It cannot be said enough that you need to know who the media are. I don’t just mean their name, which of course is very important. What you need to do is find the type of media that best suits your pr objective.
For example, if you are seeking another round of funding, or want to attack potential buyers, you should concentrate on "financial media". If you want to get the attention of dealers, or distributors to represent and sell your products, then the trade publications in your industry would be chosen.
Simple, right? Well, not really. Finding the right media sources to target is where the challenge begins. But that’s another subject we can discuss later.
An interesting article I came across the other day can help you organize your pr campaign. The article addresses these specific issues:
Planning, Media Tactics, Execution and Follow-Up.
The article provides a simple process to follow, even has questions to ask yourself about the target media, such as: Who does this program affect? Who should receive this message? What is a common denominator for members in this group(s)? What core values and objectives are shared? What benefits are expected for these individuals? Who has the ability to reach and influence other audience members?
Your story or release might not have all the answers to these questions, but it causes you to stop and analyze your approach to the media. You can never stop learning about how to reach and target your media prospects. So continue the learning and check out Four Elements of Effective Media Relations and other articles.