Feb 09 2023 9 mins 4
If your podcast has some news to share, figuring out the right journalist to pitch to can seem daunting, but it's a crucial part of getting your news in front of the right people. The last thing you want to do is spam journalists, as this will result in them blocking you faster than an NFL offensive tackle. Instead, you need to have a strategic approach to PR list building.
Finding Your Target Audience
Start by determining who your target audience is and make a list of journalists and podcasters who cater to that audience. If you have a strong niche, you likely already have an idea of who those journalists are. For example, if you are a podcaster focused on renewable energy, you would want to target journalists and podcasters in the renewable energy space, as well as those who write about sustainability and the environment.
In this example, let's say your solar energy podcast just raised $100,000 to put a solar roof on an underprivileged school.
Reaching Out
Next, contact the right people at the right media outlets. For TV stations, you want to reach the news desk. Find the email addresses of the local TV stations near the underprivileged school that you want to put a solar roof on, and reach out to the news desk. If it's for a specialty like sports or weather, reach out to the specific reporter.
For radio stations, reach out to the news director, a morning show producer, or the radio personality if it's a small local station.
For newspapers, reach out to the education reporter in a bigger city or the general news reporter in a smaller paper.
For blogs, reach out to the writer of similar stories, and for podcasts, reach out to the podcaster.
Find Other Audiences
But that's not all. In this example, you'll also want to make a separate list of journalists in the solar space and in the broader renewable energy space. This includes magazines, industry websites, and podcasts in those categories. For magazines, pitch the editor in charge of your topic, and for websites, look for the people who wrote articles in your niche.
If it's really big news, you can also pitch journalists in the podcasting industry. However, your goal is to get more listeners in your niche, not more listeners who are podcasters.
PR list building is a strategic approach to getting your news in front of the right people. Start by determining your target audience and make a list of journalists and podcasters who cater to that audience. Reach out to the right people at the right media outlets and make a separate list of journalists and publications in your niche. By following these steps, you'll increase your chances of getting noticed and building credibility for your website and brand.
