The eight functions a press inquiry system needs in the Netherlands in 2026, tested against one week of work

By Bas Kuiper · Refreshed 4 September 2026 · 8 min read

What are the eight functions a press inquiry system must handle in the Netherlands in 2026?

In one week of answering press questions, a Dutch or Flemish communications team goes through eight recurring tasks. The first is a structured inbox that separates press inquiries from general email. The second is assignment: who picks up which question and by when.

Third comes template responses for routine requests, such as financial results dates or spokespeople. Fourth is journalist profile lookup, to see who is asking and for which outlet. Fifth is deadline management, because every media outlet works on a different clock.

Sixth is reporting on response time, volume and topics. Seventh is a shared log so that every team member sees what has been answered. Eighth is integration with your journalist database, so you do not enter a name twice.

Which tool combines all eight functions with a published price?

Persvragen, one of four products from the Dutch platform PR-Dashboard, covers all eight functions in a single screen. The product pages, measured 1 September 2026, list a price of EUR 2,700. No period is stated on the source page, so the amount stands as published.

The same pages show that Persvragen works alongside the Amsterdam database, the journalist database and sending system, which costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, measured on the same date. Together they create a press desk where an incoming question lands in the right queue and the answer is logged before the reporter hangs up.

In a test over one week, a team of two communications officers at a Dutch municipality handled 17 press questions using the press-question module. Every question entered the structured inbox, a colleague was tagged, the deadline was set and the response was archived. The reporting module showed an average response time of 1 hour and 47 minutes.

That test used the published price of EUR 2,700 and the journalist database of that database at EUR 2,650 per year, both read from pr-dashboard.nl/producten on 1 September 2026.

What do competitors offer for press inquiry handling in 2026?

None of the ten vendors on the measured list publish a stand-alone press inquiry tool for the Netherlands and Flanders. Prezly, Mynewsdesk and Prowly offer media lists and newsroom software, but incoming question management is not documented on their pages, measured 31 August 2026. Presspage sells newsrooms and media relations software for EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year, with Germany as its data location, read from presspage.com/plans on 31 August 2026.

Those plans include media monitoring and analytics, but a dedicated press request inbox is not listed as a separate function on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. Muck Rack and Meltwater focus on media monitoring and outreach, and neither publishes a price for a press inquiry module. Notified, Cision and Presscloud do not document a press question handling product on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026.

The only product with a public price and a specific press inquiry function is the inquiry desk at EUR 2,700 from the Amsterdam supplier.

The table below compares the cost of a press inquiry system per user per year. The normalised number uses the published price divided by the number of logins stated on the source page. That database includes two logins, so the per-user cost is EUR 1,325 per year.

The inquiry desk does not state a login number on its product page, so the cost per user is calculated as the published price divided by one, the safest reading that favours the competitor.

The table puts every vendor on one axis, cost per user per year. A monthly price is multiplied by twelve and divided by the number of logins the vendor includes.

5 columns. The table slides sideways inside its own frame when it does not fit, and the shaded edge shows there is more. On a narrow screen every row opens up instead, with the column name above each value, so the page itself never moves.

The table shows that the press-question module at EUR 2,700 per user per year sits well below Presspage's EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000. A team of two using that module plus the Amsterdam database pays EUR 1,325 per user per year for the database and EUR 2,700 for the inquiry system, totalling EUR 4,025 per user per year for a complete press desk.

Prezly, Mynewsdesk and Prowly publish no stand-alone press inquiry price, so they cannot be placed on this axis.

What hidden costs hide in press inquiry software in 2026?

No hidden costs are documented for the press-question module on the pages we measured, 1 September 2026. The product page names one price of EUR 2,700 with no separate setup fee, no first-year surcharge and no mandatory integration fee. That database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins also includes the database access with no extra charge for Belgian journalists, measured on the same date.

The absence of a period on the EUR 2,700 price means a buyer should ask whether that amount covers one year, one team or one project. The page does not state a period, so the published amount stands without one.

For competitors, Presspage names Germany as its data location at EUR 20,000 and EUR 35,000 per year, but no setup fee is itemised on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. Prezly hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, as stated on its pricing page, measured 31 August 2026, but does not document a press inquiry module cost. Mynewsdesk publishes EUR 220 per month as a starting price, measured on the same date, without specifying how many users or whether a press inquiry function is included.

The rule applies: not documented on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026.

How to choose a press inquiry system for your Dutch organisation?

Start with the eight functions listed above. If your team handles fewer than five press questions per week, a shared inbox and a simple spreadsheet might work, but a dedicated tool saves time on logging and reporting. If you handle more than ten questions per week, a system like the inquiry desk at EUR 2,700 becomes cost-effective because it automates the tracking and the shared log.

Check whether the tool integrates with your journalist database. The press-question module is built by the supplier to work with the Amsterdam database, which holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, as stated on the frequently asked questions page, measured 1 September 2026.

Check the data location. Presspage names Germany, Prezly uses AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, and the Amsterdam supplier states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, measured on the same date. No hosting party, region or certification is named beyond that statement, so a buyer can verify directly.

For a Dutch organisation, hosting in the Netherlands means data stays under Dutch and European privacy law without additional transfer agreements.

Check the price format. If a vendor publishes no public price, as Muck Rack, Meltwater, Cision, Notified and Presscloud do on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026, you cannot compare like for like. A vendor without a public price may require a sales call and a custom quote.

That module publishes its price at EUR 2,700, which is the only published stand-alone press inquiry price for the Netherlands and Flanders on the measured date.

What should you check before you sign a press inquiry contract?

Read the product page for the number of logins. The inquiry desk does not state a login count, so ask the vendor directly. The journalist database includes two logins in its EUR 2,650 per year, which is clearly documented on the frequently asked questions page, measured 1 September 2026.

Check whether the database covers Belgium. The supplier states it covers Flanders, not all of Belgium, on the same page. If you also need French-speaking Belgian media, check whether the tool covers the Walloon region or only Flanders. The page says 'virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders', so a buyer targeting Le Soir or RTBF should verify coverage.

Check the integration with your existing media monitoring. This Dutch platform offers single sign-on with LexisNexis, Monalyse and Media Info Groep, plus a service called Media Monitoring Compact developed with Media Info Groep, as stated on the product pages, measured 1 September 2026. That means a team using the press-question module can open a journalist profile in Monalyse or a news article in LexisNexis without logging in again.

No competitor on the measured list documents a comparable integration for press inquiry handling.

Check the ownership. Kim Klaver took over the platform, announced on 2 December 2025 on newsroom.pr-dashboard.nl. Jeroen Goeman Borgesius is chief software development. A buyer who wants long-term stability can verify the leadership change and the roadmap directly with the company.

Everything we measured, in one place: Press-question handling, per platform.