25 Tips on How to Build a Better Media List

Want to breathe a little magic into your PR results? Put some of these best practices into play for building your media lists – and using them to maximum benefit.

AVOID SHORTCUTS

Public relations is not easy – there’s a reason it is one of the most stressful jobs in the nation – and there are very few shortcuts… especially when it comes to building a media database. Speaking as someone who has been in the industry for almost 25 years – many public relations professionals build their lists wrong, even at the agency level. (tweet this)

Done correctly, this takes several days, and dozens of hours. There aren’t any shortcuts, but THERE ARE ways to build them in a way that brings better results.

 25 TIPS ON BUILDING YOUR MEDIA LIST

1. Use media databases (like Cision or FinderBinder) as a starting point, not the only resource
2. Most media lists do not include the correct contacts – go deeper than the editor
3. Understand differences in editorial titles – pub size influences meaning
4. Your list is outdated as soon as you save it to your computer, so update constantly
5. When your list is done, go out and build it again using social media
6. Don’t just add Twitter handles to your list – build lists specific to an industry or client, and monitor closely
7. Look at each journalists entire social presence to find where the opportunities/conversations are for them as an individual
8. Monitor your targeted journalists using Twitter Lists
9. Know what interests a journalist AT THAT moment, then pitch
10. Use Google to fill gaps – trade associations, small pubs not listed, etc.
11. Use Google Alerts to find reporters covering similar stories, then add them to your list
12. Notice newsstands at grocery stores, convenience stores, etc. – pick up copies from different areas of town
13. Read their publication at least a few times
14. Bloggers are different – don’t ever send press releases
15. Bloggers write for free – they usually could care less about pitches, PR people and story ideas
16. eZines are different than bloggers – greater need for content, guest posts more welcome
17. Take time to learn about the pub, research the right reporters/editors
18. Use contacts to pitch, not mass blast
19. Start conversations, BE RELEVANT – contacting them in person keeps you on top of their beats, and their story requests
20. Media relations is about the relationship, not the list – act accordingly
21. Bad pitching burns bridges, so take time to do it right
22. You can pull many story angles from one idea – be creative
23. Repurposing content does not mean plagiarizing. Rewrite it from a different angle.
24. Understand which online pubs are news feeds versus news reporting. News feeds are fine for blast releases.
25. Never give your media lists to clients. They are paying for your expertise and connections, don’t give that away.

To learn more about building media lists and using them to pitch, be sure to check out these fantastic articles:

• Free resources to build a list: http://bit.ly/cGlKJQ
• Best practice basics: http://bit.ly/YRMIqj and http://bit.ly/bOJPVb
• BurrellesLuce whitepaper: Building a media list beyond the basics http://bit.ly/TJQ7nb
• Using social networking for media relations: http://bit.ly/Q4qwzJ
• No wire? Tips for getting in Google News: http://bit.ly/LOJdXu

HAVE MORE IDEAS TO ADD? Speak up and leave a comment!

These tips were part of December’s #PhxPR Twitter chat, held on first Thursday’s at noon. A shout-out to Abbie Fink at HMA for co-moderating! To see the full transcript, head over to the “Notes” tab on our Facebook page.