If you want to get your products, services or enterprise into the media, you can’t do anything in PR until you have started your media list. Begin by thinking about the media segments you wish to communicate with. For example:
* Local press
* National press
* Radio programmes
* TV programmes
* News websites
* Freelance journalists
* Sector specific media (relevant to your industry / type of business)
* Demographically targeted media (if this is relevant)
The key item of information you’re looking for is the email address for receipt of editorial information. In addition, it is useful to have a contact name (i.e. the Editor), their telephone number and their website address.
Enter this information into your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system (hands up if you have one!) Within your CRM, I suggest that you have a separate ‘Media’ field. Ideally, this should have a drop-down menu where you can create sub categories for the different media segments you are communicating with. This can be very useful, when you’re sending out press releases (as you can choose the relevant media to send your release to).
You can search for media, either by name or by criteria (i.e. ‘investment magazines’) within search engines. Visit a large newsagents and walk up and down their magazine racks. Visit the reference section in your local library (or, even better, a business library) and talk to a member of staff (they are always helpful).
Subscribe to some of the media in your list and read them regularly. Add useful information to your CRM (i.e. the names of relevant journalists). Ask non-competitors in your industry for media titles which you may have missed.
A relatively new media segment is the blogosphere. This comprises bloggers who write about the topics you are interested in. Established bloggers can have huge numbers of readers. Think of them as journalists and add them to your list.
I ran a PR consultancy for nine years – so Press Relations is a subject close to my heart. I have taken startups and ‘invisible brands’ and created massive awareness for them. I show my clients how they can achieve extensive, free PR coverage.
