Last week you received an overview of press relations, an important public relations function.
And a press release is often a principal tool used when working with the press.
FLASH QUIZ!
Which of the answers below means “PR”?
- press relations
- public relations
- press release
- 2 & 3
- All of the above
When it comes to the PR industry, PR always, always, always stands for public relations (#2).
The worst thing you can say to a public relations pro is, “Please write me a PR.”
We don’t know how to “write a PR” (i.e., “write a public relations”) any more than we’d know how to land a lunar module on Mars or write a No. 1 hit single.
OK, moving on…
Your 7-Part Press Relations Course – FREE!
In case you missed last week’s post, here’s what’s planned for the upcoming weeks:
- Intro to press relations
- THIS WEEK: Selecting news outlets and contacts
- Preparing your press list
- Preparing your press materials
- Working your press list
- Preparing for the interview
- Leveraging your press coverage
When your press relations are clicking, it’s a beautiful thing. You get the media talking about you for free. (That’s called “earned media.”)
You save a boatload of cash not having to pay for advertising.
And it makes your competition envious.
(And your mother proud of you.)
Who Wants to Hear My Story?
The short answer is reporters already writing about a topic related to your business.
Most reporters have what’s called a “beat.” A beat for one reporter may be local businesses. A beat for another may be travel. Or technology. It can be anything.
You also need to decide if your story is local, regional, national or global.
Are you a B2C or B2B company?
Do you target the consumer or trade press, or both?
Trade press covers specific niche industries, like home crafts, investing, automotive, astronomy, music, etc. About anything you can imagine.
Types of Press
The traditional, or legacy, press outlets are:
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- TV
- Radio
Somewhat newer to the scene are online news websites. Most (if not all) legacy media will also have an online presence. But not all online news websites will have a legacy version of themselves.
Then you have what’s considered new media, which is mostly dominated by:
- Podcasts
- Blogs
- Social media influencers (who could be connected to a podcast or blog)
Who Do I Target?
Once you decide which legacy press or new media to target, it’s time to build your press lists. Let’s take a quick look at each…
Newspaper or Magazine – Typically you’ll identify the reporter covering your beat (best option), or you’ll go through an editor (like a business desk editor, lifestyle desk editor, etc.).
TV News Program – Unless you have a relationship with a particular reporter, you’ll almost always target the news director. IF your story is deemed newsworthy, he/she will then assign it to a reporter who covers that beat.
TV News Show – If the news format is more of a talk format with guests, then you’ll target a producer or guest booker.
Radio – News director is typically your best bet here.
Online News Website – Look for a list of their editorial team and see if someone covers your beat. Or it may just be the editor. Or if they don’t want to provide any direct contact information, they may require you to complete a web form.
Podcast – If there’s a producer, that’s your contact. Otherwise it’s typically the host.
Blog – The blogger.
How Do I Build a Press List?
Serious PR pros will have a subscription to a news media database like Cision or Muckrack. These are pretty pricey, but make the task of building a list much easier.
For example, as a long-time Cision subscriber, I can build a list for any U.S. DMA (designated market area, like New York City, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, etc.). I can select any or all of the previously mentioned legacy or new media outlets. I can search for specific beats. And so on.
If I’m a business owner or not-so-serious PR pro, then I do it the hard way by combing through websites and social media profiles. Very tedious!
But since my Cision database only covers the U.S. and some of Canada, that’s actually what I’m having to do for a client that wants me to assist with press relations in Spanish Latin-America.
One last search method for those without access to a news media database: You can also do an online news search for topics relevant to you and see who’s reporting on them.
I’ve greatly simplified this as there are lots of levels and details in figuring out which press to target. That’s why many businesses hire a PR pro to navigate all the nuances.
The 3 Big Takeaways
To build a quality press list:
- Figure out who covers your beat.
- Decide which legacy and/or new media make the most sense to pitch.
- If this all seems WAY too complicated and not worth your time, AND you feel you have a great story to tell, then it might be time to hire a PR pro.
Have you previously had success landing press coverage? How did you do it? Do share!
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s AuthenticityPR’s Chief Authentic Officer and also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University. He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
