Daily news

Public Relations

As the face of news changes, the PR industry needs to evolve as well.

Posted

PR is evolving with changes in media

Dark times have fallen across the media industry this past week as over 100 News Corp regional and community titles will no longer produce print editions, instead moving to digital-only formats- on top of this, 14 titles will cease to exist.

As a former journalist who started my cadetship at a country newspaper, I feel for the 500 journalist who have now lost their jobs- for many telling the news isn’t simply a job, it runs in their blood and is part of who they are.

Community newspapers have always been a wonderful source of news, telling the real community stories and covering local events that impacted the local region.

These were stories that mattered to the local communities and would be splashed across the front page of the newspaper each week. In the PR industry, we formed strong relationships with the journalists and understood their round, what news stories they were working on and how our clients could add value to the stories they were undertaking.

Our client, MAAA hosted the Pylon World Championships in Maryborough in 2019 and it was a fantastic event that the local community could attend. The community newspaper and television all came out and supported the event. These were stories the community enjoyed reading- a sense of pride in this astounding world-class event held in their very own backyard.

But as the news cycle for these publications now shifts to digital, so too does the way PR agencies need to pitch and interact with media.

Now more than ever, it is important to build a stronger rapport with journalists and avoid fluffing around with the content that is presented to them. Now more than ever, journalists are extremely time poor, trying to meet tight deadlines. It is important to make sure the content you are providing them is newsworthy as they don’t have time to read through a pitch that is paragraphs long.

It’s also equally important to work closely with the client and find the most captivating stories that you can present to media. You have one bite at the cherry, and you don’t want to hit media with a lacklustre pitch that isn’t going to fly.

How to package up your story:

Having a compelling story to tell, is just the tip of the iceberg. Delivering this story in a newsworthy and timely manner, while ensuring you target the right media outlets to gain maximum exposure, takes time and the expertise of a public relations professional.

So, let’s break it down on how to execute a well-polished news story for media:

Timely: In the case of the Wings over Illawarra Airshow in 2019, we decided to promote our client SAFA’s attendance. Media would have been bombarded with media releases from many aviation attendees of the airshow but our client was the only one to appear on national morning television (the Today show). This was due to presenting a newsworthy media release a week before the airshow commenced.

Newsworthy: Make sure your pitch is direct and to the point. Outline the most important information in your opening sentence (the most newsworthy hook). Media are time-poor and don’t have time to pull out all the best bits from your release. Explain what the media opportunity is, where it takes place, who is involve and who the best contact is. For SAFA, we presented the Today Show with the option of having the hang glider simulator in their studio, set up with an instructor and a spokesperson. All they had to do was film the segment. Presenting a packaged-up news story to media, is a great way to get your story told.

Imagery: A picture paints a thousand words and can be the key ingredient to selling your story. Make sure that when you pitch your story you have high quality images and, in our case, footage that media can use on their social media platforms or vision for television. Some news crews can’t get out to cover your story on the ground but can still do a story with the imagery you provide. This was the case when we pitched a story to Newcastle media for our client MAAA on their member Steve Wenban and his model plane. We provided high quality images that got their attention first time.

Be available: There’s been plenty of occasions where we are on media deadline, coordinating with our clients to schedule interviews or video grabs. The news cycle doesn’t sleep, so make sure your phone is off silent and you are ready to take media calls, no matter what hour of the day it is.

The face of news is changing, so it means the PR industry needs to evolve as well. We need to be smart in how we pitch and how we interact with journalists. Respect that journalists are time poor and remember it only takes a second to thank them for the coverage they have delivered for your client.

Sustainable Marketing Services is an award-winning Brisbane digital marketing agency with a long history of delivering sustainable success for our clients.

Book a complimentary meeting on 07 3446 5837 or via email us here.