Presumably, you're here because you've discovered a media contact's profile that needs updating within the journalist database. In this article, we'll show you how to request an update. You'll also learn a bit about our process for managing media updates. Did you know that we're making 30,000 updates per month?

We maintain a database with over 400,000 contacts through a set of proactive and reactive efforts. This is a challenging job. Journalists change employers more frequently than ever before, and new privacy legislation adds to the challenge. Our privacy notice to contacts.

We strive to keep the data as up-to-date as possible, but we acknowledge that we're not perfect. Our goal is to make it easy for you to notify us, and when you do, process your request as quickly as possible.

In this article we will walk you through the following:

Follow the steps below when a contact you are searching for is missing.

If the contact is not within our database a message saying 'We didn't find any results' will load on the page. Select the option to 'Report A Missing Contact'.

4. Complete the form and Select OK

You'll shortly be emailed updates from our Journalist Database team as they confirm and add this contact to the database.

Follow the steps below on how to request an update of an existing contact:

If the source is not within our database a message saying 'We didn't find any results' will load on the page.

5. Select the option to 'Report Missing Source'.

6. Complete the form and Select OK

You'll shortly be emailed updates from our Database team as they confirm and add this source to the database.

When your journalist contact or members of the media email you to let you know that they’ve changed employer, beat, are on extended leave or have retired - you can simply forward the email to support@meltwater.com. The same email address can be used to forward automated bounce messages.

When you submit media update requests our team will process them within 4 business days, and you will receive an email to confirm that we have received the request. Once completed, you will receive another email from us to inform you of the outcome. Check your spam folder, if necessary.

Privacy Concerns Play a Significant Role in Our Process

Meltwater has adopted a consent-based approach to collecting data from contacts in several markets. This means that we will not update existing contacts (or add new ones) without first obtaining their explicit consent. Acquiring consent has the potential of extending our processing time beyond 4 days, and a successful outcome is dependent on the contact's willingness to provide consent.

When Consent Applies

Some markets (e.g. Europe) have strict privacy legislation and require consent from contacts before we can make changes to their profiles or add new profiles. We also seek consent before adding personal email addresses and phone numbers (yes, occasionally we do receive requests for that). Consent also applies when contacts that have previously opted out of our database are requested to be added back in by our customers.

Being A Value-Adding Member of the Eco-System

PR spam is a real problem, and some contacts are reserving their right not to be contacted. We respect their decision by unsubscribing them from specific accounts that triggered complaints (you’ll see an “unsubscribed” badge next to their name) or removing them from our database entirely when they request that. Any emails sent to reporters that have unsubscribed will be automatically blocked.

As a PR professional you can, and should do, your part by thoughtfully targeting contacts with personalized pitches that are directly relevant to them. Successful PR is built on empathy and trust, and poorly targeted, general email blasts are, at best, ignored.

💡 Tip

Need more help? Feel free to reach out to us via Live Chat or check out our Customer Community.

Find answers and get help from Meltwater Support and Community Experts.