How to Find Journalists to Cover Your Story

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses strategies for finding relevant journalists to pitch stories to, including using media databases, Google searches, and social media. It covers how to vet journalists to ensure they are a good fit for the story, and provides tips for effectively contacting and pitching to journalists.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Finding Relevant Journalists

1. What are the main ways to find relevant journalists to pitch a story to?

• Use media databases like Cision, MuckRack, or Roxhill to search for journalists based on industry, keywords, or publications
• Perform Google searches to find recent relevant articles and identify the journalists who wrote them
• Search for journalists on social media platforms like Twitter/X using advanced search features and relevant hashtags

2. What are the key things to check when vetting a journalist for relevancy?

• Confirm the journalist is still working at the publication they are listed as being with
• Verify the journalist's "beat" or area of coverage to ensure it aligns with the story being pitched
• Check if the journalist has already covered a similar story to avoid duplicating coverage

3. How can tools like BuzzStream help with the journalist research and outreach process?

• BuzzStream allows you to simultaneously search for relevant articles across multiple Google News queries
• It can automatically pull in contact information for journalists found through the research process
• The tool makes it easier to organize and manage the outreach list of relevant journalists

[02] Contacting Journalists

1. What are some best practices for effectively contacting journalists?

• Personalize outreach emails to each journalist based on their interests and beat
• Leverage social media platforms like Twitter/X to engage with journalists before pitching
• Consider making direct phone calls, as this personal approach can help stand out

2. Why is email the preferred method for pitching journalists?

• 83% of journalists prefer to be pitched via one-on-one email according to MuckRack's State of Journalism report
• Email allows for more detailed, personalized pitches compared to other channels

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