Anyone using Tessitura as a PR database?

We used to use an Access database and converted everything into Tessitura. One note on the changing media contacts - we've found that it can help to have a 'press' account and a 'press contact' account. That way you can track multiple people attached to the NY Times for example, and when they change, you just inactivate the association but still have the individual history. This also helps for free lancers who might be associated with several media outlets.

Heather
Seattle Rep 

Our Media Relations department used to use a Filemaker database and are now using Tessitura. Our set up is similar to what Heather explains. We have a constituent record for the publication/channel/site and then associate individual jounalists to this account, tracking employment history this way. All Media contacts also have a Constituency which allows us to exclude them from marketing comms and generally identify them.

We have a range of Attributes to indicate the media the journo works in (press, TV, online etc), their job title (editor, photographer, arts writer etc), what sort of invitation they're entitled to, what sort of media release they generally receive and the Attribute value then indicates if they are national or state based. Our Media department then use these Attributes when generating lists for Media Releases. They have also just started sending Media Releases via Wordfly so are able to track opens, click throughs, hardbounces etc - plus it's much prettier than the old attachment to Outlook emails.

We are also set up to track campaigns through Solicitations. Using the Campaigns > Solicitations we can add and manipulate Solicitations en masse based on the list a Media Release goes to. We have set up Campaigns for each year and Designations based on Production and City. Contact with individual journos can then be recorded through the Solicitation record, so we can see where we're at with any given individual and also report on a production specific campaign. It's early days on this but I think Solicitations is the perfect vehicle for this sort of tracking.

Our Media Department are also loving using Activities to track all their Opening Night and Season invitations and RSVPs and being able to simply report on who to expect when.

Cheers

Amalia

The Australian Ballet

Our Media Relations department used to use a Filemaker database and are now using Tessitura. Our set up is similar to what Heather explains. We have a constituent record for the publication/channel/site and then associate individual jounalists to this account, tracking employment history this way. All Media contacts also have a Constituency which allows us to exclude them from marketing comms and generally identify them.

We have a range of Attributes to indicate the media the journo works in (press, TV, online etc), their job title (editor, photographer, arts writer etc), what sort of invitation they're entitled to, what sort of media release they generally receive and the Attribute value then indicates if they are national or state based. Our Media department then use these Attributes when generating lists for Media Releases. They have also just started sending Media Releases via Wordfly so are able to track opens, click throughs, hardbounces etc - plus it's much prettier than the old attachment to Outlook emails.

We are also set up to track campaigns through Solicitations. Using the Campaigns > Solicitations we can add and manipulate Solicitations en masse based on the list a Media Release goes to. We have set up Campaigns for each year and Designations based on Production and City. Contact with individual journos can then be recorded through the Solicitation record, so we can see where we're at with any given individual and also report on a production specific campaign. It's early days on this but I think Solicitations is the perfect vehicle for this sort of tracking.

Our Media Department are also loving using Activities to track all their Opening Night and Season invitations and RSVPs and being able to simply report on who to expect when.

Cheers

Amalia

The Australian Ballet