Being a PR specialist requires you to be super organised; after creating a PR media list, you are halfway there!

Building your PR media list helps you distribute all your content to the right people — ensuring that your work is seen by the right people.

Follow along as media update's Saads Abrahams shares some tips for compiling the ultimate media list.

What Is A Media Contact List?

A media contact list within PR is your collection of various contacts from:

  • journalists 

  • bloggers

  • influencers

  • local news contacts

  • publishers, and

  • other PR pros.

Basically, it includes anyone willing to cover, publish or write about your PR news story. Having the right contacts ensures that your press releases, news and events get the coverage they need.

Who Is Your Target Audience?

Before creating your list, you need to know who your target audience is; this will ensure that you are creating your list with the right focus or goal in mind. 

Ask yourself:

  1. Who do I want to read my information?

  2. Where does my target audience receive their information?

This will help narrow down exactly what type of people you need to prioritise on your list.

Find The Right Tools

Next, you need to go down the rabbit hole and do some research on how to get all the contact information for the people on your list. 

Some tools you can use are:

Organise Your List

Now that you have your media contact list, it's imperative to keep your list organised and up-to-date. It will be of little to no use to you if your contacts change their careers or contact details. 

It would also be wise to organise your list by profession or industry — making contacting the right people a seamless process.

Did you find this piece insightful? Let us know in the comment section below. 

Want to stay up-to-date with the latest news? Subscribe to our newsletter.

Looking for some more insight into all things PR? Check out the Five public relations tools and when to use them [Infographic]

*Image courtesy of Canva