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Understanding Rankings

Comprehensive rankings of reporters and outlets across advanced metrics to help you make data-driven decisions about who to pitch

Rankings help you identify the most influential reporters and outlets by ranking them across multiple advanced metrics. Use percentile rankings to see where each reporter or outlet stands relative to all others, making it easy to find top performers and build targeted media lists.

Quick Tip

Rankings provide objective data to help you make informed decisions. Instead of guessing which reporters are most influential, use percentile rankings to see exactly where each reporter stands. Higher percentiles mean better performance.

Accessing Rankings

You can access rankings in two ways:

1

From the navigation menu

Click "Rankings" in the main navigation to view comprehensive rankings of reporters and outlets.

2

Direct URL

Navigate directly to /rankings to access the rankings page.

Understanding the Interface

The rankings page has two main tabs:

Reporters

Rank reporters across 8 advanced metrics including story breaker influence, originality, wire independence, depth vs breadth, syndication impact, early adopter score, consistency, and topic authority.

Outlets

Rank outlets by reputation (based on which reporters follow their stories) and specialization (how focused they are on specific topics).

Use the metric selector buttons to change how reporters or outlets are ranked. Click the info icon (ℹ️) next to any metric to see a detailed explanation of how it's calculated.

Reporter Metrics Explained

Reporters are ranked across 8 comprehensive metrics:

Story Breaker Influence

Measures how much other reporters follow this reporter's stories. Calculated by tracking who publishes first in a topic, how many reporters follow, how quickly they follow, and downweighting wire services. Higher scores indicate more influential reporters.

  • Tracks who publishes first in a topic
  • Measures how many reporters follow
  • Considers how quickly they follow
  • Wire services are downweighted
  • Shown as percentile rank (e.g., "95th percentile" or "Top 5%")

Originality

Measures how often this reporter breaks original stories vs. following others. Based on comparing how often they publish first on a topic versus how often they follow other reporters' stories.

  • Higher scores = mostly breaks original stories
  • Lower scores = mostly follows others
  • Shows how independently this reporter operates

Wire Independence

Measures how often this reporter breaks stories independently vs. using wire services (AP, Reuters, etc.). Based on analyzing whether their stories originate from their own reporting or from wire service content.

  • Higher scores = mostly independent reporting
  • Lower scores = mostly uses wire services
  • Shows how much original reporting this reporter produces

Depth vs Breadth

Measures specialization: deep focus on few topics vs. covering many topics. Based on analyzing all stories from the last 30 days to see how concentrated their coverage is across different topics and sections.

  • Higher scores = specialist (e.g., only AI or only fintech)
  • Lower scores = generalist (covers many topics)
  • Shows whether this reporter has deep expertise in specific areas

Syndication Impact

Measures how often other outlets republish this reporter's stories. Based on tracking how many times other publications pick up and republish stories where this reporter was first, using break events from the last year.

  • Higher scores = stories get republished more often
  • Lower scores = stories rarely get republished
  • Shows how valuable other outlets find their reporting

Early Adopter

Measures how often this reporter is among the first to cover emerging topics. Based on tracking how frequently they publish within the first 3 stories when new topic clusters emerge, using break events from the last year.

  • Higher scores = often first to cover new topics
  • Lower scores = typically covers topics after they've gained traction
  • Shows ability to spot newsworthy topics before they go mainstream

Consistency

Measures how regularly this reporter publishes stories over time. Based on analyzing the publishing frequency and timing patterns of all their stories from the last 30 days.

  • Higher scores = consistent publishing (e.g., multiple stories per week)
  • Lower scores = irregular patterns (many stories one month, none the next)
  • Shows how predictable and reliable their publishing schedule is

Outlet Metrics Explained

Outlets are ranked across 2 key metrics:

Reputation

Measures an outlet's reputation based on which reporters follow their stories. Weighted by influence scores of followers. High-influence reporters following indicates a trusted source.

  • Weighted by influence scores of followers
  • High-influence reporters following = trusted source
  • Higher = stronger reputation and credibility

Specialization

Measures how specialized an outlet is in specific topics. High score indicates niche focus (e.g., only tech or only finance), while low score indicates general news coverage.

  • High score = niche focus (e.g., only tech or only finance)
  • Low score = general news (covers many topics)
  • Higher = more specialized publication

Understanding Percentiles

Percentile rankings show where each reporter or outlet stands relative to all others:

  • 95th percentile: This reporter performs better than 95% of all reporters in this metric
  • 50th percentile: This reporter performs better than 50% of all reporters (average performance)
  • Top 5%: This reporter is in the top 5% of all reporters (same as 95th percentile)
  • 10th percentile: This reporter performs better than only 10% of all reporters

For Story Breaker Influence, rankings show percentile rank (e.g., "95th percentile" or "Top 5%"). For other metrics, rankings show scores as percentages (e.g., "85.3%") along with percentile information.

How to Use Rankings

1

Choose Reporter or Outlet Tab

Switch between ranking reporters or outlets using the tabs at the top of the page.

2

Select a Metric

Click on any metric button (e.g., "Story Breaker Influence", "Originality") to rank by that metric. Click the info icon (ℹ️) to see detailed explanations.

3

View Rankings

See reporters or outlets ranked from highest to lowest by your selected metric. Each entry shows the metric score and percentile information.

4

Explore Profiles

Click "Open profile" on any reporter to see their full profile, recent articles, and contact information.

5

Build Your Media List

Use rankings to identify top performers, then add them to your media lists for targeted outreach.

Best Practices

  • Use multiple metrics: Don't rely on just one metric. Compare reporters across different metrics to get a complete picture of their performance.
  • Focus on percentile rankings: Percentile rankings show where reporters stand relative to all others, making it easier to identify top performers.
  • Consider your goals: If you need original coverage, rank by Wire Independence. If you want maximum reach, rank by Syndication Impact.
  • Look for specialists: Use Depth vs Breadth to find reporters who specialize in your industry or topic area.
  • Check consistency: For ongoing relationships, use Consistency to find reporters who publish regularly.

Common Use Cases

Finding Influential Reporters

Rank by Story Breaker Influence to find reporters whose stories are followed by many others. These reporters have significant impact on news coverage.

Finding Original Reporters

Rank by Originality or Wire Independence to find reporters who break original stories rather than following others or using wire services.

Finding Early Adopters

Rank by Early Adopter to find reporters who are among the first to cover emerging topics. Great for breaking news and new trends.

Finding Specialists

Rank by Depth vs Breadth to find reporters who specialize in specific topics. These reporters have deep expertise in their areas.

Next Steps

Now that you understand rankings, explore these related resources: