How to Build an Effective Media Database
I’ve been in public relations for nearly 40 years and media relations certainly hasn’t gotten any easier. But one thing is for sure, the same basics still apply: develop a relationship with reporters, know what they cover, understand how and when they like to be pitched and don’t overwhelm them with frivolous information.
The starting point for all of this is knowing who you are trying to reach in the first place.
Arizona’s most comprehensive resource for news media contacts is FINDERBINDER® AZ, the state’s most comprehensive media directory.
It’s been around since 1978, first published in the Grand Canyon State by Rita Sanders Advertising and Public Relations. In those days, the media directory was an annual publication of a couple-hundred pages that resembled a phone book. All subscribers received the pages and a binder to assemble how you saw fit. Hence the name FINDERBINDER. Monthly updates were sent to subscribers via snail mail.
HMA Transforms FINDERBINDER® AZ
When Rita retired in 2020, HMA Public Relations acquired FINDERBINDER® AZ and began a major transformation. FINDERBINDER® AZ’s evolution over the years has included the creation of an online platform in addition to the hard copy. Real-time updates, social media handles and contacts for traditional and online media were later incorporated and eventually the cumbersome hard-copy version of the media directory was phased out. The market showed that only the “old-timers” in PR still wanted the hard copy and that number dwindled over time.
Now, subscribers are able to perform quick searches, organize media lists and email Arizona’s top media contacts and influencers all with just the click of a mouse. Subscribers can search an array of different media outlets and customize lists exactly how they’d like.
These changes and improvements have helped FINDERBINDER® AZ become and stay the trusted media information hub for professionals in journalism, public relations, marketing, advertising and politics – essentially anyone with a good story to tell in Arizona.
