Keyword Search

Use this method when you need precise control over your search.

You provide exact keywords, and we run the search via Google News, find matching articles, and extract the journalists who wrote them.

What to type

Use case	Example query
Competitor coverage	`Oatly`
Person-specific coverage	`Sam Altman`
Niche trend + business signal	`plant-based protein funding`
Vertical + region	`digital health startup funding UK`

Medialyst passes your query directly to Google News, so you can use any standard Google search operators to refine your results:

Operator	What it does	Example
`"exact phrase"`	Search for an exact match	`"Series B funding"`
`site:`	Search within a specific publication	`site:techcrunch.com`
`-word`	Exclude a word from results	`Tesla -stock -price`
`OR`	Match either term	`startup OR scaleup`
`after:YYYY-MM-DD`	Only results after this date	`after:2025-01-01`
`before:YYYY-MM-DD`	Only results before this date	`before:2025-06-01`

You can combine multiple operators in a single query:

"plant-based protein" site:forbes.com OR site:bloomberg.com after:2025-01-01

This searches for the exact phrase "plant-based protein" on Forbes or Bloomberg, published after January 1, 2025.

Write site:techcrunch.com not site: techcrunch.com. The space breaks the operator.

In addition to search operators, we provide filters you can set:

Filter	What it does	Typical choice
Number of articles	Expands or narrows source pool	`30-100`
Country	Changes geographic results	`US`, `UK`, `Canada`, etc.
Date range	Focuses on recent vs historical coverage	`Past week` or `Past month`

Use it when...	Why it works
You are tracking competitors	Exact names surface who actually covers them
You need region-specific lists	Country filter keeps results local
You care about recency	Date range focuses on journalists writing now, not years ago
You want specific publications	`site:` operator targets exact outlets
You are building repeatable research	Reusing exact queries keeps your lists consistent over time

Start broad, then narrow: climate tech → climate tech Series B Europe
Test variants: company name, founder name, product category
Use site: for known-good publications: If TechCrunch covers your space well, add site:techcrunch.com
Exclude noise with -: If "Tesla" brings up too many stock price articles, try Tesla -stock -price
Save winning query patterns for future research
Pair with AI Description when you are not sure which terms to use

After building your list, research the journalists to understand their recent coverage and identify the best pitch angles.