Once you've written a killer press release or oped, where do you send it?
You'll need to be careful about how you build different media lists and what you do before you hit SEND.
In the old days, things were sent via fax. In the even older days, reporters and editors opened envelopes from this thing they called "mail."
Today, journalists and bloggers want to receive material by e-mail, mostly because (a) it's much quicker to receive and read or delete and (b) if they do want to use the material, they don't have to retype the whole thing.
Don't underestimate the value of not retyping things.
Building and maintaining your media lists can seem overwhelming. Here are some tips on making the job easier.
You'll need different media lists for different purposes and different audiences.
Reporters vs. Opinion Page Editors
The media list you use for sending out press releases should be different than the one you use for pitching op-eds. Opinion page editors don't care about press releases, and reporters will just hit delete when they see an oped.
Reporters also don't mind -- too much -- having a press release sent out far and wide. Opinion page editors do mind. They don't want to be one of 20 different newspapers being pitched the same oped.
You need to keep an updated list of phone numbers and e-mails for opinion page editors, but don't use it as a way to blast out opeds to everyone in one shot.
Insiders vs. Mass Audience
You don't always want to reach a mass audience. Sometimes, you want to reach a small group of insiders, opinion leaders and decision-makers.
Here's an example: If you're in Hollywood, you're looking at a local audience of specific people in L.A. and trade journals like Variety for when you're trying to get gigs or make deals.
But after the movie gets made, you're looking at an entirely different global audience of people you'd like to buy tickets and movie critics and blogs who want interviews.
All in One Place
It's a mistake to make the media list the responsibility of one person. Updating a media list is a huge job, and you want the fruits of that labor available to anyone who needs it.
That's not just your media shop. Clients and bosses need access to the media lists so you're not constantly telling them the contact information for reporters or editors trying to get in touch with the.