During this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, we primarily discussed PressWiki – http://www.presswiki.org – a new, free tool for aggregating media contact information. We were joined on the chat by Amy Mengel of readMedia, that company that created PressWiki.
In keeping with the wiki format, anyone can create an account on PressWiki and make changes, corrections and additions to information about the media outlets and reporters, as well as updates to the categories and geographical regions. A history of who has made revisions on the system is tracked (which helps keep projects like this “honest”).
Obviously, a project of this type offers promising opportunities for Solo PR Pros to openly share influencer contact information. Many chat participants mentioned no longer using pricey database subscriptions and envisioned an ideal world where a free tool like PressWiki could supplant the need for purchased lists.
Be sure to download the chat transcript in PDF to see all of the questions we asked of Amy (there were many), and then let us know your thoughts in the comments!
The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!
Caught the end of the chat, the transcript. Thanks for this. As a Solo PR who works with very small businesses, I haven't used pricey database, distribution, clip services in years. Finding tools like PressWiki is a gift, thanks!
Thanks for weighing in, Davina. This year I invested in a database share for the first time in years — and I've barely used it! Actually, a crowd-sourced depository like PressWiki has the potential to be even more accurate than the paid versions. Yet another reason to give it a try.
Yeah, never understood the logic of paying for a clipping service, when you send 1 or 2 releases a month over wire, and most are directly placed. PressWiki and MuckRack and other sites have made finding journalists a little easier, and like you said a little more current. Thx.