Migrate your Cision data
Enterprise PR and earned media platform with the largest journalist database and integrated newswire distribution. Best suited for comms teams running global media campaigns who need unified monitoring, outreach, and measurement.
In its favor
Why people choose Cision
The signal that keeps Cision on the shortlist. Sourced from G2, Capterra, and customer scoping calls.
The journalist and media contact database is the largest available at 1.4 million+ contacts, enabling broad global outreach that competitors cannot match on volume alone.
PR Newswire integration provides wire distribution capabilities that no competitor offers as a native feature, making Cision the default choice for organizations that depend on press release syndication.
The all-in-one platform consolidates monitoring, outreach, social listening, and analytics into a single workspace, reducing the need to purchase and manage multiple PR tools.
The platform has earned recognition as a G2 Leader across media targeting, monitoring, and PR analytics categories for 12 consecutive quarters, driven by verified customer reviews.
Organizations with existing Cision contracts and established workflows find the depth of media intelligence justifies the premium pricing for enterprise comms teams.
The platform carries a steep learning curve and an interface that experienced users describe as non-intuitive, creating friction during onboarding and daily use.
Pricing is opaque and expensive, with annual costs starting above $7,200 and escalating rapidly based on seat count and feature access, leading smaller teams to seek alternatives.
Data accuracy issues appear in G2 reviews, including duplicate articles in mention streams, missed coverage for smaller publications, and incomplete broadcast clippings.
Stretched customer support response times mean teams feel underserved when encountering data discrepancies or platform issues.
The breadth of features across CisionOne, PR Newswire, and Brandwatch creates a fragmented experience where workflow continuity across sub-products is not always smooth.
Reasons to switch
Why people leave Cision
The recurring reasons buyers give for replacing Cision. Presented as facts, not knocks.
Platform scorecard
Strengths, weaknesses, and where Cision fits
Grades across six dimensions, plus a SWOT-style view of where the platform shines and where it falls short.
SWOT — strengths, weaknesses, and use-case fit
Strengths
Weaknesses
Where it works
Where it struggles
Pricing tiers
Cision pricing overview
Cision's pricing is not publicly transparent. The PR platform starts at approximately $7,200 annually for the full suite, while press release distribution is priced per-release from $110 to $455. Enterprise tiers require direct negotiation and are structured around seat count, feature access, and contract length.
Starter
Tier 1 of 4
$1/month (misleading — minimum contract pricing, contact sales)
What's included
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Book a free 30 minute consultationPricing is informational. FlitStack AI does not bill on Cision's schedule — see our quote-based pricing →
What gets migrated
Cision object support
Object-by-object support for Cision migrations. Per-pair details surface during scoping.
Media Contacts / Journalists
Mapping requiredThe journalist database is Cision's core asset with over 1.4 million records. Contacts include beat assignments, outlet affiliations, contact details, and social profiles. We map these to the destination CRM's Contact or Person object, noting that custom fields on journalist records (beat tags, outlet metadata) may require manual field mapping.
Press Releases
Mapping requiredPress releases stored in PR Newswire include distribution history, recipient lists, wire tier information, and open/click metrics. We export release content, metadata, and performance data; the wire distribution history is preserved as a linked campaign record in the destination system.
Distribution Lists
Mapping requiredMedia lists curated by the Cision user for targeted pitching are stored with contact associations and custom list metadata. We extract list membership and list-level attributes, then reconstruct these as Segments or Groups in the destination CRM.
Mention Streams / Coverage
Mapping requiredMonitored coverage records include article metadata, outlet information, tone/sentiment analysis, reach estimates, and associated tags. We export mention records in bulk, preserving tag associations and date ranges. Duplicate detection during import is handled as a pre-flight step given known data quality issues.
Campaigns / Campaigns
Mapping requiredPR campaigns group press releases, pitches, and coverage mentions into trackable units. Campaign attributes include name, date range, status, and linked contacts. We migrate campaign records as a parent object and attach associated releases and mentions as child records in the destination.
Social Streams
Mapping requiredSocial media monitoring data from Brandwatch integration includes social mentions, engagement metrics, and trend charts. We export social records with platform attribution and save them as social engagement records attached to the relevant contact or as standalone social mention objects.
Media Outlets / Publications
Mapping requiredOutlet records define publication details including name, type (print/digital/broadcast), geography, beat coverage, and contact relationships. We map outlet records to the destination's Company or Organization object type.
Alerts / Saved Searches
Not in this platformSaved alert configurations and monitoring search parameters are platform-specific and not reliably portable between systems. Alert recurrence rules and notification settings are not exported; these are reconstructed manually in the destination platform based on documented requirements.
Team Workspaces / Users
Mapping requiredUser accounts include name, email, role, and workspace assignments. We map active users to the destination system as Contact or User records and note workspace-based access controls that may need to be re-established in the destination.
Custom Dashboards / Reports
Not in this platformSaved dashboard configurations and scheduled report templates use Cision's proprietary widget schema and are not exportable in a reusable format. Report data itself (metrics, coverage charts) is extracted as raw data and rebuilt in the destination analytics tool.
| Object | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Media Contacts / Journalists | Mapping required | The journalist database is Cision's core asset with over 1.4 million records. Contacts include beat assignments, outlet affiliations, contact details, and social profiles. We map these to the destination CRM's Contact or Person object, noting that custom fields on journalist records (beat tags, outlet metadata) may require manual field mapping. |
| Press Releases | Mapping required | Press releases stored in PR Newswire include distribution history, recipient lists, wire tier information, and open/click metrics. We export release content, metadata, and performance data; the wire distribution history is preserved as a linked campaign record in the destination system. |
| Distribution Lists | Mapping required | Media lists curated by the Cision user for targeted pitching are stored with contact associations and custom list metadata. We extract list membership and list-level attributes, then reconstruct these as Segments or Groups in the destination CRM. |
| Mention Streams / Coverage | Mapping required | Monitored coverage records include article metadata, outlet information, tone/sentiment analysis, reach estimates, and associated tags. We export mention records in bulk, preserving tag associations and date ranges. Duplicate detection during import is handled as a pre-flight step given known data quality issues. |
| Campaigns / Campaigns | Mapping required | PR campaigns group press releases, pitches, and coverage mentions into trackable units. Campaign attributes include name, date range, status, and linked contacts. We migrate campaign records as a parent object and attach associated releases and mentions as child records in the destination. |
| Social Streams | Mapping required | Social media monitoring data from Brandwatch integration includes social mentions, engagement metrics, and trend charts. We export social records with platform attribution and save them as social engagement records attached to the relevant contact or as standalone social mention objects. |
| Media Outlets / Publications | Mapping required | Outlet records define publication details including name, type (print/digital/broadcast), geography, beat coverage, and contact relationships. We map outlet records to the destination's Company or Organization object type. |
| Alerts / Saved Searches | Not in this platform | Saved alert configurations and monitoring search parameters are platform-specific and not reliably portable between systems. Alert recurrence rules and notification settings are not exported; these are reconstructed manually in the destination platform based on documented requirements. |
| Team Workspaces / Users | Mapping required | User accounts include name, email, role, and workspace assignments. We map active users to the destination system as Contact or User records and note workspace-based access controls that may need to be re-established in the destination. |
| Custom Dashboards / Reports | Not in this platform | Saved dashboard configurations and scheduled report templates use Cision's proprietary widget schema and are not exportable in a reusable format. Report data itself (metrics, coverage charts) is extracted as raw data and rebuilt in the destination analytics tool. |
Gotchas
What to watch for in Cision migrations
Issues we've hit on past Cision migrations, tagged by severity. FlitStack AI handles every one — surfacing them up front because buyer engineering teams want to know.
No self-service bulk data export
Pricing model is opaque and contract-dependent
Data accuracy gaps in monitoring streams
Alert and dashboard configurations are not portable
Brandwatch social data stored separately
| Severity | Issue |
|---|---|
| High | No self-service bulk data export |
| High | Pricing model is opaque and contract-dependent |
| Medium | Data accuracy gaps in monitoring streams |
| Medium | Alert and dashboard configurations are not portable |
| Low | Brandwatch social data stored separately |
Leaving Cision?
Where Cision customers move next
12 destinations Cision can migrate to.
How a Cision migration works
Four steps, Cision-specific
Connect
Not publicly documented into Cision. Scopes limited to read-only on the data we move.
Map
We translate Cision-specific structures (custom fields, objects, value lists) to the destination's model.
Sample
Test with a 50–200 record subset to validate Cision quirks before production.
Migrate
Full migration with Cision rate-limit handling. Rollback available throughout.
FAQ
Cision migration FAQ
Answers to the questions buyers ask most during Cision migration scoping. Not seeing yours? Book a call.
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