Upgrade Your Media List: Tips And Tricks To Find the Right Contacts

By Matheson Sharp

Building a media list is critical to any outreach - a database of relevant contacts to reach out to when promoting a campaign, press release or offering interviews. A media list should be more than a list of journalist names and the coverage beat they’ve been assigned. To be truly effective and useful, your list needs to be tailored to meet your needs and subject areas, and should always serve as a living document that needs to be updated and refreshed over the course of a project. Defining your audience and target area, identifying influencers or experts, and utilizing digital platforms will set you on your way to creating a useful media list! Here are some ways to build an impactful media list that ensure you are reaching out to the right targets who will be most interested in covering your story. 

Start with the Known

Utilize what is already available and begin by identifying outlets or members of the press who have already written about the organization, campaign or issue in the past. This will help you identify industry trades, beat reporters, and local outlets or press who are already familiar with what you are pitching, and may be interested in a follow up story. Identify influencers or experts who have already shown some sort of interest in your topic. These could be great targets who could lend their voice and platform  and uplift your message. This can be further augmented by starting media monitoring. By commencing media monitoring you can see who is publishing content on your topic, and add them to your list, while also following trends that will ultimately help structure your outreach. This will also set you up for success down the road by creating a baseline for coverage and identifying topics that are of interest to the public

Go Big (But Don’t Ignore the Small)

If the media list is being built for national coverage, search for national outlets with a presence in your area such as AP bureaus or NPR affiliates. Go from big to small and back again. Consider large outlets that are well known and drill down from there. Not every campaign is going to land on the cover of the New York Times, and smaller more targeted outlets can be an excellent source of coverage. Local stories can contribute to trends that gain national traction. Plus, there’s always opportunities for compelling local stories to get picked up or syndicated nationally as well. 

Use Digital Platforms

Journalist database platforms, like Cision or Muck Rack, organize and host a wealth of information about journalists and news outlets. Searching by subject area or beat allows you to identify journalists who you are not aware of, but are key players in the space. Google keywords and alerts can supplement these searches by alerting when new articles have been published on related topics. Add those journalists to the database and make a note of the article they published - you can potentially use this in your outreach to show that you are well versed in the subject and have been paying attention. It is always better to come in showing that you have done your research, which may allow for an “in” with the journalist. Lastly, a simple search of Twitter can lead you to members of the press who are interested in your subject and/or are publishing content around your keywords.

Leave A Breadcrumb Trail

Leave notes for yourself: what are the journalists preferences on how to be contacted (phone call vs. email), do you have a connection to the outlet or journalist? Notes will allow you to come back to the list in the future and quickly understand which individuals present the best opportunity for content. Additionally, don’t be afraid to reach out. Contact press through email, or try reaching out and engaging  over social media to build a relationship. Still no luck? See if they have a personal website or submit a query to the outlet's general contact account. Due diligence is free and will take you far!

With these simple tips and tricks you are already on your way to creating a useful media list!

The Inner Circle Round Up: Media News You Can Use July 2020

By Dee Donavanik

As we come to the end of July, we’re now deep into summer.  While many “traditional” media outlets continue to be economically impacted as a result of Covid, we’re seeing more and more “nontraditional” opportunities. We’ve found everything from some high-profile personalities launching new initiatives (maybe it has something to do with all of the free time they suddenly have on their hands) to former journalists banding together to create something new!  

Check out these “new to us” resources, and let us know if there’s any media opportunities you’re excited about -- let us know over on Twitter at @ScottCircle!

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New Media Opportunities 

Oprah: The Queen of Media Reinvents Herself Again

There are few influencers out there who have had as much influence on the culture than Oprah Winfrey (from a feud with the entire beef industry to launching the biggest best-selling authors). While recently announcing that her monthly O Magazine is pivoting to a digital only format, she also announced a new show The Oprah Conversation that will launch on Apple TV+ in which she will “lead timely and intimate discussions with today’s foremost newsmakers, thought leaders, and masters of their craft.”  First up: Ibram X. Kendi, bestselling author of How to Be Anti-Racist.

The Inner Circle Take: I cannot count the number of times over the course of my career a client has asked me how they can get featured by Oprah, and you can be sure many of your clients will be adding this new outlet to their wishlist.  No one does Oprah like Oprah, and everyone in PR knows that a mention or feature from her is like the holy grail of publicity.  If you’re working with a high-profile thought leader who can contribute to a meaningful dialogue about current events, reach out to her producers and cross your fingers!

More Obama: Michelle Joins Spotify

Speaking of heavy hitters, Michelle Obama announced the launch of a new project with Spotify, the aptly named Michelle Obama Podcast. According to the first lady herself, in the first season, she’ll be speaking to those closest to her, exploring “the relationships that make us who we are. the challenges and joys of being a challenge of being a spouse, the friendships that help us through the toughest times” and much more. She hopes to cover issues that “we’re all dealing with no matter what’s going on.”  Her first guest?  Some guy named Barack (think his team had to pitch him?).

The Inner Circle Take: Unless you’re working with someone who is a part of Michelle Obama’s inner circle, it may be difficult to land a guest spot (but we’ll keep our ears open for updates). We do know that her words can have incredible impact (and often go viral), so pay attention to the themes and conversations that take place -- it may be something you can leverage when crafting your next pitch.

Deadspin Alumni: Staff Rebellion Leads to New Site

One of the biggest media stories of 2019 was the mass exodus of the Deadspin staff, who all resigned in protest after disputes with their bosses. Now, according to the New York Times “18 of the roughly 20 who quit last year - have reunited to start a digital media company, Defector Media, that they will own and operate themselves.” The initiative includes The Distraction, a new indie sports podcast and a soon to be launched subscription-based sports blog website. 

The Inner Circle Take: If media organizations are not going to adapt, journalists are going to take things into their own hands. This is a good reminder to always maintain relationships with friendly journos with whom you’ve established a relationship, as you never know where they’ll end up. In this case if you work on sports-related issues, then you might have an early in to this newest outlet. 

Alert D.C. Locals: New Digital Mag Highlights Creatives

We always want to show some love to our local media outlets here in the District. Digital magazine Summerhouse has recently launched. While the city might be best known for politics, this outlet will “celebrate D.C.’s distinctive DIY culture through independent, magazine-style journalism.”

The Inner Circle Take: What a great way for the local community to uplift its neighbors! If you know a creative who works in art, music, fashion, comedy or even runs a small independent business, consider reaching out to this outlet with some visual highlights of what makes them so unique.