Attention: This article will be archived in Q1 2025!
Please see our new Discover Media Contacts collection in Help Center for a new and improved experience.
Create Media and Outlet Lists
A Media List in Muck Rack is a curated collection of journalists and media professionals who cover specific topics or industries. It is a centralized database for PR professionals, communications teams, and marketers to target and connect with the right journalists.
Media lists are useful because they enable targeted outreach, save time by consolidating contact information, help build relationships with journalists, track and organize media contacts, and facilitate collaboration within teams. You can learn more about managing Media Lists by checking out our article on Managing Media Lists.
Learn More in Muck Rack Academy
You can learn about Media Lists by taking Build Media Lists in the Muck Rack Academy.
Import Media Lists
Our Editorial Team can add Media List Imports of 25 or more contacts upon request. Once uploaded, any updates or changes to Muck Rack's database will be reflected on your lists, including new titles, beats, media outlets, and contact information.
Select the chat icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and select Messages > Send us a message.
Select 'I have a question for Editorial' then send a message saying you need to import a media list.
Attach your media lists as Excel spreadsheets (.csv or .xlsx) or as Google Sheet links with as much of the following information as possible:
First name*
Last name*
Email*
Job titles
Media outlets
X (Twitter) handles
Notes (Can be added as activities or contact preferences)
Mailing addresses
Other Tips for Importing Media Lists
Issue | Solution |
Contacts not found in our database | If any of your contacts don't match existing profiles or don't meet our criteria to be added to the main database, they will be added as Custom Contacts for your team. Custom contacts are owned solely by your organization and will not be maintained by Muck Rack's Editors. |
You have additional formatting needs. | When submitting the Media List, you can provide additional information for the team:
|
Your team only has the first and last names of journalists included in an import but no email addresses | Please contact your Customer Success Manager for additional information on how we can assist with your request. |
NOTE: The turnaround time for these requests will depend on the size and complexity of the request. Media list imports will typically be completed in 1 to 10 business days but may take longer. Import ETA will be communicated after a submission is made.
Create A Media List
Watch the video or follow the steps below to learn about creating Media Lists in Muck Rack.
From the navigation bar, select Relationships > Media Lists.
Select Create New in the top right corner.
Give your Media List a name, select your Sharing preferences (share with your organization or Only Me), then select Save.
Add contacts to your Media List via a People Search or by adding Custom Contacts.
Populate a Media List
To add people to your list from your search results, simply select the checkbox next to their name and then Add to Media List from the action bar that appears:
You can also add a single contact to your media list directly from their journalist profile by simply selecting the name of the Media List you'd like to add them to:
Outlet Lists
In Muck Rack, an Outlet List refers to specific media outlets, including newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, and broadcasting stations. Outlet Lists in Muck Rack are useful because they provide easy access to outlet information, editorial guidelines, and audience demographics of various media outlets, streamlining the process of identifying and engaging with the right platforms to maximize media coverage and exposure.
We recommend using Outlet Lists as a search filter (under Media Outlets > Outlet Lists) to help refine your People search to select outlets, then building a media list for pitching from the results. Outlet lists cannot be used for pitching purposes.
Leverage Outlet Lists in Muck Rack
You can learn more about Outlet Lists by reviewing our How to Best Leverage Your Outlet Lists guide in Muck Rack Academy.
NOTE: We are happy to research any media outlets you have trouble finding in Muck Rack's database. You can leverage the in-app chat functionality to reach out to our team to put in any request by selecting the chat widget in the bottom right corner, then selecting 'Send us a message.'
If you have a list of outlets important to your team for monitoring and tracking content, please send us the full list so we can let you know where we can set up additional tracking in the review process.
⚠️ Important: Email addresses from Outlets (i.e. newsdesk emails) are not currently included in Outlet List Exports.
Create an Outlet List
From the navigation bar, select Relationships > Outlet Lists.
Select Create New in the top right corner.
Give your Outlet List a name, select your Sharing preferences (share with your organization or Only Me), then select Save.
Add outlets to your list via an Outlet Search.
To add outlets to your list from your search results, simply select the checkbox next to the outlet name and then Add to Outlet List from the action bar that appears:
💡 TIP: We also recommend checking out our Rankings page to quickly gather a list of top outlets based on industry, market, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question | Answer |
I created a media list, and no contacts are showing. How do I fix this? | Try clearing your cache and cookies or try another browser to add those contacts.
If that doesn’t work, please reach out to our Support team via the chat widget in the bottom right of the page by selecting the widget, then selecting 'Send us a message.'
|
What is the maximum number of outlets that I can include in the Media Outlets filter?
| You can manually add 100 outlets to the Media Outlets filter (available in People and Article searches). However, if you Create an Outlet List, then apply it as a filter using the Media Outlet Lists filter, there is no limit to how many Outlets you can filter by. 
If you have more than 25 outlets to add to your Outlet List, we are happy to process that import on your behalf.
Feel free to send us any of your external outlet lists of at least 25 outlets or more via the support chat widget in the bottom right or in an email to support@muckrack.com.
Any outlets not currently listed will be researched and added to the main database according to our criteria before being added to your outlet list. Because of this, large outlet lists or those with many niche outlets will take longer to complete than shorter ones.
The internal research team will format and import your list(s) within 1 to 10 business days, depending on the amount of data. |
I need to import a media list. How do I do that? | See our section on how to Import Media Lists above. |
My media outlet isn't listed on Muck Rack. What do I do? | Muck Rack works hard to list publications from around the world, so we're happy to see if we can list yours.
Send us a link to the homepage of the outlet you would like us to add, including a list of full-time staff and contributors to the outlet whenever possible, and our Editorial team will review the outlet for inclusion.
Reach out to us via the support chat widget in the bottom right or in an email to support@muckrack.com. |
Get Help
For additional help, contact support by choosing the chat icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and selecting Messages > Send us a message.
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