Review of Twellow
Ideally, every media relations professional would have access to resources such as Bacon’s Media Directories or Cision’s Media Database. However, the reality is not every organization can afford access to or is willing to invest in such resources. Without access to a paid media database/media list, it is hard (although not impossible) to prepare a comprehensive list of media contacts. Even if you do have access to prepared media lists, depending on when they were compiled, they may already be out of date. In recent years, a number of websites have emerged that provide good alternatives to paid media directories/databases. One such free tool is Twellow.com.
Overview of Twellow
Launched in 2007, Twellow is a Twitter directory. Known as the Twitter Yellow Pages, Twellow claims to have indexed and categorized approximately 30.5 million Twitter profiles. The directory automatically categorizes Twitter users (whose tweets aren’t protected) based on keywords found in their profile; Twitter users who register for a Twellow account have the ability to edit the categories under which they appear in Twellow. On its home page, Twellow organizes Twitter users according to eight broad categories: Recreation and sports; entertainment; society and culture; news and media; health; computers and technology; government; and education. Within each category are a number of subcategories that help Twellow users further define the type of Twitter user they’re looking for. Twellow also has a feature called Twellohood, which allows Twellow users to find Twitterers by location.
Here is a video tutorial on how Twellow works:
Using Twellow for Media Relations
Media relations professionals who find themselves with scant resources can use Twellow to help them build a list of media contacts. Twitter users in the news and media category are further organized under subcategories such as reporters, journalists, news anchors, news producers, and newspapers. Clicking on any one of these subcategories will produce a long list of Twitter users who have either identified themselves as belonging to that subcategory or were automatically placed within that category based on their Twitter bio.
One major drawback of Twellow is it doesn’t have an advanced search feature that allows users to further narrow their search results. For instance, upon producing a list of journalists, you won’t be able to narrow that search result to identify reporters by the industry they cover nor by the city/state in which they work. That said, if you know the name of the media organization you’d like to reach out to, a specific search for that organization conducted through Twellow’s search textbox will produce a list of Twitter accounts whose profiles mention the outlet.
Twellow is just one example of the free resources available on the “interwebs”. It isn’t the most perfect resource available for building media lists, but it is another tool that media relations professionals can add to their toolkit.
