How to Build a Media List for PR (w/ Template + Examples)

How to Build a Media List for PR (w/ Template & Examples)

A well-crafted media list is the backbone of any successful PR outreach strategy.

It’s more than just a spreadsheet with media contacts. It’s your strategic roadmap to connect with the right journalists, editors, bloggers, influencers, and media professionals who can take your brand’s product, event, or message and share it with the masses.

So, are you ready to build an effective media list tailored to your PR outreach? One that actually works?

This comprehensive guide was built to answer your every question. With insights from the team of PR pros at Media List Market, we’ll walk you through each step of building a media list, provide a template and examples, and offer insider tips. 

Feel free to jump ahead to whichever stage you’re at so you can get pitching sooner:

• What is a media list?
• What should a PR media list include?
• PR media list template and examples
• Finding the right media contacts
• Tools for building a media list
• How to build your PR media list

1. Define your audience and PR objectives
2. Choose your platform
3. Do the research
4. Segment and prioritize your media list
5. BONUS: Personalizing your pitches for media placement success

• How to use your media list to track PR metrics and campaign success
• Updating and maintaining your media list
• Skip the research and get straight to pitching with a ready-made, verified media list

We’re here to make media list building EASY. So let’s get started!

What is a media list?

A media list is a database of media contacts and their contact information for sending PR pitches and press releases. 

Most media lists are built on one of the following platforms:

 

If you’re ready to start building your own media list, let’s go over what contact information to include.

What should a PR media list include?

At a minimum, every media list should include:

• Publication name/Media outlet
• First and last name of the media contact
• Email address

In addition to these, most standard media lists also include the following data fields, and you’ll likely find some or all of these helpful when creating your own media list:

• Website
• Type of media (magazine, online/digital, newspaper, television, blog, etc.)
• Media contact’s title
• Beat/topics of coverage
• Address
• Phone number
• Social media accounts
• Link(s) to previous coverage
• Pitch Notes (for any relevant details, pitch preferences, or interests you find in your research)

By including these essential details, you’ll be better equipped to craft personalized and compelling PR pitches that resonate with each media contact, increasing your chances of securing valuable media coverage.

Now let’s look at how to organize these fields into a media list template.

PR Media List Template and Examples

To help you get started, we’ve provided a media list template and examples to illustrate what a well-structured PR media list should look like.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one media list solution to build your own, check out our FREE Media List Template Download which includes the exact spreadsheet template we use to build our premium media lists here at Media List Market. In it, you’ll find every type of media from online magazines to podcasts and radio, and over 50 unique data fields to organize ALL your media contact information. Get the free download here!

Media List Template

The following is a simple media list template that could be used for nearly any kind of PR outreach, from product placements to press releases.

Publication	Name	Role/Title	Email	X Account	Relevant/Recent Articles	Pitch Notes

For this basic template, we’ve included the essential contact information (Publication, Name, Role/Title, Email), along with a few fields to help you craft a more personalized and relevant pitch (X Account, Relevant/Recent Articles, Pitch Notes).

X Account: X/Twitter is the primary social media platform journalists use for their work. On a media contact’s profile, you can see recent articles they’ve written, gain insight into news topics they’re interested in through Retweets and Likes, or encounter a media request (#JournoRequest) seeking sources for upcoming articles. 

Depending on the journalist’s beat and preferences, some may also receive media pitches via X, but only send a pitch here if they explicitly request them via this platform. Basically, looking at their profile helps you learn about their work so you can write more personalized and relevant pitches.

Relevant/Recent Articles: Adding a link to relevant or recent articles on your media list is helpful for quickly referencing and adding a personal touch to your PR pitch. Referencing a recent article shows the journalist that you’ve taken the time to understand their work, which builds rapport and credibility and makes your pitch more compelling and relevant to them.

Pitch Notes: This is a space to jot down any important details that can help you personalize your pitch to journalists. This might include anything from their pitch preferences (when and how they prefer to be pitched) to their dog’s name that they’ve mentioned in numerous posts (if you have a dog-related product). These little details can make your pitches stand out and show the journalist that you’ve done your homework and genuinely care about their work.

Media List Example #1

In this first example, we’ve created a media list for a band’s upcoming album release. All the contacts and their information are fictional, but this can give you an idea of how to use these data fields to craft personalized PR pitches.

Publication	Name	Role/Title	Email	X Account	Relevant/Recent Articles	Pitch Notes
Rolling Stone	Felix Jones	Indie Music Editor	felixj@rollingstone.com	@felixfelix	Top indie releases so far in 2024	Pitch M-W, between 10am-11am ET
Spin	Laura Lawrence	Associate Editor	lauralawrence@spin.com	@lauralawrence	Is indie music dead? (5/1/2024)	Recent article mentions affinity for Death Cab and Postal Service
Musician’s World	Bobby O’Flay	Blogger	bof@musiciansworld.com	@musiciansworldblog	The Yo Yo Yos: A journey in jam rock	Send download link to review
On the Record (Podcast)	Tina West	Host	hello@ontherecordpodcast.com	@ontherecordpod	Interview with Jaspar Jenkins, Episode 111	Liked the newest Khruangbin album

In the example media list, you can see how we’ve utilized the pitch notes to write anything that might be helpful in your PR pitch. We often use this column to write a relevant and original opening. 

From the examples above, this might look something like:

Media List Example #2

In this next example, we’ll stick with the musical theme and show you what a media list might look like for a local concert:

Publication	Name	Role/Title	Email	X Account	Relevant/Recent Articles	Pitch Notes
Daily Gazette	[Events Calendar]	n/a	events@thedailygaze.com	@thedailygazette	[Events Calendar]	Include high-res band photo
The Puget Times	Event Submission	n/a	Submission Form	@pugettimes	[Events Calendar]	Submit at least 6 weeks before
Willamette Weekly	Elliot Sinclair	Reporter	esinclair@willametteweek.com	n/a	What you missed at last weekend’s battle of the bands	Also covers local art initiatives
The News Tribune	Paul Williams	Events Reporter	paulwilliams@tribune.com	@p_williams253	The Avenues Take on The Valley	Send event to event form link, then email
The Stranger	Eva Turner	Editor–in-Chief	eva@thestranger.com	@singingeva	12 Hot Bands from Western Washington	Accepts pitches via X
City Arts	Helen Radish	Contributor	helen.radish@gmail.com	@radishly	What we’re listening to…	Writes monthly column on “Girls in the Band”

In this example, we’ve added a few general media contacts to submit the local concert event. Instead of building a separate media list to accommodate these contacts' data (and expanding our workflow), we’re just going to add them to our existing list, filling in as many relevant data points as possible.

Now, the band can add their concert to the local events calendar, invite local reporters to attend the show in person, and submit their music for review in the local arts magazine. Your media list should include only the criteria that make sense for your PR campaign. 

Save time where you can and keep it simple.

How to Find the Right Media Contacts

When building your media list, it’s essential to consider your specific PR objectives and tailor your list accordingly. That also means you need to know who to contact at each publication.

There are two ways to find the right media contacts for your media list:

1. By Content: Look for articles or features similar to the media coverage you’re seeking, and find the reporter, editor, or contributor who created the content.
2. By Role/Title: Look for specific job titles and/or roles in each publication on your media list to find the right person to pitch.

Here are some common PR objectives and the types of media contacts you might consider:

• Placing a Product in Gift Guides or Product Round-ups
• Market Editors
• Commerce Editors and Writers
• Product Reviewers
• Influencers and Bloggers (focused on product reviews and recommendations)
• Promoting a Local Event or Festival
• Local News Reporters and Journalists
• Lifestyle Editors
• Community Bloggers and Influencers
• Event Listing Websites and Calendars
• Sending a Press Release to News Outlets
• News Editors
• Reporters (specific to your industry or topic)
• Assignment Editors
• TV Producers
• Sharing Brand News or a Brand Story
• Industry-Specific Publications and Websites
• Business and Entrepreneurship Publications
• Lifestyle and Culture Editors
• Influencers and Bloggers (relevant to your industry or niche)
• Pitching to Television Programs
• Television Show Producers
• Segment Bookers
• Entertainment Journalists and Writers
• Promoting a New Product or Service Launch
• Technology and Innovation Reporters
• Product Review Websites and Bloggers
• Industry-Specific Trade Publications
• Influencers and Thought Leaders (relevant to your industry)

How to Find a Journalist’s Email Address

Now that you have a name for your media list, you’ll need to find their contact information. This process can vary depending on the type of publication, but here are some common places to find a journalist’s email:

Online/Digital Magazines & News

1. Find an article written by the journalist on the publication’s website.
2. Oftentimes, their name will be hyperlinked. Click on the link.
3. For larger publications, you’ll typically find their email address and professional social accounts here.

Blogs

Go to the About page or Contact page, you’ll typically find a general contact email address here.

Newspapers & Local TV News

You can follow the same steps for online newspapers and local news as online/digital publications. Newspapers also tend to publish a masthead where you can find each staff member's contact information and beat.

Masthead: The list of key personnel within a media organization that includes names, titles, and contact information.

When you can’t find a media contact’s email address…

Sometimes, an email address is just difficult to find. This is especially true for freelance writers and editors who typically use a personal Gmail account for professional communications.

When the methods above don’t work for finding an email address, use an email finder tool like:

• Hunter.io
• Seamless.ai
• Rocket Reach

Not all these platforms are free, but some do offer freemium models.

PR Tools for Building a Media List

With so many options out there, it can be tough to decide which platform to build your media list on. Let’s go over some of the most popular tools and how you might use them.

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers are a simple yet powerful option for creating and managing your media list.

They’re usually free or low-cost and allow you to input and organize all your contact details in an easy-to-use grid format.

To get started, try our free media list template available as an XLS download and a Google Sheets file. It includes eight templates from the most basic to the most extreme with over 50 unique data fields. Grab your free copy here:

Free Media List Template Download

Pros: Low cost; simple to get started; flexibility to customize it exactly how you want; can be uploaded into other systems so your data continues to work for you

Cons: More manual; no additional functionality like tracking email metrics, sending follow-ups, etc.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems

CRMs like Salesforce, Hubspot, or Zoho were built for customer relationship management, but they can absolutely be leveraged to manage your PR outreach, too. You can build out dedicated “media lists” and track all your pitching efforts, follow-ups, and campaign metrics within the platform with some detailed customization.

Pros: Advanced capabilities for managing relationships at scale, automating follow-ups, and analyzing outreach performance

Cons: Cost of many CRM subscriptions and the steeper learning curve compared to spreadsheets.

PR Databases and Media Monitoring Tools

Tools like Cision One, Meltwater, and Muck Rack are purpose-built PR platforms with giant databases of media contacts. These databases make accessing tens of thousands of journalists and editors a mere click away. Many also include media monitoring, reporting dashboards, and the ability to pitch directly from the platform.

Pros: Specialized PR tools and an all-in-one platform for all your PR needs. You can build a media list and send a pitch all in one place.

Cons: High subscription costs and a lack of customization/control over the media contact data.

Not sure whether a PR database is worth the investment? Check out our comprehensive guide on Media Lists vs. PR Databases to learn more about this powerful PR tool.

Start Simple, Then Level Up

No matter which tool you choose, the most important thing is picking a platform that works for your current needs and budget. As your PR efforts grow, you can always migrate to a more robust solution built for scale.

For those just getting started, a simple spreadsheet template (like this one) can be the perfect way to start pitching and understand what features would most benefit your workflow down the road.

How to Build Your PR Media List (Step-by-Step)

With the right tools in place, it’s time to actually build out your media list. Follow these steps to construct a list to empower your media outreach:

1 - Define Your Audience and PR Objectives

Before you start adding any media contacts, get clear on your target audience and what you’re hoping to achieve with media outreach. The last thing you want is a detailed media list with hours of research with publications that your target audience doesn’t even follow.

By clarifying your audience and objectives, you can identify the most relevant publications and contacts to include.

Are you aiming for product reviews or gift guide placements? Looking to promote an upcoming event in your local community? Or trying to land industry journalist interviews to share your brand story? Nail down these objectives first.

Similarly, define the characteristics of your target audience, like location, demographic profiles, interests, and buying behaviors. This will illuminate which media channels and influencers will resonate best.

2 - Choose Your Platform

Once you understand your goals and audiences, it’s time to pick the right media list platform for you. As we covered in the previous section, your options include:

• Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets)
• CRMS (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• PR Databases (Cision, Muck Rack)

Don’t overcomplicate this decision, especially when starting out. Using a simple, free media list template can be the perfect way to start building experience.

3 - Do the Research

This is where the real work begins!

Researching and identifying the perfect media contacts to pitch is arguably the most important (and the most time-consuming) aspect of media list building.

Start by making a list of your target publications - both big media outlets and smaller niche outlets. Then, dig into each one to find the specific reporters, editors, producers, and influencers who are most relevant to your industry or topic.

For example, if you’re promoting a new kitchen gadget, you’d want to include:

• Product review bloggers
• Cooking magazines and websites
• Local lifestyle journalists
• Popular home/DIY influencers

(Refer to the “Finding the Right Media Contacts” section above for more examples and strategies.)

4 - Segment and Prioritize Your Media List

As you uncover relevant contacts, it’s smart to organize and prioritize them into structured segments. This could mean grouping them by:

• Media type (blogs, magazines, TV, etc.)
• Beat/topic
• Location
• Audience size/influence
• Likelihood of Placement
• Etc.

You can streamline personalized PR pitches, follow-ups, and reporting by segmenting your media list. You’ll also want to identify your highest-priority targets to focus your initial outreach efforts.

5 - Bonus: Personalizing Your Pitches for Media Placement Success

The final key to an effective media list? Leveraging all the information and notes you gathered to personalize your pitches! Here are some tips:

• Reference their recent work you enjoyed to build rapport
• Study their writer profile or beat to understand their interests
• Determine their pitching preferences for times, formats, etc.
• Use a conversational, enthusiastic tone that shines through

Adding personal touches to make your pitch feel authentic and well-researched is what separates it from the avalanche of spam that journalists receive daily.

With your segmented, prioritized media list in place and some persuasive personalized pitches, you’ll be lightyears ahead of the competition!

Next up? Tracking your PR success.

Measuring PR Outreach with Media List Metrics

One of the biggest advantages of having a solidified media list is the ability to track your outreach efforts, monitor key PR metrics, and analyze what’s driving campaign success.

The metrics you’ll want to follow will depend on your specific goals, but here are some of the most common:

• Pitches Sent
• Open Rates
• Response Rates
• Click Rates
• Placements/Coverage Earned
• Website Traffic/Engagement
• Leads Generated
• Sales/Revenue Influenced

How you track these will vary based on your media list platform:

Spreadsheets: In a spreadsheet, you’ll need to manually log pitches sent, responses received, coverage earned, etc. This can work for smaller-scale outreach, but becomes tedious as efforts grow.

CRMs: These systems are purposefully designed to track touchpoints, nurture relationships over time, and draw insights from data. With some customization and familiarity with your platform's specifics, you can modify these automations to work specifically for your PR efforts.

PR Databases: Premium PR tools often include built-in dashboards to monitor pitch open rates, press sentiment analysis, click-through rates, and more. This centralized reporting is a major benefit, relieving you of any manual work to receive decision-making insights based on your media outreach.

No matter which method you use, consistently logging your activities allows you to analyze what’s working and iterate your outreach strategy over time for greater success.

Updating and Maintaining Your Media List

An effective media list is an evergreen entity that requires continuous maintenance as journalists change roles, outlets evolve, and priorities shift.

So how can you keep your media list fresh and your outreach generating results? Make the maintenance and updating an ongoing process (i.e. Don’t get behind!).

At a minimum, most PR pros recommend giving your media list a deep cleaning about every 6 months. This involves:

• Removing contacts who’ve changed roles and are no longer active
• Updating changed email addresses or other contact info
• Adding new, relevant reporters, influencers, or publications that have emerged
• Re-prioritizing your contact tiers based on any past interactions

An email validation tool that can help streamline part of your media list maintenance:

Email Validation Tools: Platforms like NeverBounce allow you to upload your entire list and get numbers on valid, invalid, and risky emails before outreach. This culls outdated contacts.

Another pro tip? Always be prospecting for new, relevant media contacts to add to your list! Keeping an eye out for quality publications and contributors in your niche ensures you’re hitting all the right channels.

With a commitment to routine refreshing and maintenance, your media list can be an invaluable asset for successful PR campaigns for years to come.

Get Pitching Sooner with a Ready-Made Media List

If you can’t tell already, we are really into media lists. We’ve covered a lot on this topic, and we hope it’s everything you need to get your media list started and gain some traction with your media outreach!

If any of it sounds overwhelming and has you dreading the research required, we have a solution! At Media List Market, we offer pre-built, fully verified media lists to fit any PR need. Skip straight to pitching with a targeted, quality-assured list of media contacts for your next PR campaign.

Shop our Media Lists

Our team of PR pros has done the heavy lifting, allowing you to launch your media outreach immediately.

Ready to transform your PR results? Purchase your media list today and get pitching sooner!