{"id":18,"date":"2026-11-08T00:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T18:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getproofpr.com\/blog\/build-a-media-list\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T12:42:42","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T07:12:42","slug":"build-a-media-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getproofpr.com\/blog\/build-a-media-list\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build a Media List That Stays Accurate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A media list is only as good as its last update. Journalists change beats, move publications and leave the profession, and a list that was accurate in January can send half its pitches to the wrong people by June.<\/p>\n<p>This guide covers how to build a media list properly and a short routine that keeps it useful.<\/p>\n<h2>Start from the stories, not a database<\/h2>\n<p>Paid databases are a useful starting point, but the best lists are built from recent bylines. Search for the last three months of coverage on your client&#8217;s topics and competitors, and note who wrote each story. These are the people actively covering the subject today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-margin-note\">A journalist who covered your competitor last month is your warmest lead.<\/p>\n<h2>What to record for each journalist<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Name, publication and current beat<\/li>\n<li>Date and link of their most recent relevant story<\/li>\n<li>Preferred contact route (work email, LinkedIn, X), as they list it publicly<\/li>\n<li>Language, for regional media<\/li>\n<li>Notes: topics they avoid, deadlines, past interactions with your team<\/li>\n<li>Tier for each client you work with<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Only record contact details journalists have made public for work, and keep the list secure. Treat it as professional information, not something to share or sell.<\/p>\n<h2>Organise by story, not just by publication<\/h2>\n<p>Group journalists by the stories they cover: funding, consumer trends, workplace, technology, policy. When a new announcement comes up, you can pick the right ten people in minutes rather than mailing the whole list.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-takeaway\">\n<h3>Key takeaway<\/h3>\n<p>A short, current list beats a long, stale one. Twenty right names outperform two hundred wrong ones.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The 20-minute monthly routine<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"is-style-checklist\">\n<li>Check the latest byline for each tier 1 journalist; update beat or publication if it changed<\/li>\n<li>Remove anyone with no relevant story in six months, or move them to an &#8220;inactive&#8221; tab<\/li>\n<li>Add new names from this month&#8217;s coverage of your clients and competitors<\/li>\n<li>Note which pitches got replies, and from whom<\/li>\n<li>Add sources AI assistants cite for your clients&#8217; topics (see below)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Add the sources AI relies on<\/h2>\n<p>When you check what ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity say about your client&#8217;s category, note the publications and sites they cite. Those outlets now influence two audiences at once: human readers and AI answers. Add their editors and contributors to your list. We explain why in <a href=\"\/blog\/how-ai-assistants-choose-brands\/\">how AI assistants decide which brands to recommend<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Use the list in your reporting<\/h2>\n<p>Your media list and your coverage report should talk to each other. When a story runs, record it against the journalist; at month end, your <a href=\"\/blog\/monthly-pr-report-template\/\">monthly report<\/a> can show which relationships produced results. Over time, that shows clients the value of the relationships, not just the clippings.<\/p>\n<p>For the pitch itself, read <a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-pitch-journalists-india\/\">how to pitch journalists in India<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to build a PR media list from scratch, what to track for each journalist, and a 20-minute monthly routine that keeps it accurate as reporters change beats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[31,33,30,34],"class_list":["post-18","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media-relations","tag-journalists","tag-media-list","tag-media-relations","tag-pr-tools"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to 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