One of the most difficult tasks for any PR campaign is to know the right reporter to approach for a press release. Often times you’ve developed a great story with a compelling angle, but now what? You’re pretty sure you think it deserves mention on the television news in the newspaper and even on the radio, but where do you begin to identify the right person to speak with at any of these places?

Fear not, this is a situation that even the most seasoned PR professionals face when developing projects for clients. Doing your homework and targeting the right reporter is not only the wise thing to do, but it saves an incredible amount of time for both you and the journalist you’re attempting to pitch - and that will be much appreciated.

First, identify where you want your story to go. Do you see it in the newspaper, on television, on a radio show, or maybe even in a local magazine? Don’t limit yourself. Always think big and find a way to sell your story to as many media people as possible.

Second, once you’ve identified where you want your story to go, now it’s time to do your homework. If it’s in a particular newspaper, read that paper regularly. If it’s on the television news, watch the newscast. For radio, listen to the news shows. And of course, if it’s for a magazine you’ll want to read that magazine.

The goal is for you to get comfortable and familiar with the people behind the stories, since most often these will be the people you send your story information to. For example, if you’re a restaurant and you want to try and get a story in the local newspaper, you will want to read that paper to study their food section. Find out who their restaurant reviewer is. Or, if your story is more about some new trends facing local restaurants, rather than a review of your food, read the business section to identify which business reporter writes about other restaurant industry news and companies. The key is to find out who you need to get in front of with your story. If the magazine you want to be in isn’t a local magazine, either go online to study the magazine or visit your local bookstore and visit the newsstand to see the most recent issue. Above all else, just do your homework.

If you’ve done your homework and you’re still unsure who you need to speak with, simply call up the newspaper, television station or magazine and ask some questions. Reporters want to help you get to the right place because they don’t want you wasting anyone’s time. If you call Walt Mossberg at The Wall Street Journal, for example, he will direct you elsewhere if need be. Many times I’ve called up The New York Times not knowing the right person for a specific story. Simply say, “hi, I have a story about XYZ. Do you know the right reporter that would cover this type of story?”

You’ll be surprised at how easy it is.

Try calling a new reporter you’ve been studying with a story idea. After your story gets published, come back and tell us how you were able to make it happen.