Correctly pitching to your contacts is the crux of any PR strategy meaning a good media list is imperative. You may have an excellent piece of content and be confident pitching to different outlets, but a bad media list will mean you won’t see the most effective coverage results.
Here are five reasons why a bad media list will be a PR Hazard for you:
1. It can potentially ruin your chances for future work
If the contacts on your media list are not suitable for a press release or content idea that you are trying to pitch, you are hurting your chances of future work getting published. A reporter would associate your name with unreliable content if you spam their inbox with content that they are not at all interested in and have little use for. This makes you and the company you are representing less trustworthy and journalists are less likely to work with you in the future.
2. It doesn’t represent what is happening in the industry
In the modern age of media, new websites and blogs are forever cropping up and becoming prevalent. Not to mention the changes in traditional media with local press and magazines continually evolving to keep up with the modern media advantages. A media list needs to keep up to speed with the changes within the industry and not updating your list regularly is a major hazard.
3. It doesn’t reflect changes to a media team
Newsrooms constantly make changes to their teams with journalists moving in and around teams, as well as to new organisations. Not updating a media list regularly means you are likely to have email addresses that are now dead, as well as names of journalists who no longer work at the publication. Keeping a media list fresh with names and emails of reporters that you know still work at the organisation and you have a good rapport with is vital.
4. It limits the widening of coverage
A bad media list doesn’t reflect other potential outlets and industries you could target with a press release. Not all content that is produced by a PR agency or team will be suited to one select media list, so broadening your horizons and targeting other areas is important. There are niche publications and blogs, you may be missing out on that would be a perfect fit for your content. Make sure to search your media database software often to observe any potential new avenues you can pursue.
5. It is wasting your time
Time spent pitching a story to a media list full of unsuitable media outlets is a complete waste of time for both yourself and the journalist. Time spent emailing, phoning around and speaking to outlets who are not interested could be time more effectively used crafting a worthwhile media list with suitable contacts and pitching to them.
Need additional help in landing your company news in the press? Contact a member of the Make More Noise team today at hello@makemorenoise.co.uk or call the office on 0121 306 0996.