How to create a media list in 5 simple steps
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
There's no question that media coverage for our clients is an important part of our daily work in PR. For this to succeed, we need, and indeed do maintain good relationships with journalists, bloggers, podcasters, reporters and influencers to reach them with the stories and news they are actually interested in and want to share. Good relationships, however, need to be established before they can be nurtured.
Therefore, to build these relationships, we need to research and create a strong media list.
But what is a media list? In short, a media list is a selection of media professionals, their publishing channels, and their contact information. It ensures that our ideas for articles, press releases, product testing and media notices reach the right people for your clients. A good media list needs to be sensibly organized and always up-to-date - or you risk disturbing journalists in their well-deserved retirement.
So here’s how to do it:
1. Which media - or who is actually responsible for what?
To figure out the best reporters and publications to include in your media list, you first need to decide who the appropriate audience is for your story.
Remember, the goal of getting media attention is also to get the attention of your target audience. So who is your target audience? Your media list should reflect that.
If you're trying to convince tech-savvy seniors* or their children to use a new smartwatch that allows them to measure their blood pressure or place an emergency call to theirs in the event of an emergency, you should compile a media list of journalists who cover tech gadgets in publications that are frequently read by this audience.
Keep in mind: some PR agencies only worry about getting you coverage. Always remember that where you get coverage is more important than how much you get.
2. Nothing beats research
You may be wondering how you actually find out if someone is covering tech in a medium that is frequently read or clicked on by your target audience?
Simple, you need to research and identify potential media and publications in the second step to find out what content they cover, what their primary medium is (e.g., print, TV, blog, podcast, business newspapers, etc.), what their circulation and UVPM (unique visitors per month) is, and how frequently they are published. Go a step further and search by topic and beyond to find out what journalists are sharing on social media (including Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and now Discord), what articles they've written recently, or what events they're commenting on. This is important for contacting and building mutually beneficial and friendly relationships with relevant journalists*.
3. Smaller, but finer or better: more precise
The next step is boiling down the ingredients. Because in contrast to creating general media lists, you have a much better chance of getting a hit with your media contacts if you "narrow down" your media lists. For example: for an article on Agile, you wouldn't go to all general IT reporters. Instead, you might contact specific blogs or trade publications that cover Agile, Scrum, or Kanban, or journalists who have published articles on them. Through this research, we want to ensure that a contact only makes the list if we are confident that they have covered that category or topic area in the past.
By looking at media that have reported on similar brands or related topics, you can incidentally create master lists for you and your team. This saves time and creates some direction when you are looking for new relationships with relevant media.
4. A tidy list, is a tidy mind
Organize your information. It's important to organize your media list in a database, such as an Excel document, with separate columns for the media outlet name, contact person, job title, email address and phone number. It's also a good idea to categorize your list into different sections for the type of media outlet. For example, you could create a section for your blogger contacts and a separate section for your magazine contacts. If you organize your information well, you'll be able to find what you're looking for quickly, and your colleagues will thank you, too.
5. Always stay up to date
Once you've created a media list, your work doesn't end here. Put a regular date in your calendar or establish a routine with your colleagues to update your media lists regularly. Keep track of which individual has moved to another paper or is no longer responsible for a particular department - maybe that one great podcast you contacted 2 years ago no longer exists. So keep track of media contacts' job responsibilities and job titles in case they change. This will keep you in the loop, and always ready for the next round of pitching. As an aside, it also helps to keep tabs on the media industry by subscribing to newsletters. That way, you'll get early notice of any major changes, such as a publication being acquired or a company closing, and you can incorporate those changes into your list.