A 5-step process to guarantee a rock-solid media list

A media list is like a blueprint for a house. It should be carefully measured and considered before starting your project.

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If you are new to the term “media list” it’s a targeted list of reporters with their contact info and other relevant information. It’s essentially an address book for news personnel whom you want to reach. Though the result is quite simple, the creation process should be strategically precise and approached with caution. These are the people you’re entrusting with your story.

Assembling a rock-solid media list requires that you take preliminary efforts before starting the building process. Think of a media list as your blueprint and the pitch as building the house. The media list should be detailed, well-organized, highly targeted, and specific. You must check and recheck every measurement.

Journalists will not publish a story that does not fit with their publication or that runs the risk of losing readers, listeners and/or viewers. It’s important that you pitch the right story to the right reporter, at the right publication, at the right time. It all boils down to a thought-out strategy. To better understand how fundamental media lists are to good coverage I have outlined five crucial steps to consider when developing a media list:

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