Consider this scenario: your team has perfected a press release for a game-changing launch. One that promises to save time and deliver unmatched value to your audience. You send it out through your media contact database with high hopes… but it’s met with silence. No coverage. No buzz. Just a missed opportunity.
If you’ve worked in PR, you’re familiar with this frustration. Too often, the culprit isn’t your story, but the tool you’re using to tell it. Outdated contact info, clunky search filters, and time-consuming list building can sabotage your efforts. A weak media contact database doesn’t just slow you down; it undermines your media relations.
A strong media contact database should enable you to build meaningful relationships, pitch confidently, and achieve tangible results. If your current solution doesn’t meet your needs, it may be time to consider switching. Here are five signs that signal you’ve outgrown your media contact database:
1. Your media contact data is unreliable
Contact information deteriorates very quickly, with email list data decaying at a rate of 22.5% annually, as people change email addresses, leave publications, or switch industries. Unless your database provider actively verifies and updates contact profiles, your outreach efforts will go to waste.
Outdated email addresses, role-based inboxes, and obsolete contacts are all signs of a media contact database that contains unverified information, which is inaccurate and unreliable.
Leading media database solutions take proactive measures to ensure the accuracy of their media contact profiles, employing a team of in-house researchers to conduct ongoing quality control. This involves adding new contacts, removing outdated info, and even conducting custom research requests to discover contacts in untapped regions or niche industries.
2. You can’t get support in time
Media contact databases, like all digital platforms, can encounter issues or experience unexpected errors that may cause the platform to malfunction. Whether it is a list-building issue, missing contact updates, or errors in delivering emails, responsive support is crucial to ensure your time isn’t wasted on collecting support tickets or interacting with a chatbot.
Journalist outreach is a time-sensitive endeavour – getting the right story in front of them at the right moment is crucial for ensuring it gets picked. Delayed and ineffective support isn’t just frustrating – it can derail a time-sensitive campaign entirely by limiting your media outreach.
For your next media contact database solution, look for providers that emphasize live, human support that is responsive and dedicated to solving any issues that may arise. User review sites, such as G2 or Capterra, are excellent places to look for providers that offer responsive support.
3. Product training isn’t readily available or costs extra
No matter how intuitively designed the platform may be, every PR team undergoes a learning curve when onboarding and using it. Particularly when working with new features, product training ensures successful adoption and ease of use.
Not only does easily accessible product training help users familiarize themselves with the platform, but it also helps them leverage the maximum ROI it has to offer. The result is a decrease in the number of support questions and costs for the platform provider – a win-win situation for both parties. If your media contact database provides limited training or charges extra for it, it indicates they’re not prioritizing your success.
Look for providers that offer dedicated onboarding, live walkthroughs, or a resourceful knowledge base that empowers users to troubleshoot problems before needing to reach out to support.
4. The interface feels clunky or counterintuitive
Drafting pitches, identifying journalists, and building media lists demand significant time and effort. The last thing you want is to battle a fragmented tool that takes forever to complete a simple workflow.
If your current media contact database tool has a clunky, hard-to-navigate interface that makes even simple tasks difficult, your platform isn’t just inconvenient – it’s holding you back. Notice how many clicks it takes to complete a simple, routine workflow and compare it with a leading alternative to notice the difference.
The ideal media contact database should be designed with PR professionals in mind, facilitating intuitive navigation and simplifying workflows. Routine tasks, such as creating search filters or building media lists, should be a straightforward process that saves time, allowing users to dedicate their time to strategic tasks.
5. There’s no AI-driven innovation on the roadmap
Your media contact database should keep up with the evolving times. If you’re stuck with a provider that hasn’t updated the platform or integrated new features in years, you’re lagging behind.
Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of public relations in 2025, with a CIPR report revealing that PR professionals utilize AI for up to 40% of their workflows. And this number will only increase now on.
Leading media database platforms offer AI-powered features that streamline core tasks, including identifying relevant contacts, creating media lists, and drafting engaging pitches. For instance, PR CoPilot analyzes both recent media coverage and a journalist’s profile to help match your story with the right reporters, connecting your story with the reporters most likely to engage with it.
The industry is evolving rapidly, and your tools should keep pace.
Is it time to switch your media contact database provider?
The role of media contact databases in PR has evolved significantly, with modern platforms offering far more than just a directory of names. AI-powered features, intuitive design, and proactive data verification have redefined how PR teams connect with journalists and amplify their stories.
If your current solution isn’t delivering accurate, up-to-date contacts, providing quick support, and streamlining routine tasks, it’s likely holding you back.
Leading providers, like Agility PR Solutions, combine human-verified data, AI-driven insights, and dedicated support to ensure your outreach is timely, targeted, and impactful. Your team deserves a database that works as hard as you do – helping you build relationships, pitch with confidence, and drive measurable results.
Ready to see the difference a better media contact database can make? Request a demo today and discover how Agility PR Solutions can transform your outreach.
