Top Business Media Sources and Outlets

In PR and media relations there are many categories among the media - Business, Daily, Broadcast, Online, Blogs, etc. - and we wanted to provide a brief look at some of the top, key business media outlets.

Business Media includes magazines, newspapers, broadcast, online news and blogs, focused on the business side of news. The top business media that should be on any PR person's contact list include (but are not limited) to the following list of 15 important business media sources:

1. Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
2. Associated Press (AP)
3. New York Times
4. Financial Times (FT)
5. Businessweek
6. Fortune (part of CNNMoney)
7. Forbes
8. Reuters
9. Business Journals (across U.S. in 41 markets including Los Angeles, Silicon Valley/San Jose, Boston, Austin, Atlanta, etc.)
10. Fast Company
11. Newsweek/The Daily Beast
12. Fox Business
13. Investor's Business Daily
14. CNBC
15. CNNMoney

There are many more business media, small and large, like the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, strategy + business, Business Insider, Inc., MarketWatch, TechCrunch, AllBusiness.com and more, that all should be in your contacts. Also, when working with media it is important to establish a relationship with the media in the local market(s) your clients are based and involved with. Whether New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley or Chicago, or smaller places like Colorado Springs, Raleigh or Louisville, no matter how big or small a city and location, it is very important to establish a presence and the brand in your local market.

When working with these outlets be prepared, know your target and contacts, the angles and sources they like, the beats each reporter covers, and work on building a relationship with as many as you can, it will pay great dividends in the end.

Which is Bigger, Better and More Important? Traditional Media or Social Media and Blogs

Over the last year I have been asked by many as to the importance of traditional media compared to social media and social networks.

Which is bigger, better and more important? The answer is... Both.

Some favor one over the other, but the best strategy is to use both to take advantage of every tool and resource available. With some sticking to traditional media, press releases and wire services, and others believing all you need is a Tweet or two and a Facebook post, the truth is those beleiving in only using one or the other are wrong. By using only one or the other you are potentially missing out on audience(s) and market penetration, and this could lead to a lower market share, customer or user base, sales and revenue stream.

With public relations and media what counts most is results. With the new age of social media making big moves in the digital world of today, along with the strength of traditional media, press releases, wire services and good old fashioned distribution, the best strategy really is to use both. Once you have determined company goals and objectives, as you build the marketing and PR plan, implement the tools that will be most beneficial for your client. For each campaign and project you should use a combination of both traditional and social media, using every aspect of PR tools and services online and offline. In some cases you may determine that traditional is more important than social media or vice versa, but with many using both will be the most effective way of meeting goals and increasing market share and revenue. Using all available resources and tools increases the chance of success and quantifiable results.

When it comes to traditional and social media they are all important and should all be included, and by prioritizing the list with main focus given to your top key targets you can take advantage of both traditional and social media. Traditional media includes: print, daily and broadcast such as Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Businessweek, NBC News, etc. Social Media includes: blogs and bloggers, online news, podcasts and use of social media and social networks such as TechCrunch, Mashable, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, and more.

Don't become a creature of habit and ignore either the new or the old traditional ways, as both can be very effective and when it comes to getting results and success, embrace every possible way of meeting your clients goals and objectives.