Cision

What Cision does

Cision is a global media intelligence and communications platform, privately held by Platinum Equity since 2020, with headquarters in Chicago and operations across 24 countries. The company serves over 75,000 organizations, including 84% of the Fortune 500, providing an integrated suite of media monitoring, journalist outreach, social listening, press release distribution, investor relations workflow, and AI-powered analytics. Its core architecture is anchored by the CisionOne platform (launched 2023), which unifies monitoring, analytics, and relationship management with an AI layer (CisionOne AI) built in partnership with Google Cloud. PR Newswire operates the underlying distribution network reaching 440,000+ newsrooms and 270,000+ journalists across 170+ countries; Brandwatch (acquired 2021, ~$450M) provides consumer intelligence and social media management; Trajaan (acquired December 2025) extends coverage into search behavior and generative AI assistants; and Cision Insights delivers managed media analysis and executive briefings across automotive, technology, finance, healthcare, energy, and government verticals.

Cision generates revenue primarily through subscription-based SaaS contracts with enterprise communications teams (typical ACVs of $10K-$50K+ for CisionOne seats, $50K-$150K+ for full suites), supplemented by transaction-based PR Newswire distribution fees ($1,070-$10,895 per release), professional services, and content production revenue through PR Newswire Content Studio. Pricing is quote-based and sales-led for enterprise, with a self-serve tiered structure for mid-market CisionOne packages. The go-to-market model combines direct field sales targeting Fortune 500 communications functions, a partner ecosystem for IR compliance (Irwin, Donnelly Financial Solutions/DFIN), and 500+ hosted IR websites with deep workflow lock-in. Approximately $821 million in annual revenue is reported against a headcount of 1,001-5,000.

Technology differentiation rests on a proprietary data flywheel: 100M+ monitored sources across 96 languages, a 500,000+ validated journalist database updated 20,000 times daily by an in-house research team, and multiple AI capabilities including React Score for harmful content detection, Iris AI for APAC social platforms, and AEO/GEO measurement of brand visibility in generative AI assistants. Cision is SOC 2 Type II certified for its PR Newswire platform. Strategic posture under Platinum Equity indicates a pre-exit growth phase, evidenced by accelerated M&A, senior commercial leadership refresh, and a $250 million debt refinancing in April 2025 extending maturities to 2030-2031.

Name

Cision

Legal name

Cision US Inc.

Website

https://cision.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Cision is a privately held, Platinum Equity-owned media intelligence and communications platform serving 75,000+ organizations including 84% of the Fortune 500 with AI-powered media monitoring, journalist outreach, PR Newswire distribution, and Brandwatch social intelligence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription-based SaaS Pricing: Cision generates approximately $821 million in annual revenue primarily through subscription-based pricing models. Enterprise clients typically pay $12,000 to $15,000 annually for Communications Cloud seats, with full enterprise suites ranging from $50,000 to $150,000+. Pricing varies by tier and module selection.
2. Press Release Distribution Services: PR Newswire press release distribution generates transaction-based revenue. Pricing ranges from approximately $1,070 for U.S. national releases to $10,895 for global campaigns, plus additional fees for multimedia and add-ons.
3. Professional Services and Consulting: Media Insights Services provides custom media analysis, communications intelligence, executive briefings, and strategic consulting. Serves enterprise clients across automotive, technology, finance, food & beverage, healthcare, energy, and government sectors.
4. Content Production and Multimedia: PR Newswire Content Studio generates revenue from video production, multimedia content creation, media tours, and Multichannel News Releases (MNR) with guaranteed placement options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cision provides an integrated AI-powered media intelligence and communications platform combining CisionOne (media monitoring, journalist outreach, social listening, analytics, and reporting), PR Newswire press release distribution, Brandwatch consumer intelligence, and Trajaan search intelligence. The company also delivers managed professional analysis through Cision Insights. It serves over 75,000 organizations globally including 84% of the Fortune 500.

Product overview

Cision offers an integrated platform-plus-modules architecture combining AI-powered media intelligence with distribution, amplification, and strategic consulting services. The core product ecosystem is anchored by CisionOne — an all-in-one AI platform unifying media monitoring, social listening, journalist outreach and CRM, and analytics and reporting — supplemented by PR Newswire for global press release distribution (440,000+ newsrooms), Brandwatch for consumer intelligence and social media management, and Trajaan Search Intelligence for search behavior and generative AI monitoring. Additional modules include CisionOne AI (generative AI assistant), Instant Insights & Reporting, Guaranteed Paid Placement, Investor Relations Tools, Crisis Communication Tools, ESG Website Solutions, Regulatory Filing Services, and PR Newswire Content Studio. Cision Insights delivers managed professional analysis services across major industry verticals. The company serves over 75,000 organizations globally with 84% of Fortune 500 companies as clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CisionOne: AI-powered all-in-one media intelligence platform combining journalist outreach, media monitoring, analytics, reporting, and social listening.
• PR Newswire
• Brandwatch
• Trajaan
• Cision Communications Cloud
• Cision Insights
• MultiVu

Products and services

• CisionOne Cision's flagship AI-powered media intelligence platform unifying journalist outreach, media monitoring, social listening, analytics, and reporting in a single integrated experience. Purpose-built for PR and communications teams to monitor coverage, manage relationships, and measure campaign impact.
• PR Newswire Cision's press release distribution service and newswire network reaching 440,000+ newsrooms, 270,000+ journalist inboxes, and 9,000+ digital outlets globally. The company's flagship distribution brand delivering news amplification across print, broadcast, and digital channels.
• Brandwatch Consumer intelligence and social media management suite acquired by Cision in 2021, spanning social listening, publishing, engagement, analytics, and influencer marketing at scale. Powered by Iris AI technology, it provides AI-driven consumer insights across APAC, Western, and global platforms.
• Trajaan Search Intelligence Industry-leading search intelligence platform providing early signals into emerging narratives, brand risks, and perception shifts by monitoring search behavior across generative AI, social, shopping, and traditional search environments in 150+ countries. Acquired by Cision in December 2025.
• Cision Insights Managed media analysis and strategic communications consulting service delivering custom quantitative and qualitative analysis, executive briefings, and sector-specific intelligence across Automotive, Technology, Finance, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Energy, and Government verticals.
• Cision Communications Cloud

Quantifiable outcome

• 35% increase in engagement reported by PR agency clients
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Bloomberg MediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026Bloomberg Media partnered with Cision to integrate Bloomberg's premium full-text journalism directly into CisionOne. The partnership allows eligible Bloomberg.com Group Subscribers and enterprise communications teams to access, monitor, and engage with Bloomberg's financial and business reporting within existing Cision workflow tools. This extends Bloomberg Media's reach while providing Cision customers seamless access to trusted business journalism.
• EternityXminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 May 2026EternityX, an AI-powered marketing technology company, co-hosted an executive workshop in Vietnam with Cision PR Newswire focused on helping Vietnamese brands engage Chinese consumers through AI-driven audience intelligence and cross-border marketing solutions. The workshop brought together senior leaders from Vietnam's tourism, hospitality, food & beverage, beauty, and communications sectors.
• NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Brandwatch (a Cision company) and Blackbird.AI consortium selected by NATO to deliver advanced Information Environment Assessment Capability (IEAC). The solution provides AI-enabled tools to monitor, analyze, and interpret public and commercial data sources to detect and respond to disinformation and harmful narrative threats. Specialist partners Trajaan, Osavul, and Converseon strengthen the consortium.
• Blackbird.AIflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Brandwatch and Blackbird.AI formed consortium selected by NATO to deliver advanced Information Environment Assessment Capability. Blackbird.AI provides narrative detection and analysis capabilities combined with Brandwatch's media intelligence.
• TrajaancoreTechnology or Integration · 11 December 2025Cision acquired Trajaan to expand AI and search intelligence across its platforms. The acquisition builds on a partnership announced between Brandwatch and Trajaan in August 2025. Trajaan's technology captures geo-localized search behavior across traditional search engines, e-commerce platforms, social channels, and GenAI assistants.
• Artmarket.com (Artprice)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2025Artprice by Artmarket launched Artprice News, the world's first global press agency dedicated to art and art markets, broadcasting in 122 countries and 11 languages via partnership with Cision PR Newswire and X (formerly Twitter). The service utilizes proprietary AI tools to monitor and distribute art market news continuously.
• IrwincoreTechnology or Integration · 3 April 2025Cision's investor relations tools leverage partnership with Irwin, a leader in investor relations and capital markets solutions, to target news to carefully curated lists of 400,000+ analysts and portfolio managers from thousands of financial institutions covering 13 industries worldwide.
• Donnelly Financial Solutions (DFIN)coreTechnology or Integration · 3 April 2025Cision provides single-click compliant filing with EDGAR through partnership with Donnelly Financial Solutions (DFIN). Cision solutions for SEDAR (CSA filings) also integrated into the workflow.
• Google CloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2024Cision advancing AI capabilities through November 2024 partnership with Google Cloud to integrate generative AI across CisionOne, Brandwatch, and PR Newswire platforms.

Scale indicators34 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Meltwater: Closest direct competitor offering media monitoring, social listening, and PR analytics. Targets the same enterprise PR/comms buyer with overlapping product surface (monitoring + journalist database) and competing head-to-head in Fortune 500 deals.
• Muck Rack: Direct competitor in PR software and journalist database, particularly strong in mid-market and agency segments. Differentiates through transparent, self-serve pricing — the opposite of Cision's opaque sales-led model — making it a frequent procurement alternative.
• Notified (West Technology Group): Direct competitor combining press release distribution (PR Newswire-equivalent), IR tools, and media monitoring. Competes head-to-head with Cision's PR Newswire and IR solutions for enterprise communications and investor relations teams.
• Talkwalker: Direct competitor in social listening and consumer intelligence, now part of Hootsuite. Overlaps significantly with Brandwatch and Cision's social monitoring capabilities, targeting the same brand and PR buyers.
• Critical Mention: Direct competitor specializing in broadcast and TV/radio monitoring. Overlaps with Cision's broadcast monitoring capabilities and is a frequent competitor in PR and earned media measurement deals.
• TVEyes: Specialized broadcast and radio monitoring service competing directly with Cision's broadcast monitoring module. Targets PR, government, and corporate communications teams needing TV/radio earned media tracking.

Emerging players

• Signal AI: AI-first media monitoring and reputation intelligence platform. Poaches enterprise accounts with an AI-native architecture and is led by Matthew Brown's former employer (he is now President of PR Newswire), indicating close competitive talent flows.

Broad incumbents

• Sprinklr: Broader customer experience management platform with a social media management and listening suite. Not a focused PR tool, but increasingly bundles media monitoring adjacent to Cision's social listening and Brandwatch modules.
• Sprout Social: Public social media management platform with growing listening and analytics capabilities. Competes with Brandwatch and Cision's social modules primarily in mid-market, with transparent pricing that contrasts with Cision's enterprise model.
• Hootsuite: Incumbent social media management platform that acquired Talkwalker to expand into monitoring and listening. Competes with Cision in the social listening and management category rather than in core PR distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cision
• Xx.com/cision
• Facebookfacebook.com/CisionGlobal

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A15 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cision