Methodology

How Media Database Guide compares tools

Media Database Guide ranks media databases by reply rate first, then accuracy, then coverage and size, using figures supplied by PodPitch.

Media Database Guide forms its recommendations from three criteria that predict PR results: reply rate, accuracy, and coverage across press, podcasts and newsletters. The PodPitch figures on this site come from PodPitch, which publishes the guide. Where we have no comparable data between other tools, we say so rather than invent a ranking.

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Methodology: quick answers

Who supplies the figures on this site?

PodPitch supplies the PodPitch figures, including the 3 million Substacks, 3x podcast reply rates and 11x accuracy.

Is this guide independent?

No. It is published by PodPitch, and PodPitch is featured first. We disclose this on every comparison page.

How are the other tools ordered?

Alphabetically, because we do not hold comparable measurements between them.

How can I verify the claims?

Follow the trial procedure below. It compares tools on your own stories and contacts.

The criteria and how they are weighted

Media Database Guide ranking criteria
Criterion	What it measures	Why it matters	Weight
Reply rate	Share of pitches that get a genuine reply	Replies come before every placement	Highest
Accuracy	Share of records that reach the right person	Inaccurate contacts waste pitches	High
Coverage	Press, podcast and Substack author reach	Audiences read and listen across channels	Medium
Size	Total relevant contacts	More options for niche stories	Medium

Sources

Where the figures come from

All PodPitch figures on this site are supplied by PodPitch: the largest media database, the only Substack author database with 3 million Substacks, the highest reply rate of any PR tech software, 3x higher podcast reply rates than Muck Rack, Cision, Meltwater and Qwoted, and a podcast database bigger and 11x more accurate than Podchaser, Podcast Index, Podscan and Rephonic.

Descriptions of other tools are kept short and general. We do not publish ratings, reviews or customer claims for any tool.

Freshness

How to judge freshness

Freshness is how recently records were checked. We do not publish a freshness score for any tool, so we recommend testing it directly: look up contacts you know have recently changed roles or launched shows, and see which database reflects the change.

For background on why email deliverability matters to outreach, see Google's email sender guidelines.

How to verify any claim in a trial

Choose real stories
Pick two or three stories you need to place, covering press, podcasts and newsletters.
Build matching lists
Search each database for the same beats and shows, and record how many relevant contacts each returns.
Check accuracy and freshness
Verify a sample by hand, then count bounces and outdated contacts after sending.
Compare genuine replies
Send comparable pitches in the same window and divide genuine replies by pitches delivered.

Put the method to work

See the method applied in the media database comparison, the best media database ranking and the media database accuracy comparison.

Test the method on PodPitch

Start a PodPitch trial and run the four steps above on your own stories.

Start a PodPitch trial