Best Free Radio plugging CRM and tracking tools Tools
Radio plugging CRM and tracking tools
Radio plugging requires precision: tracking which stations you've pitched, when, and what happened next. CRM and tracking tools help PR professionals manage contacts, monitor pitch responses, and demonstrate ROI to artists and labels. This guide covers real platforms used by independent pluggers and music professionals—some free, some paid—that focus on radio relationship management and campaign tracking rather than vanity metrics.
Contact management platform designed for podcast and radio outreach, allowing you to store, segment, and track communications with broadcasters and presenters. Includes pitch history, response tracking, and contact interaction timelines.
Free tier: Free tier available with limited contacts and campaigns. Paid plans start around £30/month for extended features.
Best for: Independent pluggers and labels managing medium-scale radio campaigns across multiple stations without enterprise infrastructure.
Spreadsheet-based CRM system that PR professionals customise with columns for station contacts, pitch dates, contact names, formats, and follow-up statuses. Integrates with other tools and allows real-time collaboration.
Free tier: Completely free with a Google account; unlimited rows and sheets.
Best for: Solo pluggers and small teams needing a lightweight, transparent system that requires no monthly fees and works offline.
Robust contact and deal management system with free tier offering contact records, basic pipeline tracking, and email integration. Professional teams use it to track full radio plugging campaigns from pitch to broadcast.
Free tier: Free tier includes unlimited contacts, basic email integration, and task management. Paid plans add advanced features starting at £40/month.
Best for: Teams scaling beyond spreadsheets who need reliable contact management, deal tracking, and reporting across multiple campaigns.
Database platform that functions as a flexible CRM; music professionals build custom radio plugging workflows with linked records for stations, contacts, plays, and campaign tracking. Visual database lets you organise information by view (grid, calendar, kanban).
Free tier: Free tier includes unlimited records and bases. Paid plans start at £13/month for expanded automation and integrations.
Best for: Pluggers wanting to build bespoke systems that track not just pitches but linked data (which station has which format, which presenter likes which genre) without learning code.
All-in-one workspace for building custom CRM systems, campaign trackers, and contact databases. Music teams use it to maintain radio contact lists, pitch logs, and outcomes—all interconnected within one workspace.
Free tier: Free tier available with unlimited blocks. Professional use often requires the paid plan at £10/month, though free tier often suffices for individuals.
Best for: Smaller independent teams wanting a central hub for contacts, campaign notes, and tracking without committing to specialist radio software.
Project management platform that includes to-do lists, messaging, and document storage. Music agencies use it to organise plugging campaigns, assign follow-ups, and keep station contact details accessible to the team.
Free tier: Basecamp Lite (free) includes basic features. Basecamp 3 (paid) starts at £99 per month for unlimited projects and users.
Best for: Medium-sized plugging agencies coordinating multiple campaigns across team members who need real-time collaboration and follow-up tracking.
Kanban-style task management tool where pluggers create columns for pitch stages (Contacted, Waiting, Confirmed Play, Broadcast). Each card represents a pitch, tracking status and notes across a visual board.
Free tier: Free tier includes unlimited cards and basic features. Power-ups and advanced automation require Trello Premium at £5/month or higher.
Best for: Solo or small-team pluggers who want simple, visual campaign management without complex database structure.
Work operating system offering customisable templates for managing radio campaigns, tracking pitch responses, and monitoring broadcast dates. Integrates with Slack, email, and other tools for workflow automation.
Free tier: Free tier allows up to 2 users and limited automations. Paid plans start at £9/month per user.
Best for: Expanding plugging operations needing automated workflows that connect pitch data to team notifications and reporting.
Enterprise-grade CRM with AI-driven insights, used by major plugging and PR firms to track radio campaigns, forecast outcomes, and manage relationships at scale. Offers extensive customisation and integration capabilities.
Free tier: Free tier (Developer Edition) limited to personal use. Production instances require paid plans starting at £25/month.
Best for: Large plugging operations and major labels needing industrial-strength CRM, custom workflows, and advanced reporting.
CRM platform built for relationship-based industries, tracking when you last contacted each radio station, what you discussed, and when to follow up next. Prioritises relationship history over transaction tracking.
Free tier: Free tier with limited contacts. Paid plans start at £15/month.
Best for: Pluggers who rely on long-term relationship management with individual stations and need reminders about contact cadence.
CRM focused on sales pipelines, allowing pluggers to set up stages (prospect, contacted, interested, confirmed, broadcast) and track deals through to completion. Visual pipeline management and reporting.
Free tier: Free tier includes essential CRM features. Paid plans start at £14/month.
Best for: Pluggers thinking of campaigns as sales processes needing visibility on conversion rates and stage progression.
The right tool depends on whether you're managing relationships, tracking campaign metrics, or automating team workflows—most professionals use a combination tailored to their operation size and reporting requirements.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a radio plugging CRM and a general CRM like HubSpot?
General CRMs track any contact relationship but don't have built-in fields for radio-specific data (format, broadcast times, play reports). Radio-specific tools like Podkite include preset fields for plugging work, though many professionals customise HubSpot or Airtable with radio templates. The advantage of general CRMs is flexibility—you build what you need rather than being constrained by radio-only features.
Should I track pitches in a spreadsheet or invest in a paid platform?
If you're managing under 50 active contacts or under five simultaneous campaigns, a well-organised spreadsheet usually suffices. Once you scale beyond that or need automated follow-up reminders and reporting, a paid platform saves time and reduces human error. Calculate monthly cost against the hours you'd spend managing spreadsheets—most pluggers break even at two additional campaigns annually.
Can these tools integrate with email to automatically log outreach?
Most paid platforms (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Contactually, Salesforce) offer email integration that logs sent messages to contact records automatically. Free tools like Google Sheets and Notion require manual logging unless you use Zapier or similar automation. This integration saves substantial time but is rarely seamless—always verify integration stability before committing.
How do I track actual radio plays across multiple stations?
CRM tools track what you pitched and when, but play confirmation still relies on manual input from station feedback, Spotify for Artists, or third-party monitoring services like Radiomonitor UK. Link play data back to your CRM campaigns using a custom field or separate database table so you can measure which pitches led to broadcast. This workflow requires discipline but demonstrates ROI to artists and labels.
What metrics should I be reporting to artists about radio plugging results?
Report confirmed plays (station, date, potential reach), contact attempts per station (showing effort), and follow-up conversion rates (pitched to confirmed pitches). Avoid claiming impressions or 'radio reach' without confirmed metrics—artists know the difference between pitching a song and it actually being broadcast. Include both quantitative data (number of plays) and qualitative notes (station feedback, format fit, presenters' interest).
Related resources
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