3 Step Process To Creating An Effective Media List
Reading Time: ~4 Mins | Written By: Sydney Vardja
We’ve covered how to craft the perfect pitch — so check out this post if you haven’t!
Now it’s time to discuss the next step: creating an effective media list. Because nothing accompanies a powerful pitch better than a rockstar media list. Two peas in a pod, those two!
A media list is a document or spreadsheet with journalists, editors, and other writers who you want to pitch to.
PR is all about relationships, and if you’re just starting out, this list will make your job much easier. Building relationships takes time. It’s not a simple “hello” email to a journalist, and then a beautiful relationship has blossomed — oh, but if it was!
Instead, cultivating meaningful relationships with the media takes time, patience, and respect. You want to pitch to the right people. Follow up at appropriate times. And offer your help when needed!
But let’s get into who these journalists are, and how we go about crafting this oh-so-perfect list we speak of.
Here’s our 3 step process to creating an effective media list!
1. Find the right journalists
This is by far the most crucial step to crafting your list. Your list can be as beautiful as ever, but with the wrong contacts? Not good. Finding the right journalists is what makes your list effective.
So what do we mean by the “right” journalists?
What topics do they cover? What’s their beat? Is this still their beat… or did you read an article from a decade ago? Which publication do they write for? Are they still there? These are all key questions to ensure your pitches reach the right audience. After all, no one likes a generalized pitch about a topic they have nothing to do with.
But finding journalists can be tricky, we get this! That’s why there are tools available to make this process easier.
One of our favourites is Cision. This tool offers PR professionals a database full of journalists within Canada. Don’t worry, this isn’t a massive list you’ll be scouring through for hours. Rather, you’ll search by filters, which include topic, location, outlet, audience type, and reach and impact. So if you’re looking for a journalist for CBC Vancouver who covers politics. Boom. You’ll find multiple quickly!
Another tip to finding journalists is to check publication sites. If there’s an article about a topic you’re looking to pitch, click on the writer’s profile. There will likely be a description of the journalist and their beats, as well as links to their social profiles. If we’re really lucky, their email will be listed for pitching inquiries!
2. Organize your list
A media list is more than a journalist’s name and email. There are other important details you don’t want to miss.
Include the journalist’s first and last name. Then list their outlet and location. Following this, you’ll list their title: are they a reporter, editor, or journalist? This will help you understand their role at the outlet, and avoid a pitch to the wrong person.
Next you’ll list their points of contact. It’s helpful to have both an email and a phone number to increase your chances of getting in touch. And some journalists might prefer a two minute phone call over a handful of time-consuming emails anyway.
After this, you’ll include their beats. Most journalists don’t write about one sole thing — people are multifaceted!
To top it off, throw in a link to their social media accounts for easy access later on.
We understand this is a lot of information, which is why suggest using a spreadsheet to keep your list organized. It’s also always fun to colour coordinate the sheet to help you keep track!
And speaking of keeping track…
3. Keep track of your list
A media list isn’t a one and done type of thing. You’ll want to continuously stay on top of your list to make sure it’s up to date. Pitching to an outdated list will likely only ruin relationships with potential journalists. And a class of fresh-faced journalists graduate every year. Don’t miss out on new connections because you already have a few!
You’ll also want to include a status section to remind yourself of where you are with your list. Did a journalist not get back to you? Maybe you already followed up? Oh no, you forget! Let’s avoid this. Keep track of who you pitched to. Keep track of dates you sent your pitches. And keep track of responses. Though this might seem tedious, it definitely pays off in the long run!
Media lists are so popular in the world of PR for a reason: they make our lives easier. Without them, all of our exciting ideas would be kept in the dark. And we’d struggle to make connections with journalists. There really are no flaws when it comes to the trusty media list!
