Chicago Writes

One Final Thought with WC Turck

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On this the final episode of Chicago Writes, Time Management for the writer. Part two of my conversation with Paul Bryan Roach author of Jack's Rogues available on Amazon. The art of the Press Release and building a Media Contact List. Plus, we catch up with The Spine Bookshop owner Lindsay Schultz on her historic fight against book bans in Tennessee. 

And I say so long to this great CWA audience. Visit my Substack at WCTURCK.substack.com. Classic Storytelling across the Virtual Campfire.

There are some great sources online for building a media contact list. But here are a few tips to get you started:

A media contacts list, simply put, is an updatable and managed directory of journalists, editors, bloggers, and influencers relevant to your business.

There are a few important components of a media contacts list:

  1. Contact Names and Positions: Note the names and job titles of journalists or media influencers. This helps tailor your pitch.  Prowly’s Media Databasewith more than one million contacts free for 7-days. prowly.com/media-database/
  2. Email Addresses and Phone Numbers: make sure you have up-to-date email addresses and phone numbers. Accurate contact details are crucial for communication. compile a list of journalists from news sites. There are tools like Muck Rack to find email addresses and social media links to help build that list.
  3. Outlets and News Sites: List the media outlets or news sites they work for. This helps in aligning your story pitch with their publication's focus.
  4. Social Media Links: Note their social media profiles. Engaging on platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn can enhance relationship-building.
  5. Identify journalists and outlets whose beats and audiences match your target demographic. With data from Semrush, Prowly offers the most reliable, in-depth audience and traffic analytics on the market.
  6. Notes and Preferences: Include any personal notes or preferences for contact, such as the best time to email.
    • Remember:

      • Element

      Description

      Industry Focus

      Journalists specializing in your sector

      Email Distribution

      Collect relevant email addresses for outreach

      Social Media Links

      Evaluate platforms for deeper engagement

       

      Clients-contacts-testing.

      There are a many social media anylytics services that can allow you to measure engagement, such as agencyanalytics.com, supermetrics.com and www.hootsuite.com, who has a novice friendly dashboard.

      And that should get you started. You’re in the big leagues now. This is the business of publishing a book. Go get ‘em!

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