The Public Relations Blog

Shouting doesn’t make you stand out — the content of the subject line does.

When crafting the perfect email pitch, your subject line is key to getting recipients to open your message. With writers putting so much thought into creating compelling, effective subject lines, many ask: Should you capitalize words for emphasis? The short answer is that it doesn't really matter.

When pitching, find the balance between consistent and irritating to appeal to busy reporters.

You probably know just how bothersome spam or sales calls can be in and outside of the workday. The frustration you feel receiving these calls is comparable to how a news reporter may feel receiving pitches that don’t always pertain to their beat, for example.

As a company desiring news coverage, what are you to do? Your company needs to build relationships with the right reporters and be helpful instead of irritating or spammy. Here are six tips to help ensure reporters don’t hate your company.

Avoid creating friction between you and journalists after a story goes live.

Getting a positive story featuring your company in the news is always cause for celebration. Your company will likely want to thank the journalist for the article and see if you can keep pitching your company to that journalist. However, this can actually cause problems with your company’s relationship with that journalist. Here are some problems to avoid so your company can maintain positive relationships with journalists.

There are 10 elements of news and newsworthiness, but two outshine the rest.

When it comes to determining whether a story is considered newsworthy, there are many factors journalists and editors evaluate. However, at the core, many argue that newsworthiness ultimately comes down to just two key elements: geography/proximity and subject matter relevance.

A step-by-step guide to amplify your earned media coverage to reach a wider audience.

Securing a story in a priority outlet or being featured on TV is a huge win, but many business leaders make the mistake of thinking publication is the final step, when really there are several steps after earning media coverage to see the highest return on investment.

Use these strategies to slice, dice, and personalize your company’s media segments.

Pitching journalists can seem chance-oriented, like throwing spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks. To boost your opportunity for success, you need an organized system for keeping track of media contacts and targeting pitches. The key is to segment your lists into smaller groups with shared interests. Here are smart ways to slice and dice your lists for better pitching results.

Here are the key takeaways, tips, and trends from analyzing media pitches to improve your company’s outreach.

An extensive analysis of over 14 million pitches sent to journalists over the past year reveals several noteworthy trends and best practices that PR professionals should know. By understanding when and how reporters prefer to be pitched, you can refine your own media outreach strategy for greater success. 

Consider these best practices and industry examples to weave newsjacking into your PR strategy.

If you caught our blog post about newsjacking and how it can increase your visibility and boost sales, you might have been left wondering exactly how to get started putting this tactic into practice. We’re back with more on how you can find the right stories for newsjacking and examples of how to execute this in the media.

Here are a few angles to begin identifying newsjacking opportunities. 

Secure media attention amid mass journalist layoffs, a saturated pitching environment, and the rise of new media.

The journalism industry is in a constant state of evolution, and the current media climate is harder to navigate than ever. Even after you’ve crafted the perfect story that is novel, timely, and relevant to a publication’s target audience, you might still be left scratching your head waiting for a reply. 

A Propel media barometer report details what pitches reporters are responding to, what gets left unread, the best days to pitch, and more supported with industry data.

Let’s see what works and what doesn’t in today’s newsroom.

The right connections will open doors for your company, but the substance remains most crucial in earning media coverage.

It's common for public relations firms to emphasize their close connections with journalists as a top selling point. The idea is that leveraging personal rapport can make it easier to pitch stories and gain coverage for clients. 

However, many experts argue that while relationships matter, their actual influence is limited. Bottomline, reporters decide what to cover based on newsworthiness, which poses an important question: Are strong media relationships vital for earning coverage, or are their power overstated?