How to build a media list that is relevant
Build a media list from the story outwards. Find the journalists who covered the topic in the last 60 days, check each one by hand, split the list into segments with their own angle, and keep it small. Relevance, not size, decides the reply rate.
In short
- Cision's State of the Media 2026 found that 72% of journalists named irrelevant pitches as the top reason for blocking a sender, so a careless list costs you future campaigns as well as this one.
- BuzzStream's April 2025 analysis of 31 million emails found a 1.15% reply rate for campaigns of 1 to 50 emails and 0.37% for campaigns of 1,001 to 5,000.
- A working norm is 50 to 300 journalists per campaign, each checked against an article published in the last 60 days.
- In BuzzStream's State of Digital PR 2026, 62.8% of practitioners named outdated journalist data as their main problem with tools.
- Journalists who have replied before answer 20.1% of pitches against 1.06% for cold contacts, according to BuzzStream's April 2026 data, so past contacts belong at the top of every list.
A media list is the set of journalists you will pitch one story to. Build it from the story outwards: find the people who have written about this exact topic recently, check each one by hand, group them by the angle they will care about, and stop when you run out of people who fit. A list of 80 relevant names does better than a list of 2,000.
The numbers below show why. The method follows.
Why relevance decides everything
Cision’s State of the Media 2026 surveyed 1,899 journalists. It found that 72% consider a quarter or fewer of the pitches they receive relevant, that 82% reject pitches that do not fit their audience or beat, and that 72% named irrelevant material as the top reason for blocking a sender. Every off-target name on a list is a journalist you may not reach next time.
Sending data says the same. BuzzStream’s April 2025 analysis of 31 million emails in 86,000 campaigns found:
| Campaign size | Open rate | Reply rate |
|---|---|---|
| All campaigns | 33.79% | 0.85% |
| 1 to 50 emails | 35.42% | 1.15% |
| 1,001 to 5,000 emails | 29.76% | 0.37% |
Mass campaigns also earned 70% fewer links than campaigns of 51 to 100 emails. Bigger lists get fewer replies per email and fewer links in total.
Start from the story, not from a database
Before looking for names, write down three things: the headline, the kind of reader who cares, and the kinds of publication that serve that reader. A study of rental prices by city suits personal finance desks, property trade titles and local news in each city. It does not suit “business journalists” in general.
This step also tests the idea. If you cannot name the beats, the story has no audience. See digital PR ideation.
Where to find journalists
Use more than one route, because each misses people.
- News search. Search the topic and its nearest synonyms in news results, limited to recent months. The bylines are your first list. This costs nothing and is the most reliable test of who covers the subject now.
- Coverage of similar stories. Find who wrote about a comparable study or a competitor’s campaign. Backlink tools show which articles linked to it. Our link gap analysis lesson explains the method.
- Media databases. In BuzzStream’s State of Digital PR 2026, 46.6% of practitioners said they use Muck Rack and 44.6% use BuzzStream for list building. Roxhill, Vuelio and Prowly are other named options. Search by beat and keyword, then check what comes back.
- Your own history. Anyone who has covered or replied to you before.
- Social profiles and request hashtags. Journalists state their beat in their profile and post what they are working on.
A database is a starting point. In the same BuzzStream report, 62.8% of practitioners named outdated journalist data as their main tool problem.
Check every contact by hand
The working rule among practitioners is to verify each journalist against an article published in the last 60 days. For each name, confirm:
- They still write for that outlet. Open their author page.
- They covered this topic recently. Find the article and save its URL.
- They use outside data or comment. Some writers only produce opinion or reviews.
- Their preferred contact route. Cision’s 2026 survey found that 97% of journalists prefer email.
- The outlet is worth being in. It should be a real news or trade site with editorial staff, its own audience and indexed articles. The checks in how to vet a publisher apply here too.
Muck Rack’s State of Journalism 2026, as relayed in secondary summaries we could not verify against the original, found that beat relevance was the quality journalists valued most in a pitch, at 70%. The saved article from step 2 is your proof of relevance, and it gives you an honest first line for the email.
Segment the list
One list with one email is the mass send that the data argues against. Split the list into segments, each with its own angle and subject line. The segments below are a working template.
| Segment | Who is in it | What they need from you |
|---|---|---|
| National news and consumer desks | Reporters on the main beat, such as money, health or travel | The headline finding and a named expert |
| Trade and specialist press | Editors and writers for the industry | The detail, the method and what it means for the sector |
| Regional and local press | Reporters by city or region | The figure for their area, in the subject line |
| Past contacts | Anyone who has replied or covered you before | An early, personal note |
Regional segments are where a data campaign multiplies. One table with a row per city gives each local outlet its own story. That only works if the data has sound regional cuts, which data-led campaigns covers.
Past contacts come first. BuzzStream’s April 2026 study of 1.32 million emails from 17 agencies found a reply rate of 20.1% for journalists who had replied before, against 1.06% for cold contacts. Those reached within 90 days of an earlier reply were about 30 times more likely to respond.
How big the list should be
Practitioner workflows put a campaign list at 50 to 300 journalists. That is a norm, not a measured optimum. The BuzzStream figures suggest thinking in segments of up to about 50 to 100, each sent as its own small campaign.
If you cannot find 50 journalists who fit, pitch the ones you have with more care. If you have 500, your definition of “fit” is probably too loose.
What to record
Keep the list where the whole team can see it, so a journalist is never pitched twice by two colleagues.
- Name, outlet, role and beat
- Work email and where it was found
- The recent article that shows the fit, with its date
- Segment and angle
- Country and language
- Past contact: pitched, replied, covered, asked not to be contacted
- Notes on preferences
Journalists’ details are personal data. Keep only what you need, respect a request to be removed, and follow data protection law where you and they are based.
Outreach platforms hold the list, the sending and the history together. Our BuzzStream desk review describes one, and the outreach tools comparison lists others.
Common mistakes
- Exporting a database search and sending to all of it.
- Choosing outlets by authority score and ignoring the beat.
- Pitching an editor-in-chief when a reporter covers the topic.
- Reusing last year’s list unchecked.
- Adding every journalist at a publication.
- Losing track of who asked not to be contacted.
Where to go next
With the list built, write the email: how to pitch journalists covers what the surveys say they want. The digital PR tactic page puts the list in the context of a full campaign. Terms are defined in the glossary.
Common questions
How many journalists should be on a media list?
A working norm is 50 to 300 for a campaign, split into smaller segments. BuzzStream's 2025 data shows sends of 1 to 50 emails get the best reply rate, so many small targeted sends beat one large one.
Do I need a media database to build a list?
No, but it saves time. You can build a list by searching news results for recent articles on the topic. Databases still need checking, because 62.8% of digital PRs in BuzzStream's 2026 report complained of outdated journalist data.
How do I find a journalist's email address?
Start with the author page, the publication's contact page and the journalist's own social profiles. Media databases and outreach tools supply addresses too. Use work addresses, and keep to data protection law in your country.
How often should I update a media list?
Check every contact before each campaign. Journalists change beats and employers often, and a contact that was right six months ago may now cover something else.
Should I pitch more than one journalist at the same publication?
Usually pitch the one whose beat fits best. If you approach a second, choose a different desk and a different angle, and never send the same email to a whole newsroom.
