After deciding on which markets you want to target with your PR campaign, choosing a story format that will fit the largest amount of publications is the trick to a successful PR campaign.
But, before you can decide on a story idea, you must compile a list of publications that cover the market.
Often times my clients can name the top five or six publications in a market, and are unaware that there are 30 or more. In fact, there are often 50 
to 100 publications that can be targeted when going after a niche market in addition to the core market.
Media guides are the most valuable tools when it comes to editorial coverage. If you are wondering why you would target more than just the top five or six publications, you may have forgotten that we are talking about free editorial coverage. If you are going to spend the money on writing a story, why not go after the largest audience you can? Limiting coverage to the top five or six publications can mean the difference between reaching 100,000 or 500,000 readers (or prospects).
Beyond listing all print and Internet magazines that cover your markets, media guides also include valuable data like circulation (there's that 500,000 vs. 100,000), ad rates (so you can calculate what your editorial coverage saved you in ad dollars—although editorial coverage is priceless since you can't purchase it), lead times, contact information, website URL's (which lead you quickly to editorial calendars) and profile information (so you know you are reaching the right audience). Something else the profile may tell you is the preferred writing style of a magazine.
Information like lead times, site URL's (equals - quick access to magazine content and editorial calendars) and profile information are essential in deciding which format is best for editorial coverage.
Most media guides today offer instant online access to media lists and cost anywhere between $100. to $500. for a single media list, depending on what you need. The more user friendly they are and the more they allow you to hone your list, the more expensive they are. PR pros often pay thousands of dollars per year to have the most up to date and user friendly media lists. If you want to forego the cost of a media list, you could spend hours on the Internet researching different websites (tradeshow websites, magazine subscription sites, etc) to find most of the magazines. Personally, I think that spending the money on a list you can download in minutes is cheaper than the cost of your time searching the web for that information.
Once you have chosen your media list, the next step is to decide on the style and topic of your article.
Next time we'll talk about editors' number one pet peeve and what to consider when formulating a story that will gain the most of amount of coverage.
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