Ways to search
There are four different ways you can find relevant journalists on JournoFinder:
Article search: Find journalists via recent articles they've written.
Google News search: Connects directly to the Google News article index.
Journalist search: Search for journalists by name, job title, bio etc.
Outlet search: Find outlets that will be interested in your campaign.
(click on the link to learn more about each individual search)
The most effective way to find journalists for a campaign is to use the Article or Google News searches.
Article search and Google News search are both article searches.
They work best when you search 'headline first', i.e. search for recent headlines in your niche rather than for broad topics. Vague one or two word searches are not effective.
For example, a search for 'tesla recall' will work much better than a search for 'cars' or 'auto'.
What is the difference between Article search and Google News search?
Article search pulls from our daily-updating database of articles, while Google News search connects directly to the Google News search index.
Article search is great when you are searching for stories or topics that have been widely covered.
Google News search is the best when you want to find journalists covering breaking news, or when you are searching for a very specific news headline.
However, I recommend using both searches when building a media list to ensure you uncover as many journalists as possible.
Tips for searching effectively
As I noted above, the best way to search for articles is with a 'headline first' mentality.
Aim to use search terms that match headlines journalists in your niche would write.
Use one focused phrase - rather than a long list of keywords or a vague one-word terms.
For example, if your campaign is related to the UK's royal family, searching for a recent headline like "Harry Meghan release book" will give you much better results than a simple search for the "royal family".
If you're not sure what kinds of headlines or stories have been covered in your niche recently, browse some news sites first to find out.
You can learn more about effective searching on our individual guides to each search type (check out the Article search and Google news search articles, as well as the guide to effective searching).
Note: For help with finding regional journalists - check out this help article.
Searching for journalists via Article search
Article search works through keyword matching, so it returns results that include the exact words or phrases you type.
Because the search is instant, it's quick and easy to tweak your query.
For example, if you're looking for articles on the cost of homeownership, try searches like:
homeownership cost
home ownership costs (the space will mean you get different results due to the exact keyword matching)
homeownership expenses
and so on.
You can filter the results by:
Domain
Language
Location (based on where the main readership of the outlet if from)
Domain authority
Article age
Searching for journalists via Google News search
Google News search will match the intent of your search, rather than the exact keywords. So if you search 'expensive air bnb', you may also see results related to cheap air bnbs or expensive hotels.
Once you've decided on a search term type you need to select a location filter and a time period.
Time period filter
The default time period is "past year" and this is great for getting a comprehensive overview. However, for more time-sensitive campaigns (i.e. reactives), opting for "recent" or "past 24 hours" is more appropriate.
Location filter
The location filter works in the same way as the location filter on Google News. It will make results from your chosen location more important in the search, but you may still see extremely relevant results from other locations too.
Search preview
Preview your search instantly by clicking "preview search". This opens a new tab where you can see potential articles.
The aim of this is to ensure your search will return relevant articles. If you don't like the look of the results, you can modify the search.
Note: The preview may not be 100% the same as the actual search you make, but it should be very similar (provided you complete the search soon after the preview).
Using search operators
In both Article search and Google News search you can use advanced search operators to refine the results.
You can use any search operator you can use in Google, and they will work in the same way.
Other ways of finding journalists
You can also find journalists by:
Journalist search: Search our database directly for a specific journalist.
Outlet search: Find journalists through specific publications.
Bulk upload feature: Where you can upload a list of external URLs.