PR Newswire has partnered with market intelligence firm Umbria to offer a new service that allows brands to monitor their reach and influence across consumer-generated media such as blogs.

The new service, which is known as PR Newswire's MediaSense Blog Measurement, allows PR Newswire clients to track blog conversions with respect to a news event or press releases.

PR Newswire COO Dave Armon said the new service offers customers actionable feedback on how their message resonates with audiences in the blogosphere.

Umbria President Howard Kaushansky stressed the importance of tracking a message through the blogosphere.

"If it's positive, you want to know," he said. "If it's a mushroom cloud of negativity, you definitely need to know. This partnership gives that knowledge to PR Newswire clients."