duolingo-logo-2017
Industry E-Learning
Location Pittsburgh, PA
Employees 412
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Learn how Duolingo uses Muck Rack to:

  • Curate topic-specific media lists with Muck Rack’s journalist search engine
  • Expand Duolingo’s international media reach
  • Monitor company mentions from journalists through Muck Rack Alerts

Table of Contents

    About Duolingo

    Duolingo is the most popular language-learning platform and most downloaded education app worldwide, with over 300 million users. The company's mission is to make education free and accessible for everyone. Duolingo currently offers more than 80 total language courses across over 30 distinct languages, and is available on iOS, Android and the Web.

    In Their Own Words: Duolingo’s Favorite Muck Rack Features

    Michaela LinkedIn
    Michaela Kron
    Senior PR Manager
    Duolingo

    Search

    Muck Rack’s Search function is super useful for finding new journalists to pitch.

    For example, we’re gearing up to launch Hawaiian on Duolingo, which is considered an endangered language. I’ve used Muck Rack’s Search feature to research journalists who have written about or tweeted about the Hawaiian language or endangered languages, in general. Search helps me to make sure I’m accounting for relevant reporters who care about the issue and would be interested in hearing about the course when it launches.

    This has helped me build a media list of about 70 relevant reporters. When it comes time, we’ll send personalized, targeted emails to each person on the list, communicating why they would care by referencing previous tweets and articles, found through Muck Rack.

    Muck Rack also allows us to search by location or beat which has been especially helpful when breaking into new markets. One of my colleagues took an international PR trip to Paris, Frankfurt and Berlin for media visits. The goal of the trip was to generate awareness among reporters in these cities about Duolingo. We didn’t know the media landscapes well in those cities, so our research all started with Muck Rack. My colleague put together a media list of reporters based in these cities and was able to book meetings with a few of those folks.

    We also really appreciate that international outlets and journalists are included in Muck Rack’s cost. Other platforms tend to upcharge for international coverage, so we enjoy the robust number of outlets and journalists included on Muck Rack for one set price.

    “Muck Rack is the most plugged in platform out there. If you want to get journalists where they are, which let’s be honest, is Twitter, Muck Rack is absolutely the best way to do that.”

    — Michaela Kron, Senior PR Manager

    Alerts

    Muck Rack Alerts help us track Duolingo, as well as our competitors. It’s good to be in the know about where our competitors are being mentioned, and also gives us ideas for new outlets and reporters to pitch when the time is right.

    Alerts also help us discover journalists who are Duolingo users themselves -- this gives us the opportunity to track journalists who are using the platform for relationship building and future pitching.

    Here’s a great example: Racked reporter Alanna Okun tweeted, “catch me at the rolling stone party keeping up my duolingo streak.” We saw the tweet in the morning thanks to a Muck Rack Alert and were able to jump on the opportunity to engage with a quote retweet, “Party like a polyglot.” That tweet received more than 400 likes.

    Whether or not we ever pitch Alanna in the future since her publication/topic area doesn’t exactly align with Duolingo, it’s great to engage regardless.

    “Muck Rack is a great tool to help PR professionals be much more targeted in their outreach. Journalists get fewer irrelevant pitches from PR people if they're using Muck Rack in the right way, and it’s helping PR professionals to get better results.”

    — Michaela Kron, Senior PR Manager

    Five Fast Questions

    1. If you had to explain how you use Muck Rack to someone in a tweet, what would you say?

    I use Muck Rack to research and keep up with key journalists, and to ensure I don’t miss any important Duolingo coverage. It keeps me in the know!

    2. What has your experience been like working with Muck Rack’s customer success team?

    It has honestly been great. Any time I haven’t been able to find contact information for a journalist, the customer success team has been super responsive, often times within minutes.

    I've been thoroughly impressed by the customer success team.

    3. What would your job be like if you didn’t have Muck Rack?

    A lot more time consuming and less efficient.

    4. How would you describe your experience with Muck Rack in three words?

    Efficient, helpful and informative.

    5. What would you tell other companies considering using Muck Rack?

    I would recommend it! Muck Rack is the most plugged in platform out there.

    I would tell them if you want to get journalists where they are which, let’s be honest, is Twitter, Muck Rack is absolutely the best way to do that. It’s a great way to stay in the know. Muck Rack is really the best solution in terms of what I’ve seen to keep on the pulse with journalists talking about your company.