Free Media List: And Other DIY (Do It Yourself) Publicity Tips

It’s unlikely that the media will find you, so it’s necessary that you search them out yourself. The advent of the Internet has made it easier than ever to actually reach out and pitch the media directly. The Internet opens up doors to different outlets of discovery and is a key tool to a successful DIY publicity campaign.

Basically, you have two choices to aid you in your media search. You can:

Buy a list...There are countless media lists floating around on the Internet, so you need to know which one will be most beneficial to you and your product. Don’t spend money on something you don’t need. Take the time to evaluate your product and decide which media outlets to market toward. There are some valuable publicity resources out there that will help you in your search and they’re usually linked with sites that will give you free publicity tips geared toward DIY publicity.

...or...

Research yourself. This will be time consuming, but at the same time, will be a valuable asset to your media knowledge. You’ll really have to take the time to evaluate your product and decide what media outlets are the wisest to pitch to. You’ll eventually construct a list that is specifically tailored to you and your product’s media interests, which will be more useful than any list you could buy. All it takes is a little time and exploration.

Before you begin your Internet research ask yourself a few questions: Who do you want to communicate your message to? And what are they watching, reading, and listening to? Once you answer those questions you simply go to the websites of the media outlets and find out the hosts, reporters, editors, etc. who are doing stories relevant to you and your product, and then contact them. Most of the time you’ll be able to find email addresses on the “Contact Us” page of the media outlets’ websites or they’ll have a specific page or form for queries and submissions.

And don’t get discouraged if you don’t get an immediate response. Sometimes it can take weeks for an editor or journalist to respond to your pitch or query, and sadly, there are times when you won’t get a response at all. There are sites, like Pitchrate.com, that provide a free media list and networking service for journalists and experts to find one another, and can be a valuable asset to any successful publicity campaign.