Developing Your Media List
You'll want to put together a media list that contains all of the journalists, editors, reporters, or outlets that you want to send your publicity to. If you're focusing on local media, you can assemble the list yourself, simply by researching the media outlets you've identified as important to you.
Every media outlet offers contact information for their editorial staff, even if it's just a central switchboard number — but many list individual editors (such as a newspaper's Business or Features editor) and staff (such as columnists and reporters), along with phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses. Many also list how they want to receive press releases or other publicity information — check the “about us” section on their Web site for staff listings and directions on how to submit story ideas. If you're an advertiser, ask your ad rep to let you know what the policies and procedures are for sending press releases.
Should I follow up my press materials with a phone call?
Journalists often say they don't like the practice, but a phone call can help you “sell” your story to one of them. If you call, always identify yourself, ask if it's a good time to talk, don't be offended if the person doesn't know who you are, and keep the call short and to the point.
If you're looking for wider distribution, it will likely be too time-consuming to put together your own list, unless you restrict it to ten or twenty media outlets that you particularly want to focus on. Otherwise, you can use a press release distribution service; most of these services operate by faxing or — more commonly — e-mailing the release to media outlets that you can select by audience size, geography, or subject areas.
If you're developing an area of expertise, you can also list yourself in directories of experts or speakers (either print or online). Reporters often use these to find sources for interviews when they're working on stories.
