The Public Relations Blog

If a TV interview doesn’t air, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed as a PR professional

TV reporters regularly contact public relations professionals to score an interview with an expert. After the back and forth, prepping, and recording the interview, both parties expect the interview to air, especially if the reporter gives you a specific date.

What if it doesn’t air? As PR pros, we can’t help feeling lost if we experience this. 

This post discusses why a TV interview might not air, what it says about your skills, and how to avoid or mitigate the impact of such a disappointing outcome.

A recent study by Propel, a public relations management software that brings data-driven analytics to PR, found that less than 8% of PR pitches actually get coverage.

That number might surprise many outsiders in the field, but career professionals in public relations might consider it business as usual. While the earned media rate is higher, journalists tell us that they receive about 100 pitches for every story they produce. 

COVID-19 has radically changed the habits of most journalists

With 94% of journalists stating that some, most, or all of their reporting has taken a COVID-19-related pivot, their work, habits and preferences have adjusted to the circumstances created by the pandemic. 

Let’s examine Muck Rack’s recent study on the current state of journalism:

PR people are well aware that cold emailing is part of the media relations cycle. Being a regular practice, however, doesn’t mean that it should be done tactlessly. These tactics demands that you be masterful with your approach. Otherwise, you might end up in the bad books of a reporter or editor.

Even worse, your email might end up in the trash. Here are some tactics and openings you should avoid when pitching reporters:

Learn the benefits of using commercial newswires and the mistakes companies make when posting their news releases with our host, Jason Mudd. Jason is the managing partner of Axia Public Relations.

Earned media is the best option to grow your brand’s image

Consumers learn at an early age to tune out advertising. No one goes online or watches TV to see who’s advertising. The value of PR is being part of the content and conversation, not sponsoring that content and conversation. 

News media will always be relevant.

Before we dive into the importance of news media, let’s briefly define what news media is. News media is the exposure and coverage your company gets from other platforms that your company doesn’t own.

Still not sure what this means? Take a more in-depth look at what news media is and what it includes.

Know the seven steps for better media pitching from Muck Rack’s State of Journalism.

Pitching isn’t just a skill needed in baseball; it’s an important part of public relations. It’s the skill that helps your company or client get positive news coverage. 

As PR professionals, it’s important to know how to successfully pitch to journalists. Here are seven actions to help excel in that skill.

Is it possible to guarantee your story will get covered in earned media?

One key aspect of public relations is getting your story told in the media. This is called earned media, and it’s the one thing everyone wants from public relations plans. However, getting an earned media story is a long process that requires successful pitching, finding the right journalist(s) to pitch to, and allowing them to transform your story into theirs. The reward is well worth it, but the process is difficult.

An addiction to appearing in the media can throw your public relations efforts into disarray.

Everyone loves media appearances. Heck, one of the goals of public relations is to get your company in the media via positive appearances to increase awareness of your company or brand. Getting positive media appearances is never a bad thing, right? Not always.