MEDIA LISTS!

Media lists are databases containing the names and information about contacts that can help promote your product or service. They're your Rolodex, Palm Pilot and address book... the roster of your network.

When it comes to media lists, collect as many names as possible. The more names included on your media list, the greater your chances of getting your story told. It's simple mathematics: if you send a press release to 200 equivalent media contacts, it's more likely that your story will be picked up than if it just goes to 20 contacts.

Your media list should contain the contact's

• name
  
• employer
  
• street address,
  
• e-mail address
  
• telephone
  
• back up telephone numbers
  
• specialty area
  
• source information on how you got his/her name, how and where you met and friends or associates in common
  
• miscellaneous information such projects pitched, projects bought, dates you last spoke and the results
  

Update your list on an ongoing basis. Every three months, at the least, review the entire list from top to bottom. Most media jobs pay poorly, so the turn over is huge. Unless you keep your list current, you'll end up wasting time and energy contacting people who have long gone.

Resource

Jill Lublin is a public relations/marketing consultant and CEO of the public relations consulting firm, Promising Promotion, located in Novato, California.

"It's not who you know, it's who knows you!"

www.promisingpromotion.com

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