Building a targeted media contact list is an important step in releasing your news. When working on a limited budget, it’s vital to allocate your resources in both staff time and money in the most effective way. The following steps will help you define the best reporters at the media outlets in your target regions and get your news to them in the most effective way.

1. Review your Communications Goals Review your communication plan. Getting "in the news" should not be an end goal. Who are the people you are trying to communicate with? Where do they get their information? Where do the people who influence your targets get information? Why are you using the media to reach them?
2. Review, Review, Review Distributing a message effectively to a target audience is a bit of magic, hard work and luck. Are you sure you need the media to get your message to your target audience?
3. Choose the reporters’s beat code(s) Who are the reporters that might cover your issue? Determine the issue areas covered by reporters you’re trying to reach. Examples of beat codes are environment, energy, consumer issue and business. You may wish to include Assignment or News Editors and Bureau Chiefs if your issue is narrow or if you’re sending to very small outlets that likely don’t have a reporter that covers one beat code in particular.
4. Determine geographic scope of outreach. Is your target audience influenced by different types of media. Decide whether your outreach should go to reporters within a particular city, state, region or a national level.
5. Identify the type of media outlet. Decide what type of media outlets the reporters should come from. Examples are daily or weekly newspapers, wire services, magazines, radio and television.
6. Refine your search by the circulation and frequency of the media outlets. Define the circulation of the outlets you’re trying to reach. Should you try to reach publications that are daily, weekly or monthly?
7. Narrow your list of contacts. Don’t be a newsroom pest. Check for duplicate records on your list. Reporters often hold multiple titles so they may be listed two or even three times. Send just one release or advisory to each contact. Also check for duplicate fax numbers. Don’t waste your money by sending multiple releases or advisories to the same fax number.
8. Add personal contacts. You likely have good, personal relationships with reporters who don’t fit your list criteria. You may want to add those reporters to your media contact list.
9. Determine your delivery method. Decide whether you want to send your news via fax or email or both based on the method preferred by the reporter.
10. Send out your news! Send out the news. Update your website with the news release and accompanying materials. Follow up to see if you can provide additional details or discuss the story with interested reporters. Track responses carefully so that you can target more effectively in the future. Update your database with any new information.