Do you need help finding the right journalists and email addresses to pitch your story or product to the media? Then look no further!
In this article, we’ll reveal the top five ways to uncover the contacts you need, including media databases, social media, publication websites, Google search and personal connections.
Take your PR game to the next level. Read on to discover the best ways to find journalists and their emails and get the media coverage your brand deserves.
1. Publication websites
If you’re looking to connect with journalists, publication websites can be a great place to start. Many publications have useful pages providing information about their staff and their contact details. These pages can be found by visiting the publisher’s website and looking for links to “Contact Us,” “About Us,” or “Our Team.” Or by simply searching Google for the publication’s name along with keywords like “staff directory” or “editorial team”.
For larger publications, like the Sunday Times, Telegraph etc., it is unlikely that you will be able to find a specific journalist’s email. Larger publications will usually only have a generic “mediaenquiries@publication.com” on their website, helping them manage the high volume of emails they receive and separate out any spam.
To find specific journalist emails from larger publications subscribing to a media database is your safest bet.
2. Media databases
One of the easiest and most effective ways to find journalists and their emails is by using media databases like Roxhill media.
Roxhill Media is a popular media database that provides in-depth information about journalists, including their beats, contact information, and recent articles. See our journalist profiles post.
With a user-friendly interface, Roxhill Media allows PR professionals and marketers to easily search for and connect with journalists that have a specific interest in your topic or industry. Plus, you get alerts when they change their beat which makes it a lot easier to maintain your media list.
While most databases require a paid subscription, they can be worth the investment for those looking to build relationships with journalists and regularly pitch stories or products to the media.
Brush up on your PR knowledge
Browse through our PR tips blog posts and read through some of the very best advice and exclusive insight and PR tips from professionals and from the journalists you try to speak to every day.
3. Social media
Social media platforms like Twitter can be a valuable resource for finding journalists and their email addresses.
You can identify journalists covering your industry or interest by following relevant hashtags and Twitter handles.
Some media databases integrate social media platforms, allowing users to search for and follow journalist Twitter accounts directly from the platform or see what they post on Instagram.
For PR professionals and marketers looking to stay ahead of the game, leveraging social media integration can be a game-changer.
4. Google search
If any journalist has their contact details online and publicly available, then a simple Google search should reveal them. However, this often requires quite a lot of digging.
Using search operators such as “site:” and “intitle:” can help save you a lot of time by narrowing down your search results.
The “site:” function allows you to search for a particular journalist on a specific site. For example, if you know that Richard Fletcher writes for the Times you could type into Google “Richard Fletcher site: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/” and google will bring up any Times pages mentioning Richard Fletcher which may lead to you finding his email address.
The “intitle:” function searches for a particular journalist relating to a specific topic/title. For example, Rebecca English writes about Royalty, so you could type into Google, “Rebecca English intitle: Royalty” and google will search for any pages that contain Rebecca English and have Royalty in their title.
These techniques are useful but will only find journalists’ emails if they are in the public domain.
5. Personal connections
Using personal connections is an effective way to find journalists’ emails and start building relationships. Reach out to colleagues, friends or family who work in the same industry or know journalists in your target publication. They might know someone who knows someone who can put you in touch or provide you with an email address.
Attending industry events and taking part in networking opportunities is one of the best ways to create meaningful and ongoing relationships. You can meet journalists face-to-face or online, introduce yourself, get their contact details and put a face to the name. This will also come in handy when you’re trying to pitch, you will not just be some random PR from a random PR agency anymore!
