We’ve made a few subtle changes to the ResponseSource Enquiry Service to improve the way media requests are categorised, which in turn makes it easier to filter them.

‘Consumer press’ and ‘Trade press’ media types have been renamed ‘Consumer media’ and ‘Trade media’ to reflect both online and printed media outlets. This leaves ‘Blog’ as a media type on its own. We’ve also introduced a new media type on the ResponseSource Enquiry Service for ‘Branded media’.  By branded media we mean media that exists to strengthen the relationship between the brand that owns it and its audience. Other names for this type of media could include customer media and contract publishing.

The new ResponseSource media type list is as follows:

• National newspaper / Current affairs
• Regional newspaper
• Trade media / Professional journal
• Consumer media
• Radio and television
• Blog
• *new* Branded media
• Event, trade show, exhibition
• Unspecified

As with all the request types on ResponseSource you can apply filters to exclude particular kinds of enquiry. These changes should make it easier to choose media type filters – for example you can now just exclude blogs without excluding any other media type.

We have also added a suggested subject line embedded in the sender’s email address.

When a subscriber clicks the email address in the ‘How to reply’ section of a ResponseSource request the subject line is now pre-filled with a suggested text of  [ResponseSource], [Media outlet name], [Submission date].  We hope this will make it easier for PR professionals to reply and save journalists’ time sorting and managing the email replies that they receive.

We’re always keen to tweak ResponseSource to make it work even better for journalists and PR professionals so if you have any ideas please let us know.