLs are cited, and which competitors appear instead. Then ship one content action and one external pitch tied to the biggest gap.

Do I need a separate tool if I already use Semrush or Ahrefs?

Not always. If you already pay for Semrush, start with its AI Visibility Toolkit. If you already pay for Ahrefs, start with Brand Radar. Add a tool like HeyAmos when you need weekly actions, content drafts and a pitch list built from AI citations.

About the author

Oliver Pechter, Co-Founder & CMO, HeyAmos. Oliver is a marketing leader who has scaled multiple startups across fintech and AI, after earlier years in media including Business Insider. He now builds HeyAmos to help brands win new customers from AI search.