Media Database Search

Search media databases to find journalists, newsletter editors, and publication contacts that cover topics relevant to your company. These contacts become pitch targets for earned media placements.

Tool Options

| Tool | API/Method | Best For | |------|-----------|----------| | Muck Rack | Web app + API (api.muckrack.com) | Largest journalist database, beat tracking, article history | | Prowly | REST API (api.prowly.com/v1) | EU-strong, media lists, journalist contact info | | JustReachOut | Web app (no public API) | AI-powered journalist matching, pitch scoring | | Anewstip | REST API (api.anewstip.com) | Real-time journalist social media monitoring, topic matching | | Hunter Journalists | REST API (api.hunter.io) | Email finding for journalists discovered via other tools | | BuzzSumo | REST API (api.buzzsumo.com/api) | Find journalists by articles they've written on a topic |

Muck Rack (Primary for journalist search)

Search journalists by beat

GET https://api.muckrack.com/journalists?q={topic}&beat={beat_name}&outlet_type={type}
Header: Authorization: Bearer {MUCKRACK_API_KEY}

Parameters:

• q: Topic keyword (e.g., "AI startups", "B2B SaaS", "developer tools")
• beat: Beat/vertical filter (e.g., "technology", "business", "startups")
• outlet_type: newspaper, magazine, online, newsletter, podcast
• location: Geographic filter (e.g., "US", "UK")

Response fields to extract

{
  "journalists": [
    {
      "name": "Jane Reporter",
      "email": "jane@outlet.com",
      "outlet": "TechCrunch",
      "beat": "Startups",
      "recent_articles": [...],
      "twitter_handle": "@janereporter",
      "linkedin_url": "https://linkedin.com/in/janereporter",
      "pitchability_score": 72
    }
  ]
}

BuzzSumo (Find journalists by recent writing)

Search articles by topic

GET https://api.buzzsumo.com/api/search/articles.json?q={topic}&num_days=30&num_results=50
Header: x-api-key: {BUZZSUMO_API_KEY}

Extract the author names and outlets from top-performing articles. These journalists are actively writing about your topic — they are warm targets.

Find journalist contact from article

GET https://api.buzzsumo.com/api/search/authors.json?q={author_name}

Returns social profiles and associated outlets.

Newsletter Discovery (Manual + API hybrid)

For micro-newsletter targets, use these approaches:

1. Substack search: https://substack.com/search/{topic} — browse results, check subscriber counts and posting frequency
2. Beehiiv directory: https://www.beehiiv.com/discover — search by category
3. SparkLoop partner network: Search for newsletters in your niche that accept cross-promotions
4. Letterhead: Newsletter directory with journalist contact info
5. Clay enrichment: Once you have a newsletter URL, use Clay's "Enrich Company" to find the editor's email

Qualifying a newsletter

• Active: Published within last 14 days
• Relevant: Covers topics adjacent to your product/expertise
• Reachable: Editor email or contact form available
• Audience match: Subscriber base overlaps your ICP (check the "About" page for demographic info)
• Accepts pitches: Look for "write for us", "guest posts", "sponsored content", or "tips" pages

Anewstip (Real-time journalist monitoring)

Search journalists tweeting about your topic

GET https://api.anewstip.com/v1/search/journalists?q={topic}&days=7
Header: x-api-key: {ANEWSTIP_API_KEY}

Returns journalists who have tweeted about your topic in the last N days. These are actively thinking about the topic — highest-intent pitch targets.

Qualifying a Media Target

For each journalist, newsletter, or publication found, evaluate:

1. Recency: Have they written about your topic in the last 30 days?
2. Relevance: Does their beat/coverage area match your story angle?
3. Reach: Estimated audience size (outlet traffic, newsletter subscribers, social following)
4. Accessibility: Is contact info available (email preferred, Twitter DM, LinkedIn)?
5. Pitch history: Have they responded to pitches before (check Muck Rack response rate)?

Score each target 1-5 and store in Clay or Attio with fields: name, outlet, beat, contact method, email, relevance score, reach score, pitch status.

Error Handling

• Rate limited (429): Back off per Retry-After header. Muck Rack: 60 req/min. BuzzSumo: 10 req/min.
• No results: Broaden topic keywords. Try adjacent verticals or search for competitor company names in articles.
• Stale contacts: Cross-reference journalist's current outlet via LinkedIn before pitching. Journalists change outlets frequently.
• No email found: Fall back to Hunter.io journalist search or Twitter DM.

Pricing

| Tool | Free Tier | Paid | |------|-----------|------| | Muck Rack | No free tier | Custom pricing (~$500+/mo) | | Prowly | 7-day trial | From $369/mo (https://prowly.com/pricing) | | JustReachOut | No free tier | From $147/mo (https://justreachout.io/pricing) | | Anewstip | 14-day trial | From $150/mo | | BuzzSumo | 30-day trial | From $199/mo (https://buzzsumo.com/pricing) | | Hunter.io | 25 searches/mo free | From $49/mo (https://hunter.io/pricing) |