Journalist discovery
The best press release in the world doesn't matter if it lands in the wrong inbox. Finding the right journalists, people who actually cover your space and are likely to care about your story, is what separates campaigns that get coverage from ones that get deleted.
How Outrigger finds journalists
Outrigger discovers relevant journalists through multiple signals:
Publication matching
Starting from your industry and keywords, Outrigger identifies publications that cover your space. Then it finds the specific journalists at those publications who write about your topics.
Recent coverage analysis
Rather than relying on static media databases, Outrigger looks at who has recently published articles about topics related to your brand. A journalist who wrote about "CRM tools for agencies" last week is far more likely to cover your CRM story than one who covered it two years ago.
Beat identification
Journalists cover specific beats: technology, marketing, finance, etc. Outrigger identifies journalists whose beats align with your brand's category, not just those who once mentioned a tangentially related topic.
Relevance scoring
Each discovered journalist gets a relevance score based on:
| Signal | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Topic match | High | How closely their recent coverage matches your pitch |
| Publication authority | High | How much AI models weight the publication |
| Recent activity | Medium | How recently they published (active journalists > dormant ones) |
| Coverage frequency | Medium | How often they write about your topic area |
A journalist at a major publication who wrote about your exact topic last month scores highest. One at a minor blog who covered a tangentially related topic a year ago scores lowest.
Building your media list
For each campaign, build a targeted list of 20-40 journalists:
Tier 1 (5-10 journalists)
Highly relevant beat, authoritative publication, recent coverage of your topic. These get your most personalized pitches.
Tier 2 (10-15 journalists)
Good topic match, solid publications, but less recent or less specific coverage. These get slightly more templated pitches with personal touches.
Tier 3 (10-15 journalists)
Broader industry coverage, secondary publications. These get efficient pitches that still reference their work but with less deep personalization.
The importance of personalization
"Spray and pray", blasting the same pitch to hundreds of journalists, doesn't work. Journalists receive dozens of pitches daily and can spot a mass email instantly.
Effective pitches reference:
- A specific article the journalist recently wrote
- Why your story matters to their specific audience
- A unique angle they haven't seen from other pitches
Outrigger generates these personalized elements automatically by analyzing each journalist's recent articles and identifying connection points to your pitch.
Managing your journalist database
Over time, you build relationships with journalists who cover your space. Outrigger tracks:
- Response history: Who opened, replied, published
- Coverage quality: Did they write a feature, a mention, or ignore you?
- Beat changes: Journalists change publications and beats. Track where they are now.
- Preferred contact method: Some prefer email, some Twitter DMs, some LinkedIn
Keep a reviewed record of relevant journalists and past responses. Each journalist makes an independent editorial decision; no number of campaigns assures a reliable coverage list.
Ethical outreach
Good journalist relations follow these rules:
- Never lie. Don't claim exclusivity unless you're offering it. Don't inflate numbers.
- Respect "no." If a journalist declines, don't send the same pitch again.
- Provide value. Offer exclusive data, early access, or expert sources, not just self-promotion.
- Follow up once. A single follow-up after 48-72 hours is fine. More than that is pushy.
- Be available. If a journalist responds, reply quickly with whatever they need.
In Outrigger
Press includes journalist discovery with relevance scoring, media list management, and response tracking. Build lists per campaign or maintain a persistent database of contacts.