The Public Relations Blog

Why PR professionals are more effective at media relations than marketers

Companies use media relations as a means of reaching their important audiences. This is a great strategy. Stories that appear in the media are highly credible and reach large audiences effectively at no expense.

It’s a fact that public relations professionals are more successful in building relationships with the media and getting news coverage than their marketing counterparts. Why do marketing professionals hate pitching the media?

It’s important that the news your company puts out via a news distribution site is newsworthy so you get the maximum benefit from your investment. Some company news isn’t actually appropriate for a news release – it won’t interest journalists or your target audience. How can you tell which stories are worth telling? And when is the best time to announce your news to gain the most traction?

Don’t waste the media’s time with non-newsworthy details.

There’s a difference between internal news that you share with your employees and your company’s board of directors, and external news that’s worthy of a share outside the walls of your company. As a public relations firm, we work hard to educate our clients about what news they should share with the media. Expecting your PR firm to pitch media outlets stories that aren’t newsworthy is mistake #13 on Axia Public Relations’ list of 15 mistakes companies make when hiring a PR firm.

Be the company that journalists want on their team to gain positive news coverage

You want to increase media coverage for your company, yet you’re afraid or reluctant to share specific details, such as sales, revenue, contract value, client names, costs, etc. Your fear is understandable, as you have to worry about maintaining an edge over your competitors and keeping control of your information. The media experts at Axia Public Relations have some sage advice for dealing with this conundrum: Get over it.

In every relationship, there has to be give and take, and media relations is no exception. If you want your company to receive great media coverage, you have to share. Cooperating with journalists is crucial for the success of your brand.

Recently, one of our clients made an impromptu business trip to do a news interview. Our client was the top expert on the subject of the interview, and this was an opportunity for him to be the spokesperson for a major news story. The interview went well, however, the reporter ultimately decided not to use it in the piece. This was quite a bummer – and a reminder that the news business is fickle and you shouldn’t take things personally when dealing with journalists.

A successful media interview provides a huge boost to your company’s reputation and brand. It’s a way to get your name in front of your target audience as a thought-leader in your field. You’re adding value to consumers’ lives without trying to sell your product. With so much at stake, it’s quite a letdown when things don’t go as expected or your interview gets dropped. Instead of vowing to never do another interview, learn why interviews sometimes get cut, how to handle it and why it may be an advantage in disguise.

How to cultivate long-term relationships with journalists

Navigating relationships with newsrooms and media contacts is challenging sometimes. Journalists play an important role in sharing your company's story, which, in turn, helps to build your credibility in the marketplace  and attract more customers. Journalists are a key audience for your company, and your success depends – in part – on them.

Working with the media is all about relationships — mutual trust, respect, meeting deadlines, and occasionally making friendship. Here are three important ways trust plays a key factor in building successful, mutually beneficial relationships with reporters, editors, bloggers and producers.

Shared coverage doesn’t have to be bad

So, the journalist you’ve been pitching finally decides to write a piece on your company. Thrilled, you update your team, alert your spokesperson and send the reporter all the necessary photos and information.

Then, at some point during the process, or maybe even once the story runs, you find out that your competitors appear in the piece too – perhaps with more prominence than your company. When this happens, PR pros will certainly be bummed, even bitter, upon learning they’ll share the spotlight with those they compete so hard against.

Don’t see shared coverage as a loss. As long as the coverage for your company is positive, it’s still a win. Here are some tips to consider when you learn your media coverage includes your competitors.

Learn the best methods of establishing relationships with media representatives

Email is a terrific way to pitch to journalists. Most people use this tool to communicate – it saves time and it’s efficient. So how can you ensure that media representatives open your email pitch instead of instantly deleting it? While there’s no definitive answer, you can increase your chances of connecting with journalists if you follow these do’s and don’ts in your emails:

When I worked in Silicon Valley, a front-page story in The Wall Street Journal was the “ungettable get.” Our teams would persevere for weeks trying to figure out a way to get their venture-backed technology startup onto the front page of the Dow Jones-owned media outlet. Our efforts often felt futile, as the Journal covers mostly business news with significant financial or industry-shattering impact.

As numerous public relations firms have predicted since the beginning of the year, a key facet to every successful campaign in 2018 will be the story. From cave drawings and legendary tales to biblical passages and novels, the art of storytelling captivates us. And the foundation of all good stories, of course, is the unexpected adventure contained within.

The ability to craft unique narratives seeps through the souls of PR professionals. We look beyond what everyone else sees and often unearth unexpected elements that make our clients’ stories come to life. From those nuggets, we create unique stories to share with key demographics as well as the media.

How do companies discover the useful snippets necessary for a unique, creative and authentic corporate narrative?