All communications professionals know one thing: you live and die depending on your distribution list.

I’ll share a quick story: when I accepted both of my communications director positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, neither office had a distribution list. I was expected to engage the media both on the local and national levels, but had no contacts and no idea of the local media covering the congressional district. So, the first thing I did was create a list and I’ll tell you it honestly saved my job. Twice.

Here’s a question: Does a tree falling in the forest make a sound? Who cares if there’s nobody around to hear! You need to make sure you’re getting to the right outlets, and the correct people at those outlets, in order to get someone to listen… and then hopefully let listeners, viewers and readers know what it is you want them to know. Always continue to build it… it is never finished.

After you’ve created it, then what? USE IT. It’s the only way to know that your list is still working! By constantly using it you’ll know when someone changes a beat or gets a new job, and then you’ll be able to change that contact to the right person again. Maintaining your list is just as important as creating it.

One more thing: don’t be afraid of adding media outlets that you don’t think will cover your news. They’re all looking for things to cover. Call them up, introduce yourself and your organization, and then ask to whom you should e-mail when you have something to announce. They’ll be happy you did… and you’ll have one more outlet to give you a greater chance of getting some coverage.