Publicists share methods for building out and maintaining your media contact lists
By Lin Grensing-Pophal
When it comes to generating publicity, nothing beats good old-fashioned relationship-building, of course. But while the old tried and true methods are still often appropriate, new media and technology options offer new opportunities that many publicists and PR professionals are successfully taking advantage of. “A well-maintained list is a PR pro’s best friend,” says Frani Lieberman, account supervisor with Bender Hammerling Group in New Jersey, “but actually knowing who writes what because you read is the biggest help of all.”
Homegrown vs. fee-based databases
Regardless of the tools used — from Outlook and Excel to subscription-based services — organization is a must. PR practitioners use various methods, based on their individual needs, preferences and organizational styles.
Michael Levey, senior strategist with Zer0 to 5ive in Devon, Pa., for instance, says: “I have each account in a different Outlook folder. Under each account folder I have sub-folders — local contacts, trade contacts, op-ed contacts, etc. I save one email from each reporter into the folder, and then when I have an announcement, before I even make a media list, I immediately email all my saved contacts in Outlook.” Levey says he thinks the process works well because reporters are able to see the email strand and it allows him to get information out quickly when necessary.
“Spamming journalists will kill a career quicker than batting an eye.”
Dianna Stampfler with Promote Michigan manages contacts through Outlook and Constant Contact. “My media lists — 50-plus as of today — have more than 3,000 contacts,” she says. “I break them into categories — golf, fly fishing, wine, beer, hospitality, winter sports, senior, women, men, radio, TV, newspaper, magazine, freelancers, online — so that I can target my messages.” Stampfler also maintains an “A-list” of media in Michigan interested in most of the news she’s sending. “I usually send releases to them a day, or at least several hours, in advance so they can get a jump on everyone else.”
“Besides the usual database of media contacts, I create notebooks or binders of media for a variety of given topics and arrange them by the media format they represent such as local, national, radio, dot com, blogs, etc.,” says Janet Hansen, with Brio Public Relations. “For each project I work on, I build a media file with a tracking system that helps me keep track of the many media contacts made, follow-ups and what the outcome or comments are from journalists,” says Hansen. “Spamming journalists will kill a career quicker than batting an eye.” Hansen also subscribes to PartyLine, a weekly update that helps her keep track of changes. “Some people believe PartyLine is outdated and others are surprised it’s still in business,” she admits, but says, “I really couldn’t do without it right now.”
“It’s better to devote time researching what 10 of your top targets have written over the past month and writing a thoughtful pitch to each, rather than hitting 100 contacts who will most likely just hit delete.”
Jordan McAuley with Celebrity PR in New York uses the Groups feature of Gmail to stay organized and on top of contacts. “It’s great for organizing contacts and keeping track of correspondence,” says McAuley. “When planning media campaigns, I create spreadsheets using Google Docs with names, addresses, titles, phone and fax numbers, etc. Using both Gmail and Google Docs allows me to access my contacts anywhere, even when traveling.”
Jennifer Leckstrom, an account executive with Rose Communications, a boutique PR firm based in Hoboken, N.J., says, “It’s important to keep in mind that the quality of a list is much more important than the number of contacts the list contains. It’s better to devote time researching what 10 of your top targets have written over the past month and writing a thoughtful pitch to each, rather than hitting 100 contacts who will most likely just hit delete as soon as possible. While it is time-intensive, reporters and bloggers alike typically appreciate this approach.”
Leckstrom recommends setting up Google news alerts for desired topics. “Work by reporters covering the topic will be delivered right to your inbox.” Stampfler also uses Google alerts. “For every PR client I have, I set up a Google alert — sending them to myself and the client. I also have alerts set up for the industries I represent in Michigan. That way, when a story appears somewhere I can keep up on what the media is saying.” Then, she says, she sends a note to the reporter thanking them for writing about Michigan as a travel destination and asking if she can add them to her permanent media list and which category they’d prefer to be listed in. “Two years ago I read an article by an established wine writer online and invited him to visit Michigan’s wine region. Just this week, I had the pleasure of touring him around the state as he gathered information for an article for Travel+Leisure,” she says.
Sara Dobie with Sylvan Dell Publishing in Mount Pleasant, S.C., uses Cision. “By entering a couple simple bits of info, I can track down a beer reporter in Akron, Ohio. Why would I need to get in touch with a beer reporter in Akron, Ohio? Who knows? The important thing is I can,” she says. “You can save your searches, too. This is ideal, in my industry, for debuting children’s picture book authors. If one of my authors lives in Frisco, Texas, for instance, I can pinpoint the local book review editor before you can say, ‘Where is Frisco, Texas anyway?’”
Regardless of the tool or process used, says Christine Randle with DPR Group, a small Washington, D.C.-based PR firm which primarily serves technology-based clients, building media lists is “an extremely time-consuming process.”
It is imperative, she says, that lists are built carefully, scrubbed frequently and adequately maintained so they are up to date. That is an increasing challenge, she admits because “especially today, editors and writers move around often.” In addition to relying on well-maintained lists, Randle and others are turning to social media to help them build and maintain relationships with reporters.
Cull key data with social media
At Merlot Marketing, says Zsavonne Heathcock, “we have found social media to be a great tool to stay up-to-date and gain timely understanding of the assignments on which the reporters are working.” For example, says Heathcock, “We have been asking many of our media contacts if we can connect with them on sites such as LinkedIn or Twitter. By reviewing their profiles and updates, we are able to gain more insight into the stories they cover [and] what interests them, and it allows us the opportunity to pitch them directly when they are looking for the information we have to offer. “As social media becomes more integrated into traditional public relations, we foresee that this will be one of the primary ways to keep in touch,” says Heathcock.
Randle uses social media extensively, although she notes that the types of clients she works with — B2B companies — “are taking a longer time to get on the social media bandwagon.” Still, she says, she’s using the tools to establish relationships with editors and reporters and has a Facebook fan page and Twitter account that have been useful. She warns against using social media tools to “pitch,” though. “Social media is a way to offer information about your client to the media, but you have to be very careful.” Randle also watches postings and follows specific people to keep on top of what’s going on in her areas of interest. “Do a search — find out who’s talking about what — read their Tweets and follow them.”
If you’re not already using social media tools, start experimenting, suggests Randle, who emphasizes that the tool(s) you select should be focused on your audience. MySpace, she notes, is probably not going to be good for B2Bs — LinkedIn probably is. “If you aren’t using social media at all, dip your toes in the water. Start with LinkedIn; It’s completely B2B, and there are a lot of tools you can use,” says Randle.
The bottom line: Everything new is old again
Despite useful new media tools, ultimately generating results through PR efforts is still all about building relationships and paying attention. All of the social media, online databases and email management practices in the world won’t guarantee success if pitches are off-target or fail to connect with key contacts.
The same rule is still true, says Lieberman: “The best practice is consistent monitoring of your space. Social media helps with this consistent monitoring, but you still have to do the work by actually reading what your RSS feeds and email newsletters and Twitter posts are saying.”
Martin Arnold, with PR and Publicity Services in Trumbull, Conn., has been in the PR business for 30 years and has been teaching PR at the University of Connecticut for about 15. “I can tell you that while online tools are great, as are service bureaus like PR Newswire, nothing beats getting on the phone with editors, when they have a spare moment, to find out who is doing what,” says Arnold. “Journalism is so dynamic these days that even online resources are a step behind most recent changes.”
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Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalist and independent marketing communication consultant.