← Cision
Cision role-play cheat sheet
For the mock cold call at the end of most SDR interviews.
What they sell, in one line
Software for PR and communications teams to find media contacts, monitor news and social, and measure coverage.
Who you'd be calling
Heads of communications, PR managers and corporate marketing leaders at mid-size to large companies and agencies.
Your opener
“Hi [Name], this is [You] from Cision. I'm calling because comms teams often tell us it's hard to keep up with every mention of their brand and prove what PR delivers. Is that something you deal with?”
Problems you solve for them
- Hard to know quickly what's being said about the brand in news and social
- Finding the right journalists to pitch takes time
- Proving the value of PR to leadership is difficult
Discovery questions to ask
- How does your team track news and social conversations about your brand today?
- How do you build media lists and find the right journalists to pitch?
- How do you report PR results to leadership?
Objections they'll throw at you
“I'm busy.”
→ Understood, I'll be quick. Can I ask one question about how you track media coverage, and then you decide?
“Not interested.”
→ No problem. Is media monitoring already handled, or is PR not a big focus this year?
“We already use a PR tool or agency.”
→ Good, so you value this. What works well, and what do you wish it did better?
“Send me an email.”
→ Happy to. What matters most to you, tracking coverage or finding journalists? And can we set a quick check-in after?
Competitors worth knowing
Meltwater, Muck Rack, Brandwatch
Interview tips for this company
- The profile mentions Brandwatch, which Cision owns, so be ready to talk about monitoring and social listening.
- Know what PR, earned media and media monitoring mean, in simple words.
Written from public information about Cision to help you practice. Ask an insider what their role play looked like; it's the best prep there is.