The entertainment industry is vast and fast-moving, a fact that public relations professionals who manage brands and serve clients in this sector know all too well. In a 24-hour entertainment news cycle, trying to stay ahead is a nearly superhuman task. To make things a little simpler, we’ve narrowed down a list of the essential entertainment news sites for PR teams to follow.
Why did we pick these sites? In addition to helping you get the latest entertainment industry news (in less time), the content and stories they cover can help inspire your own PR campaigns, messaging strategies, or story ideas. Use them as a guide toward popular topics, formats, or angles that resonate with your target audience.
Another big reason to follow these sites? Each have a large audience reach, as well as influence in the entertainment industry. In other words, these outlets and the journalists who work for them are great additions to your media lists for when you have an entertainment-related story to pitch (more on that below).
If you want to stay ahead in the entertainment industry, start with these sites - then follow our guidelines to getting earned media attention on these and other influential entertainment industry outlets.
1. The A.V. Club
“Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed.” This pretty much sums it up. The A.V. Club is published by G/O Media and provides entertainment news, interviews, and features.
There’s a great selection of in-depth profiles on movies, TV, and music you may not have heard of yet. In other words, it’s a great place to discover emerging trends to jump on and possibly build PR campaigns around.
While you’re there, be sure to check out the AUX section for the latest on podcasts, books, comics, and viral-worthy internet moments.
2. Deadline
Deadline is a trade publication covering the latest entertainment industry news – from box office results to upcoming projects, union news, castings, and more.
The site has been covering the entertainment industry since 2006 and claims to get more reader comments on its stories than all other entertainment news sites combined. It also includes sections on international news, film festivals, and the latest awards nominees and winners.
3. Heavy
New York-based Heavy.com has been around longer than most people think – it was founded in 1999. Heavy became well-known for its “5 Fast Facts” articles. These posts aggregate key points about trending news and topics, making them a good source to get the news quickly.
If you’re looking to watch the latest episode of a show online, Heavy also provides details on where to find it. Heavy.com can be relied on to provide timely, straightforward news from the entertainment industry.
4. IndieWire
IndieWire began in July 1996 as an online chat room and has grown to a respected news outlet covering the business and art of entertainment. The site has regular updates on the latest films, TV shows, podcasts, and award predictions. You can also sign up for Indiewire’s newsletters to get breaking industry news right to your inbox.
5. Pitchfork
Founded in 1996, online magazine Pitchfork is called the most trusted voice in music, and it stages the popular Pitchfork Music Festival, with events in Chicago, London, Paris, and Berlin. The site has daily coverage of indie rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop, metal, and experimental music.
There’s a huge selection of thoughtful album and track reviews, as well as the ability to search for an artist and pull all their relevant news and reviews.
Search the Lists & Guides section for some interesting listicles and rankings, like “The 44 Most Anticipated Tours of 2024.”
6. Rolling Stone
No music and entertainment list would be complete without the iconic Rolling Stone. The biweekly magazine has been around since 1967 and has a long legacy as a beloved magazine (not to mention its role in creating some of the most iconic magazine covers of all time).
In addition to the trusted Rolling Stone reviews and recommendations for music, movies, and TV, you can also find a mix of politics, sports, and culture news.
7. Upworthy
Upworthy has a unique mission to change what the world pays attention to and deliver “stories that are worth your time – and that make the world a better place.” Started in 2012, Upworthy is usually credited with popularizing the heavily emotional, must-click headline style.
Over the last few years, the site has moved toward creating more original articles and videos. In addition to entertainment news, you also can find stories on travel, food, beauty, and scientific discoveries - all reported with the aim to be uplifting and bring readers together.
8. Variety
Variety is a weekly entertainment trade magazine that’s been around since 1905. Industry professionals trust Variety for its news, film reviews, box office results, business analyses, and more.
If you want to know which actor was cast in an upcoming film, read an album review for your favorite band, or check which TV show had the highest ratings last night, this is the place for you.
With an entire section devoted to digital content, Variety is also a good place to see where entertainment and technology collide.
9. Vibe
Founded by music industry legend Quincy Jones, Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine that caters to a diverse audience and celebrates Black culture.
Vibe is considered hip-hop and R&B’s premier publication and cultural hub. There’s a large focus on music and in addition to album and song reviews, writers also review live performances.
Features include interviews with up-and-coming artists, actors, and music video directors, to name a few.
10. Vulture
Vulture is New York Magazine’s culture and entertainment site. The site is described as “the go-to entertainment news site for the culturally obsessed.”
In the TV section, Vulture has a great feature that allows you to select from some of the most popular shows on television, where you can find all the news for that program, including episode recaps, scheduling, and cast details.
Vulture’s music reporting includes music charts updates, looks at new music videos, and more. And for the listicle lovers, there’s a whole section for that. The site also covers books, theater, art, and podcasts.
How to Secure Earned Media Coverage on Entertainment News Sites
These entertainment news sites are a good start for getting insight into trends, sparking campaign ideas, and even understanding your target audience, but what’s next? If you want to get your brand or organization in front of these engaged audiences, consider pitching to the journalists working for these outlets and covering these stories.
That’s where a good media database comes in. A quality media database can help you identify the right journalists and media influencers for your story, announcement, or news item. Further, it can provide the kind of intel that may spark more story ideas to pitch.
Identifying and Building Your Entertainment Industry Media List
If you have a story that relates to the entertainment industry, a database like CisionOne Outreach can help you search top outlets and journalists covering entertainment across every genre – from TV and film to music, books, podcasts, and pop culture – and every medium.
For example, you could go into our media database and find not only the most appropriate journalists to connect with from the A.V. Club, but what other outlets the associated journalists work for, recent articles they’ve written, other topics they cover, and social media activity.'
You can also drill down further to get key information like their contact preferences (email versus reaching via DM, for example), what topics they’re interested in, and what to include in your pitch. All these factors will help inform more personalized messaging and help you craft a compelling pitch that will get their attention.
Next, you can add these journalists to a custom-built media list and even reach out directly from the platform’s distribution tool (which also enables you to track if that journalist has engaged with your email).
Related resource: Media List 101: Build Yours Like a Pro (With Template Examples)
Want More Earned Media? Think Niche
The entertainment news outlets mentioned above are great for staying ahead of entertainment news, inspiring new ideas, and understanding your audiences, but they are far from the only outlets you should be targeting for pitching your story or campaign. Consider broadening your reach by exploring smaller, more niche media outlets or trades.
Not only is there less competition for earned media coverage, but focusing on these smaller outlets affords you:
- More targeted, engaged audiences: Niche outlets cater to a specific audience with particular interests or demographics. Audiences for these outlets also tend to be more engaged in the content, thus giving your brand the opportunity to make more of an impact.
- Higher chances of coverage: Smaller outlets often have fewer pitches and story submissions to sift through compared to major media outlets, increasing your chances of securing coverage.
- Subject matter expertise: Niche outlets tend to have journalists or contributors who are highly knowledgeable and passionate about the specific subject matter they cover. Pitching to these experts can result in more in-depth and nuanced coverage of your story or campaign.
- Stronger relationships: Building relationships with journalists at smaller, niche outlets can be easier than with those at larger, more competitive media organizations. The more you nurture these relationships, the more it can lead to additional earned media coverage.
Related resource: How to Win Over Journalists and Improve Your Earned Media Coverage
Where to Start: Identifying Relevant Outlets and Journalists
Would it shock you to learn you can also use a media database to identify smaller outlets to target, too? With CisionOne, for example, you can start with a general keyword search and/or simply drill down by various filters, from industry sector and media type to coverage area. You can even filter by specific topics that journalists are actively “talking about” in the media.
While you shouldn’t hesitate to pitch your story to any of the larger, more mainstream outlets if it’s relevant, you also shouldn’t limit your efforts to these outlets, either. The audiences and reach may be smaller with other outlets, but the potential to make an impact is huge.
Crafting Your Entertainment PR Pitch
As mentioned above, monitoring these entertainment news sites can help you understand the types of stories or story angles that might resonate with entertainment industry journalists. For even more inspiration, consider the following types of PR pitches that could lead to quality coverage in entertainment industry outlets:
- Exclusive interviews: Offering an exclusive interview with a celebrity, actor, musician, or other entertainment figure can be very appealing to reporters. This could be tied to a new project release, a milestone in their career, or a unique personal story.
- Behind-the-scenes access: Offer the opportunity to get an “inside look” at a movie set, music video shoot, or other entertainment production that the journalist can report on. Giving them permission to film, take photos, or go live on social media would also play well for those journalists hungry for multimedia elements to add to their stories.
- Red carpet events: Who can say no to the opportunity to cover a high-profile event like a movie premiere, award show, or music festival? If you can promise the opportunity for celebrity interviews or more behind-the-scenes exclusives, that’s just icing on the cake.
- Expert commentary: Is your client a subject matter expert who can provide thought-provoking commentary or unique perspectives on something going on in the entertainment world? Journalists are always looking for unique angles, so this approach could be your in.
- Trend reports: We already know that journalists love data, so being able to provide any kind of research into the entertainment industry could make for a compelling pitch.
- Previews and reviews: Another hard-to-say-no-to offer is early access to preview upcoming movies, TV shows, albums, or podcasts that enable reporters to provide their audiences with timely reviews and insights.
For more advice on crafting relevant, attention-getting pitches for any type of audience, check out our guide, Mastering the Pitch: Data-Backed Strategies for Smarter PR.
To learn how CisionOne can help you identify the most effective media contacts and channels to amplify your brand and reach target audiences, schedule a demo today.
