EXPERT TIPS

During my career, first as a journalist and then as a communications and public relations specialist, I've experienced the constant and dizzying evolution of journalism and the media landscape. 
 

Multiple factors have accelerated the transformation of news delivery, including digitalization as more papers went online, consolidation as small papers and TV stations were gobbled up by hedge funds and large corporations, the explosion of social media, and increasingly polarized political and cultural attitudes. 
 

When I first transitioned from journalism to public relations in the early 2000’s, newsrooms still had robust staffs with many specialized beats, including one or more education and healthcare reporters. Newsroom cuts mean more reporters have general assignment beats, making it harder to know exactly who to target with your pitch. And we’re in for another “great” ride. While still relatively new, artificial intelligence (AI) is throwing us another curveball, replacing humans in generating all types of news. 

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As a media relations specialist, it can be hard to keep up, and harder to figure out how to stay relevant to our clients and to the reporters we’re trying to reach. But as we’ve done in the past, we’ll weather the changes and evolve with technology. 
 

Media visibility is still an important piece of the overall communications strategy, garnering credibility for your client and establishing them as a thought leader in their space. It is important to remember that despite the changes, the basics remain the same. Here are a few tips that you might find helpful:
 

• Know your objective and have a call to action. What are you trying to achieve with a news story and who are you trying to persuade to take action? While national media is still the holy grail, trade publications are a critical tool in reaching your target audience. If you want to reach healthcare professionals or industry experts, trade media is often the way to go – both for initial coverage and, over time, a more compelling reason for general reporters at local and national outlets to cover your story. 

 

• Do your research. Even as more reporters identify as “general assignment,” a quick review of their more recent coverage will let you know their interests and focus. Tailoring and personalizing your pitches is a must. Nothing annoys a reporter more than being pitched irrelevant content. 

 

• Make it easy. Keep your pitches short and to the point but also give reporters the whole package. Briefly frame up why it matters to their audience and provide spokespeople to explain the topic, third-party testimonials to reinforce your message, approved quotes, infographics, photos, video and any other information that helps clearly tell your story.

 

• Don’t be self-serving.  It’s understandable that your client wants a big profile on their organization or their executives, and sometimes you get lucky. Years ago, a reporter said to me, “Pitch me the problem, not your program,” and this has always stuck with me. To capture interest, try to give reporters a fresh angle or a trend.  If they’ve written an article relevant to your topic, follow up with a different take.
  
  Reporters and producers avoid stories that come across as too promotional. These days, your client will most likely have to pay for that kind of coverage. 

 

• It’s all about omnichannel. There is more than one channel through which to tell your story. If you land that media placement, that is not the end of it. Continue to amplify the news coverage through your own channels – social media, blogs, constituent emails, newsletters. 
   

Through all the changes, clients still benefit from our help in achieving greater visibility and share of voice, and busy reporters appreciate our service if we’re smart about it. No matter what the next new thing in media will be, we communications specialists will remain important connectors between clients and the media to reach target audiences.

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Andrea Greif is an accomplished communicator bringing decades of experience developing and executing comprehensive strategic media relations and communications campaigns, driving thought leadership opportunities and managing issues. She has helped healthcare organizations, nonprofits, academia and consumer industries achieve their goals of higher engagement, customer loyalty and driving revenue. Andrea began her career as a staff writer for Gannett Newspaper’s “Journal News” in Westchester County, New York.