How to create a media list for your business

Creating a media list is an important part of any public relations or marketing strategy, as it allows you to target specific journalists and publications in order to promote your business and build relationships with the media. Creating a media list is a simple process. Follow below for the steps involved in creating a media list, including how to find and research potential media contacts, and why it is important to keep your media list updated.

One of the first steps in creating a media list is to identify the types of journalists and publications that would be most interested in your business or industry. This can be done by researching the types of stories that have been covered by different publications in the past, and looking for patterns in terms of the topics, industries, and types of sources that are most commonly featured. Additionally, you can use online tools such as Google News, Twitter, or Muckrack to search for journalists who have written about similar topics or industries in the past, or to see which journalists are currently covering news stories that are relevant to your business.

Once you have identified a list of potential media contacts, it is important to research each of them in more detail in order to learn more about their interests, areas of expertise, and preferred methods of communication. This can be done by reading their recent articles, following them on social media, and looking up their contact information on the publication's website. Additionally, you may want to reach out to other professionals in your industry to ask for recommendations on which journalists are particularly interested in your type of business, product or service.

When you've gathered the relevant data , you can now begin to create your media list by including the name of the journalist, the publication or media outlet, the contact information(email, twitter handle, phone number), their beat(the topics they cover), their style of writing and the date you last reached out to them.

It is important to keep your media list updated on a regular basis, as the media landscape is constantly changing. Journalists change beats, publications may close down or merge, and contact information can become outdated. By regularly reviewing and updating your media list, you can ensure that you are reaching out to the right people at the right time, and that you are building strong relationships with the media that can help promote your business over the long term.

Creating a media list is a crucial step in promoting your business and building relationships with the media. By identifying the types of journalists and publications that would be most interested in your business, researching each media contact in detail, and keeping your media list updated on a regular basis, you can effectively target specific journalists and publications in order to promote your business and gain valuable coverage in the media.