A media list is a spreadsheet of the journalists, editors, newsletter writers, podcast hosts and analysts who cover your topic, with what each one covers, how to reach them and what you have already sent them. For a B2B company, a good one is short: a few dozen people your buyers actually read, each with a recent story that shows why they belong on it. This guide covers the fields to track, how to build the list from your buyers’ reading habits, where to find contacts for free, and how to keep it current. The free Excel template has every field, drop-downs and a pitch log.
The reason to build it carefully is relevance. In Cision’s 2025 State of the Media report, a survey of more than 3,000 journalists in 19 markets, 86% said they immediately reject a pitch that is not aligned with their beat or audience. Cision’s guide to media databases adds, from its 2023 survey, that 3 in 4 journalists admit to blocking PR people who send irrelevant pitches. A media list is how you avoid being one of them.
What is a media list?
A media list is the working document behind every pitch. It answers three questions for each story you have: who would want this, why their readers care, and how they like to be contacted. A press release goes to everyone on a wire; a media list decides which few people get a personal email.
Most guides that rank for this search are written by companies that sell media databases, so they lead with buying one. Many PR teams still work from a sheet: in a survey Prezly published on its own site, 59% of respondents said they manage media contacts in spreadsheets. A spreadsheet is fine. What matters is what goes in it.
What should a media list include?
The fields below are the columns in our template.
| Field | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| Tier (A, B, C) | A = pitch every relevant story; B = the big ones; C = news only |
| Name, outlet, title | The basics |
| Outlet type | Trade, business, tech, newsletter, podcast, analyst. B2B coverage often comes from the last three |
| Beat | What they cover, in their own words from their bio or author page |
| Last relevant story and date | Proof they cover your topic now, not two years ago |
| Why our buyers read them | The audience fit. If you cannot fill it in, they do not belong on the list |
| Only an address they publish or gave you | |
| Pitch preferences | Email only, no attachments, exclusives, embargoes, guest forms |
| Time zone, social | When to send, where to read what they share |
| Source of contact info | Where you found the email. You will need it when someone asks |
| Date verified | When you last checked they still cover this beat at this outlet |
| Last pitched, response, coverage URL | Your history with them, so nobody on your team pitches them twice in a week |
| Opted out | Anyone who asked not to be contacted. Never email them again |
| Notes | Anything else: what they liked, what they turned down |
If that feels like too much, start with five: name, outlet, beat, email and the last relevant story. Plenty of PR people work with only the first four. The fifth is what keeps you from pitching the wrong person.
How do you build a media list for a B2B company?
- Start with your buyers, not with outlets. Ask five customers what they read, listen to and subscribe to for work. For B2B, the answer is usually two or three trade publications, a few newsletters, a podcast and an analyst firm, not a national newspaper.
- Find the one person at each outlet who covers your topic. Use the outlet’s search and its staff page. Read the last few stories of each candidate. One right reporter beats five wrong ones at the same outlet.
- Write down the evidence. Fill “last relevant story” and “why our buyers read them”. This is the column that stops the list from growing into a spray list.
- Add the people who covered your competitors. Search each competitor’s name in news search and in the trade publications. Whoever wrote about them in the last year probably covers your space.
- Add newsletters, podcasts and analysts. In B2B these often reach buyers better than news outlets. Many podcasts and analyst firms take requests through a form instead of email; note that in the preferences column.
- Tier the list. For most B2B SaaS companies, 30 to 60 contacts is enough: around 10 in tier A, the rest in B and C. That is our working rule, not a benchmark.
- Match each story to a tier. A funding round might go to A and B. A product update goes to A only, and only to those who covered the last one.
Where do you find journalists’ contact details?
| Method | Cost | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Outlet staff and author pages | Free | Many list an email or a contact form. Use what they publish |
| The reporter’s own bio, site or social profile | Free | Often states how they want to be pitched. Follow it |
| Bylines on competitors’ coverage | Free | Shows who covers your space right now |
| Newsletter footers and sponsor pages | Free | The usual contact route for independent writers |
| Podcast guest forms | Free | Many hosts ask for guest pitches through a form, not email |
| Media databases (Cision, Muck Rack, Meltwater, Prezly and others) | Paid, priced by quote or plan | Saves time at volume. Check coverage of your niche before you buy |
| Email-finding tools | Paid | Guessed addresses are often wrong. Only use them where no address is published |
Whatever the source, write it in the “source of contact info” column. When a reporter asks where you got their address, you should be able to answer.
How do you keep a media list current?
- Re-check every 90 days and before each big announcement. Reporters change beats and outlets often, and a stale list is how relevant pitches turn into irrelevant ones.
- Re-read before you pitch. Before a story goes out, open each tier A contact’s latest article. If they have moved on from the topic, move them down.
- Log every pitch and reply. The pitch log sheet in the template keeps the history in one place, so two people on your team do not pitch the same reporter the same week.
- Honour opt-outs immediately. Mark them and never email that person again from any address.
- Mind privacy law. A media list holds personal data. If you keep details about people in the EU or UK, privacy law such as the GDPR applies to it. Keep the source column, only store what you need, delete contacts you no longer pitch, and check your process with counsel.
How do you use the list when you pitch?
The list decides who gets the story. The pitch decides whether they read it. Email is the channel to use: in the same Cision survey, 85% of journalists said the best way to build a relationship is to introduce yourself by email. Our media pitch examples show nine B2B pitches and four real ones that earned coverage.
Send each contact one pitch written for them, not the list in BCC. Attach or link the release, written from our press release template, and put the facts, logos and headshots behind one link with the press kit template. Our press release examples show what real B2B SaaS releases look like for most kinds of news.
Should you build the list yourself or hire someone?
Build it yourself if you have one or two stories a quarter and a narrow trade press. A founder or marketer who knows the buyers can build a good 30-contact list in a day or two.
Get help if you have a steady flow of news, several markets or no time to keep the list current. Our guide to SaaS PR agencies covers what they cost and what to expect. Our PR and awards service writes your releases and award entries, pitches the reporters who cover your market from a list we keep current, and sends you every mention and clipping each month.
Frequently asked
What is a media list?
A media list is a spreadsheet or database of the journalists, editors, newsletter writers, podcast hosts and analysts who cover your topic, with what they cover, how to reach them and a record of what you have sent them. PR teams use it to decide who gets which story.
What is a press list?
Another name for a media list. Some teams use 'press list' for reporters at news outlets only and 'media list' for the wider group that includes podcasts, newsletters, creators and analysts. In practice the two terms are used for the same document.
What should a media list include?
At minimum: name, outlet, beat and email, which is what most reporters say is enough. A useful list adds a recent story that matches your topic, why your buyers read that person, their pitch preferences, where you found the contact, when you last checked it, your pitch history and an opt-out column. The free template on this page has all 20 fields.
How do I create a media list for free?
Start with what your buyers read: ask five customers. For each outlet, use its staff page and the site's search to find who covers your topic, then read their author page for their beat and any published email. Add newsletters and podcasts your buyers follow. Record where you found each address. It takes longer than a paid database, but for a B2B company that needs 30 to 60 well-chosen contacts it works.
Are media databases like Cision or Muck Rack worth it?
For agencies and teams that pitch many stories to many outlets every month, often yes, because the contact data is kept current for you. For a B2B startup with one or two announcements a quarter and a narrow trade press, a hand-built list is usually enough. Ask for a trial and check how many of your target reporters the database actually covers before you buy.
How often should you update a media list?
Re-check every contact every 90 days and before each big announcement. Reporters change beats and outlets often. Remove anyone who opted out or no longer covers your topic, and add the people who wrote about your competitors since your last check.
