in: Public Relations
by: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Building your media list is crucial to pitching the media. Tin Shingle offers a Media List Library to members at the All Access Pass level, but here are different ways you can find a media contact for free whenever you want:
Find Your Writer Or Editor - Contributing Writers Are Golden
Read the magazine you want to pitch, and get familiar with what writers are being published on a regular basis. Even if you see a writer appear in the magazine pages just once, investigate them to see where else they write. You'll get to know their style and beat, and can develop a pitch about your business specifically tailored for them. Watch our interview with Sara Crow, a writer for GQ, Bridal Guide, xoJane, and more.
The Masthead Of A Magazine
You could open up the first few pages of a magazine to look at the masthead, which is the page of names of staff or freelance people who produced that issue of the magazine. However, this list is already 3-7 months old by the time it's in your hands, so you'll still need to do some research to verify that a media contact is still in that position. they may have moved elsewhere or got a promotion.
Find Your TV Producer
Watch a show, and look in the credits to see who produced it. Sometimes, better than the producer is actually pitching an assistant or intern. They are often the fielders of information to the higher-up producer.
Use Twitter Tin Find Media Contacts Emails
Journalists, writers, editors and producers will often put their job titles in their Twitter bios. Better yet, some actually want to be pitched by you, and include their email addresses! This is partially how Tin Shingle builds and verifies our own Media Contact Lists for All Access Pass members, but you can easily do it too.
Use Twitter To Start A Relationship With The Media
The media is all over Twitter. Let's be honest. People may stick their noses up at it, but Twitter is being quoted daily in many broadcasts on a regular basis. When Tin Shingle member Kami Darnell of SimpleSarong reached out to Adam Glass via Twitter, it was the beginning of a beautiful media friendship. Listen to this Tin Shingle Training TuneUp here, and get loads of ideas. Kami did, and after she listened to it, she felt emboldened and empowered. She reached out to Adam Glass via Twitter, and has since been featured numerous times.
Keep Track Of All Media Contact Names In Tin Shingle's Media Tracking Template
Cherry picking names of the right media contacts for your business is time consuming. But very worth it. Once you spot a name and do your research on them to find out how relevant they are, add their name to your PR Tracking Template, designed by Tin Shingle (you get this for free with an All Access Pass of Membership with Tin Shingle).
