
By tomorrow, 2025 will already be 1/12th over. How are those PR goals — specifically your press relations (also called media relations) — coming along?
If you’re serious about landing earned media, and going at it alone instead of letting a PR pro help you out, then I hope you’re finding value in this 7-part press relations course.
Let’s review where we’ve been and what’s planned for the upcoming weeks:
- Intro to press relations (01.17.2025)
- Selecting news outlets and contacts (01.24.2025)
- THIS WEEK: Organizing your press list
- Preparing your press materials
- Working your press list
- Preparing for the interview
- Leveraging your press coverage
This week we’ll take those press contacts you selected and organize them so that you can systematically work with them (which will be discussed in part five).
The All-Important Press List
A press list isn’t just a collection of names and email addresses. It’s an essential weapon (tool) for your PR battle plan — a structured system that helps you track media contacts, past interactions, and opportunities.
Without a well-organized press list, your media outreach is random, chaotic and frustrating.
Scrambling to find a journalist’s email minutes before a big announcement isn’t very efficient. Pitching a reporter who left the publication six months ago is a waste of time. That’s what happens when you don’t maintain an organized, up-to-date press list.
A quality press list should be searchable, trackable and regularly updated. It should allow you to see who you’ve contacted, when, what they’ve previously covered that’s relative to your space, and any engagement they’ve had with you.
If you’re not managing your press outreach systematically, you’re leaving PR wins (press coverage) on the table.
CRM vs. Spreadsheet: Which One Works for You?
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is more than just software — it’s the strategy, process and technology that can be used to manage media interactions.
If you do a lot of press relations, a CRM application can save you time. These platforms can track journalist relationships, schedule follow-ups, send auto-reminders, and more.
Here are a few CRM options depending on your needs:
Enterprise-Level CRMs
- Salesforce – The industry giant, though complex and pricey
- HubSpot CRM – User-friendly with strong marketing automation
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 – Ideal for businesses that already use Microsoft tools
- Oracle CRM – A robust platform for large enterprises
Small-to-Mid-Sized Business CRMs
- Zoho CRM – Affordable and highly customizable
- Pipedrive – Great for managing sales pipelines and PR outreach
- Freshsales (by Freshworks) – AI-powered CRM with built-in email and phone tools
- Insightly – Ideal if you need both CRM and project management features
If you’re just getting started, a simple spreadsheet can suffice.
I used to use Microsoft Excel, but found it frustrating — especially when it came to quickly moving rows or columns around (maybe Bill Gates’ way of punishing Mac users?). Google Sheets, on the other hand, is far more user-friendly. A row or column is moved with a simple click, drag and drop.
How to Structure Your Press List
Years ago, I developed a customized spreadsheet with nearly 60 columns (sounds excessive, but it covers everything you’d possibly need when working with the press).
Down your free copy here.
Here’s some of the key info I include:
📌 Notes – Every interaction, email sent, response received, LinkedIn invite sent, next action, and more dated and logged here.
📌 Contact Info – Name, title, profile, email, office/cell numbers and social media links. A journalist’s social media activity can provide insight into their latest interests — including stories they may be working on.
📌 News Outlet Info – Type (TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, online news website, blog, podcast), profile (describes what types of stories the news outlet covers), location, website, audience size (for broadcast outlets) or circulation (typically for newspapers or magazines), DMA ranking (this stands for designated market area, which is the city or metropolitan area where the news outlet is located), and social media channels.
📌 Stories – I start with five columns to accommodate stories the contact has written that are relevant for the client I’m pitching. Add more columns if necessary. I enter the date of the story followed by the story’s headline. Then I’ll hyperlink that cell to the story. This allows me to personalize pitches based on their past work.
Not every journalist will have all fields filled in, but the more important the contact, the more data I collect.
Why Keeping Your List Updated is Critical
The media world is constantly shifting. Journalists switch beats. Editors move to new publications. Some get promoted. Some get laid off. Some just vanish into the abyss of LinkedIn job changes.
Some, believe it or not, decide to become PR pros. (Journalists refer to that as “going to the Dark Side.” But there’s an on-going debate about which side is actually the Dark Side.)
If you’re working with an outdated press list, you risk:
- Emailing a journalist who no longer works there
- Pitching the wrong beat reporter
- Missing out on a new contact covering your industry
That’s why press lists aren’t static — they require constant updating. Yes, it’s a little work.
Whether you’re using a CRM application or a spreadsheet, make it a habit to:
- Regularly check journalists’ LinkedIn profiles
- Monitor media outlet staff directories
- Update your notes after each interaction
The 3 Big Takeaways
- A disorganized press list will tank your PR efforts.
- Use a CRM or a spreadsheet — whichever works best for you.
- Regularly update your list because the media world is a very transient business.
Next up: Preparing press materials to share with the press.
In the meantime, hit me up if you have any questions.

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.