How to Build a Media List for Ghanaian Outlets
A useful media list records which journalists, presenters and producers cover your subject, what they need and how they prefer to be contacted. It is built from research and kept current.
A useful media list records the journalists, presenters, producers, editors and creators who cover your subject, what each of them needs and how they prefer to be contacted. It is built from research rather than bought, organised around your audiences and kept current. A short, accurate list will produce more coverage than a long one full of outdated contacts.
For organisations in Ghana, a media list needs to cover radio, television, print, online news, podcasts and digital creators, because each reaches different audiences.
Start from your audiences
List the audiences your communication needs to reach, then ask which outlets each one uses. Business leaders, young creatives, parents, professionals in Kumasi and diaspora audiences rarely rely on the same media. Our guide to researching your audience can help you answer that question with evidence.
Map the outlets
For each audience, list the relevant outlets by type:
- Radio: stations and, more importantly, the specific programmes and presenters relevant to your subject
- Television: news desks, morning shows, entertainment and lifestyle programmes
- Print and online news: news desks, business, arts, lifestyle and entertainment sections
- Specialist outlets: trade, technology, music, film and community publications
- Podcasts and digital creators: shows and creators whose audiences match yours
- International and diaspora media: where your story has relevance beyond Ghana
Find the right person
An outlet is not a contact. Identify the person who covers your subject: the business reporter, the entertainment editor, the producer of a particular show. Read or listen to their recent work. Note the stories they cover and the angle they take.
Record what matters
A good list records, for each contact:
- Name, outlet and role
- The subjects and formats they cover
- Preferred contact method and any stated preferences
- Recent relevant stories, with dates
- Past interactions with your organisation
- Deadlines or programme schedules, where known
Store personal contact details securely and use them only for relevant professional outreach. Ghana's Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) sets out obligations for organisations that process personal data; take advice on how it applies to you.
Segment the list
Group contacts by subject, audience and format, so each announcement goes only to the people for whom it is relevant. A launch of a jazz programme and a corporate appointment should not go to the same list.
Build relationships, not just records
The most useful media relationships are built over time: being a reliable source, sending accurate information, respecting deadlines and not pitching irrelevant stories. Our guide to pitching a story to journalists in Ghana covers how to approach contacts once the list is ready.
Keep it current
People change roles often. Review the list before every major announcement and at least every quarter. Remove contacts who have moved on, update beats and note new outlets.
Use the list with the right tools
A list is only as good as the material you send. Prepare key messages, a press release where one is justified, approved images and a prepared spokesperson.
Our Women of Valour work included PR and media outreach with JoyFM, StarrFM, GHOne TV and UTV, showing how one event can need several types of outlet.
For the bigger picture, see our complete guide to PR in Ghana.
PR369's Strategic Communications and PR service includes media relations and outreach planning. Email info@pr369.com with your story, your audiences and your timeline. We will begin with a strategy conversation.
