The next time you want publicity, do two things that 99 percent of the other people who want publicity fail to do.  
    
First, vow that you won’t use the “spray and pray” technique.  That is, spraying the same one-size-fits-all pitch or press release to dozens or even hundreds of journalists, and then praying they’ll call you. 
    
Second, target a short list of journalists.  And then find out all you can about them before delivering your customized pitch.  It’s easy, actually, because journalists are leaving clues EVERYWHERE online about the kinds of stories they think are important, the kinds of expert sources they’re looking for, and how to contact them. 
    
Think of it as a treasure hunt.  Do it right and you could strike gold.  Here are six places to look for those valuable nuggets, which I shared during the webinar “How to REALLY Use Publicity as an Online Marketing Channel and Zig When Everyone Else is Zagging.”
     
    
1. Find out if the journalist blogs

Some journalists blog as part of their job.  Others blog on the side because they’re passionate about a topic. 

I wrote about how I picked up all sorts of valuable clues by spending a little time reading the blog written by Deborah Kotz, senior health writer for U.S. News & World Report. 
    
I learned, for example, that she’s a penny-pincher and hates bottled water. I also learned that two years ago, she thought about her risk of staying on birth control pills until she reaches menopause, and lamented the dearth of research on the long-term use of contraceptives by women.
   
If I had spent a few hours searching for clues, I’d find a lot more than that.  But I’d NEVER find that kind of personal information in those expensive media directories.  Here’s why this kind of research is so valuable. 
    
If you sell a product or service, or promote a cause or issue, related to women’s health, Deborah already has given you dozens of valuable clues at her blog that you can tie to your pitch. Be sure to read the comments at a journalist’s blog, where the journalist often replies and leaves even more clues about topics she thinks are important.  
     
     
2. Look for journalists on Twitter
    
If a blog can provide that much information, imagine what you can learn by following the journalist on Twitter.  Here are seven places to look for reporters, editors, freelancers, broadcasters, radio talk show hosts, TV news anchors and other journalists:

JournalistTweets.com: Allows you to track what journalists are writing about you or your subject.  Includes email alerts.  Also allows you to locate journalists on Twitter by subject interest.  
    
JustTweetIt.com: Features more than 175 reporters and editors. 
    
MediaonTwitter.com: Features thousands of journalists in 11 countries by name, Twitter ID, title/beat and media outlet.  
   
Muckrack.com: Features journalists by beats (world, U.S., politics, business, technology, sports, arts, etc.) and media company. 
    
Listorious.com (U.S.):  Harry Hoover’s list of more than 250 U.S. journalists, including Rachael Maddow, George Stephanopoulos, David Gregory and Terry Moran.  
    
Listorious.com (Canada):  A list of more than two dozen Canadian journalists, compiled by Harry Hoover.

Listorious: Harry Hoover’s list of more than 300 media outlets, including top-tier outlets. 

Follow a journalist who you want to pitch.  But don’t expect journalists to follow you back.  Some aren’t interested in following other people.  They use Twitter primarily to find leads and sources for stories.  Even so, look for gold in their tweets.
     
    
3. Look for journalists on Facebook 
    
Search for journalists by name, or search for the media outlet’s Fan page.  You can also use the search box to search by job title such as “reporter,” “editor” or “freelancer.”  Journalists frequently use Facebook to issue a call for certain types of experts they need to interview, or let their friends know about the types of stories they’re working on.
     
    
4. Pan for gold at their company websites 
    
Many newspapers and magazines have online versions that include many more articles than can fit into the printed edition.  Some even have videos.  Often, you can leave comments.  One annoying feature of many of these sites, however, is that you must create an account and log in with a username and password.  But sometimes, it’s worth it.
     
     
5. Read the editor’s column
     
One of the most valuable places to pan for gold in a newspaper or magazine is in the editor’s column.  It provides valuable clues about new features and departments, new freelancers and photographers who are contributing to that issue, trends the publication is seeing, and other information the editor thinks is important. 
    
Editors often write about their personal lives, too.  One smart Publicity Hound I know responded to a column from an editor and ended up in an article in the magazine.  
    
He’s Dr. Robert Kotler, a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon, who was reading a copy of American Way, the in-flight magazine published by American Airlines.  In the May 1, 2009 issue, executive editor Adam Pitluk wrote about how his circle of friends has changed over the years. 
     
“I sent him a letter respectfully taking issue with some of his contentions and offering an alternative personal viewpoint,” Dr. Kotler told me.  “He does not keep long friendships.  I do.  A la my closeness with my fraternity brothers from our days at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1960-64).”
    
Adam called Dr. Kotler and told him he appreciated the letter.
     
“When I had his ear, I said, ‘You know, l have an idea for a story regarding how patients are coming from abroad to Beverly Hills for cosmetic surgery.  Of course, they should be traveling here on American.  I’ll send you an outline of what I think might be an interesting story for your readership.’” 
    
Dr. Kotler followed up and sent statistics about Beverly Hills as a magnet for cosmetic surgery.  Not long afterward, Adam told Dr. Kotler he’d probably assign the story and a writer. 
    
“And then it happened.  An excellent writer in New York called and interviewed me and Dr. Stuart Linder, another plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills,” Dr. Kotler said.  The article, titled Vacationing for a New You, appeared in the Feb. 15, 2010 issue. 
   
Publicity in inflight magazines is a wonderful way to get in front of business travelers and others with a high disposable income. See “Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines.” It includes contact information and pitching tips for more than 50 magazines.   
     
   
6. Subscribe to media leads services

Three free media leads services provide hundreds of leads online, five days a week, from print and broadcast journalists, podcasters, bloggers and others who are looking for specific types of sources. 
    
I don’t consider this “panning for gold” because thousands of other Publicity Hounds subscribe to these services, and the competition is stiff.  Even so, you’d be crazy not to subscribe. 
    
Sifting through all these leads is time-consuming, but you can delegate this task to an assistant, or a VA.  Here are the services where you can subscribe and receive your leads by email: 
     
HelpaReporter.com
     
PitchRate.com 
     
ReporterConnection.com

PRLeads.com is a similar fee-based service that sifts through the journalist queries for you and gives you only those that pertain to your area of expertise. 

Now that you know where to look, grab your pan, and go find some gold!  And when you get publicity, please share it with me.  I’m always looking for success stories for “The Publicity Hound’s tips of the Week,” my weekly ezine, and this blog.

Syndicated columnists can be valuable connections for a publicity campaign because they have such a far reach.

To find them, you can do your homework, consult media directories and search online for columnists who cover your topic.

But don’t forget about the free and fee-based services that can feed you leads several times a day on exactly what types of sources columnists and other journalists, broadcasters and bloggers are seeking.

For instance, today’s feed from Reporter Connection, includes two leads for these columnists:

• Workplace columnist Mildred Culp is seeking job-related questions from job-hunters who can’t get hired.
• Syndicated columnist Lisa McLeod wants to know: are women being hobbled by their wardrobes? She’s looking for shoes and bags that give you an edge without killing your feet, neck, knees and back. “These will be road-tested at an upcoming women’s conference, and we will include images and links to websites when we run the article. We’ll only report on the ones that worked.” Her column is printed in 10 daily newspapers, the Huffington Post, and several top business women’s sites.

If you’re not subscribing to these free leads services, including PitchRate.com and  Help a Reporter Out, start.

PR Leads, a fee-based service, is a great time-saver because it delivers only leads in your area of expertise. ProfNet, the granddaddy of leads services, is a much pricier alternative that delivers several feeds per day.

(Shutterstock photo)

If you’re a guest expert, or a PR person who represents an expert, and you’re looking for radio talk shows and podcasts that need guests, don’t pitch only the big shows.

Many of them are difficult to book, and you might be far better off trying to get onto shows that reach niched audiences.

Check out RadioGuestList.com.  You can use this site several ways.
       
      

How to be on a show

Experts, authors and PR firms searching for the right shows can sign up here. Whenever a talk show is looking for guests, RadioGuestList will notify you.
  
     
How to find guests for your show

If you’re a radio show booker, podcaster, talk radio host or TV producer who needs guests, submit your talk show booking opportunities here. RadioGuesetList will email its list of guest experts, authors and PR firms so that experts who are a good fit for your show can email you directly.
     
    
How to see which shows are available 

On the homepage, you can see a list of categories on the right side. I clicked on a few of them and saw lots of opportunities for authors, musicians, small business people and Internet marketers to appear as guests. If you have an area of expertise, you’ll find something here that’s a good fit.

The site is maintained by Scott Fox, an author and Internet marketer. Check out his 10 tips on how to use social networking to market your product or service. You can also follow RadioGuestList on Twitter.

Never done a radio interview before? George McKenzie, a former radio talk show host, offered tips galore when I interviewed him about how to get onto drive-time radio shows and ace the interview so that the host invites you back.

Have you used RadioGuestList.com? Share your success stories here.

If you sell a consumer product or service that would make a great gift for the holidays, this is the perfect time to take advantage of a 25 percent discount to The Gift List, a subscription service that provides pitching tips and contact information for hundreds of media outlets that are planning special gift coverage.  

“This year more than ever, we’ve seen later deadlines at some very large national outlets,” says Amy Bates Stumpf. “And if you haven’t already noticed, the short leads for print outlets, including weekly national publications like People and US Weekly, regional publications, weekly and daily newspapers, are starting to show up online as we talk to editors about their upcoming plans for the holidays.”

Her media lists deliver contacts for national and regional magazines, the top 250 daily newspapers, news wires and syndicates, national television, and national radio, as well as a list for websites and blogs.

Amy says it’s still early for some newspapers and regional publications, which is why you’ll see additions to the list throughout the end of October.  “We’ve also started hearing from our broadcast outlets and will continue to load these as they make the decisions for holiday content.”

She’s offering the discouint for either the Print & Broadcast list or the Web & Blog list because Publicity Hounds might feel like they’ve missed out on the call for early pitches.

If you have advice, opinions, story ideas or a question related to small business for BusinessWeek.com, a high-traffic destination for anyone looking for business tips, check out their frequently asked questions.

It includes tips on how to contact Karen Klein,  who writes the Smart Answers column, and has a weekly podcast series.  I suggest you contact Karen and offer yourself as a source.  Let her know your area of expertise.

Karen, by the way, interviewed me yesterday to get my best tips on how a start-up small business can promote their new health product. The column should be posted today or tomorrow.

You can also check the FAQ page for tips on how to submit a Viewpoint column to Small Biz Channel editor Nick Leiber.    

Here are some ideas you can pitch:

• How small businesses can save money during this bad economy.
      
• Opportunities to use Facebook and other social media sites to sell a product or service. How are you using your Fan Pages, for example,  to promote and sell? Are you offering coupons or freebies?  
     
•  Tips and tricks on how to save time and money managing any aspect of a small business.
           
• How to find and keep great employees.

When pitching ideas and Viewpoint columns, remember that you should never overtly promote your pr0duct or service. If you can provide helpful tips and advice, BusinessWeek will be more open to your pitch.

If you’re a man 60 or older and your career is taking on a striking new dimension, from a career change to national recognition, here’s a chance for some super publicity.

Mildred Culp, who writes Workwise, a syndicated column, might want to interview you for a column. These people are disqualified:

• Women (already represented)
• Business owners or other self-employed workers
• Men in education

She’d like public relations, advertising and marketing firms to promote their clients.

WorkWise is syndicated to national media, uncovering emerging trends in the workplace. Its papers range from The Miami Herald, a major daily, to Four Corners Business Journal in Farmington, N.M.

If you haven’t subscribed to the free media leads courtesy of PitchRate.com, you could be missing the chance to score a big hit in a top-tier media outlet, or reach your target audience with your message in a niche media outlet. You can read more about this media leads service that matches sources with journalists. 

Of the many leads posted at the site this week, here are four I’ve plucked out for Publicity Hounds:

Life coaches:

Dr. Dan, who has an Internet TV show, is doing a segment called Living Life Like a Rock Star. He’s looking for experts in self development, life coaches, leaders and anyone who is passionate about living life like a rock star.  ”We want to hear how you’ve created the life you have, what principles you live your life by, and what it is that you want to contribute to the world.” The deadline for responding is June 8.

Faith-based franchises:

Reuters.com wants to talk to operators and others who have worked with faith-based franchise companies. “How does it affect the culture of the company? How do customer perceive the business?” Deadline for responding is June 10.

   
Virginia brides:

Virginia Bride magazine is doing an article on do-it-yourself weddings and wants to know about trends. ”How popular are DIY weddings? What should a bride know before planning one? How can they save money without looking like they skimped on things? What shouldn’t ever be DIY when it comes to weddings?” Deadline for responding is June 11.

Business owners:

Blog Talk Radio is looking for successful business owners for a series its featuring during the entire month of June on Empowering You Radio. ”We are running a series during the month of June to discuss today’s business challenges and needs. I am looking for successful business owners who would like to chat about their needs, challenges and struggles. Focusing on finding solutions for the listener base and encouraging them to step out. No experts needed, I am looking for real people with real experiences to share.” Deadline for responding is June 8.

If any of these media leads are perfect for you or someone you know, you can get contact information, more details, and more leads at PitchRate.com.

Street Report Magazine is looking for women DJs to feature in its ”DJs With Clout” section in the April issue.

The magazine is a Southern-based hip hop publication that gives exposure to independent artists. Send a press kit to Kim Ellis. She urges you to spread the word about this media lead.

If you live in South Florida and you’d be willing to be a source for Mildred L. Culp, who writes the syndicated column called Workwise,  please email her. 

She’s looking for sources for upcoming columns, which are featured in The Miami Herald and elsewhere. Sources must represent the diverse ethnic community.

Now is the time to start pitching if you’re hoping to convince journalists to feature your consumer product or service in holiday gift coverage.

Gift guides appear in many forms:

—As special sections in newspapers, like holiday gift guides printed by USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.

—As special holiday features in magazines like Redbook, Allure, Wired, Stereophile, Fast Company, Organic Gardening, Cooking Light, Shape, Atlanta Magazine, Cottage Living and Elite Traveler. Because many of these magazines have early deadlines, you must start pitching now.

—As special segments on TV such as Oprah’s “Favorite Things” show each year in which she lists her favorite holiday gifts.

—As special radio promotions.

—As columns, reviews or special holiday features in online magazines.

—Even bloggers feature their favorite things to give as holiday gifts.

If your consumer product or service would make the perfect gift, getting a placement in some of these media is easy—but only if you know where to look, whom to pitch, when to contact them, and if they want photos.

The Gift List can make your job easy.  Its staff contacts the top 250 daily newspapers, all the major wire services, and television shows like “Filter,” “The Look for Less,” and, of course, MTV, “Ellen,” “The View,” and hundreds more.

It doesn’t bother with media outlets that won’t mention products by name or those with circulations under 25,000.  Broadcast outlets must reach a national or significant regional audience.

Already, The Gift List has compiled a whopping 400 leads for this year’s features.  You can buy a subscription to either the Gift List for Holiday 2008 Print & Broadcast, or The Gift List for Holiday 2008 Web & Blog, or both.

What if “Oprah” or USA Today changes its feature focus the week before a deadline?  Not to worry.  The Gift List will notify subscribers who sign up for their ezine and email alerts.  You won’t miss a beat.  And you’ll be miles ahead of the competition.

Take a free test drive.