By Allen Haynes, Director, Public Relations

Public relations is a fast-paced industry where PR professionals are expected to think on their feet and have the ability to meet tight deadlines. And whether it’s writing a new business proposal, developing an integrated communications strategy or pitching press releases, every PR pro must learn how to juggle assignments while monitoring media trends and potential crisis scenarios.

Thankfully, today’s smartphones are quickly becoming the sharpest tool in the PR pro’s shed. Below are the top 6 must-have apps for PR pros in 2016.

To follow trends and news more efficiently – 1) Pocket

There is a subtle, yet very important and distinct difference between monitoring stories versus trends. Monitoring trends empowers us to provide strong counsel to clients, and that’s where Pocket comes in. This app allows you to scan and save articles for offline reading, staying up to speed with the news cycle.

To reach more journalists – 2) Upitch

Simply put, Upitch is Tinder for media relations. You create your pitch note, or brief announcement, and journalists “swipe right” on stories they’re interested in receiving more information about. When you get a match, you're connected with the reporter, and voila.  It's truly millennial media relations. 

For team communication – 3) Slack

When each account has a different team, it’s important to have a constant stream of dialogue. Slack stores your entire team’s communication in one location and has incredible features, including: real-time private and group messaging; file sharing; Dropbox, Twitter and Google+ Hangouts integration; link summaries; customizable notifications and more. This app is the compass to keep you pointed North when you’re deep in the weeds.

For enhanced news aggregation – 4) Flipboard

Flipboard is a visually appealing news aggregator that feels like you’re causally flipping through a magazine. Select your -- or your client’s -- interests and browse handpicked articles. But it’s better than that. Flipboard allows you to create your own personal magazine filled with stories, photos, videos and more.

The obvious ones for client relations and day-to-day work – 5) Email and 6) Twitter

Sure email already comes installed on your phone, but it might be the most important of all, which is why it's vital to make sure your settings are optimized so you don't miss an important message. 

And Twitter remains to be the fastest way to catch a trending topic, join a conversation or see what celebrities are up to at any given moment. Be sure to receive push notifications when influencers in your network are tweeting about the same topic, so you don't miss the boat. 

And most important of all: Starbucks

Because coffee is life.