Back to the Basics: The New Media Relations Frontier

It’s no secret that the PR/reporter relationship today looks radically different from what it did forty years ago. Long gone are the days of questionable gifts and offering up pitches that arbitrarily link your client to Father’s Day. We’ve heard it all before, newsrooms are shrinking and PR reps outnumber journalists four to one. Thus, it’s more important than ever to give reporters what they need, when they need it and with all the relevant information necessary to produce the final story. But what do you do when there’s really nothing going on? And how do you place a story that’s otherwise kind of a dud? To get through to reporters who are flooded with emails, below are some tips for how you can cut through the inbox clutter.

Rich media, rich media, rich media

We’ll say it once and we’ll say it again: a picture is worth a thousand words and your fool-proof way of getting more views. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, reporters have a job to do and pages to fill and if you give them a photo that helps them break up the copy of their print publication, they’ll love you all the more. A while back, Eisen got a write-up in the Enquirer because we won a few MarCom awards. Why do I think we got that mention? Because our release had a photo that business editor Lee Ann Hamilton could include to add interest to the page.

Second, the human species is highly visual in the way we take in information. Reporters and their readership alike appreciate having photos and videos to help tell a story. Although this study pertains to online views, consider the infograph below detailing the viewership of releases as more and more rich media is added to them. (Source: PR Newswire via http://prdaily.com/Main/Articles/11801.aspx)

 

You don’t have to do anything fancy, you just have to get the footage. (Watch CNN for half an hour and take note of how many videos are directly attributed to YouTube.) Time to whip out those iPhones and get to work.

Mmm…Data

Here’s another news clip you’re bound to hear often: “A recent study by…” “The recent jobs report indicates …” Any kind of data you can supply, particularly if it is contrary to the assumed norm, will help you get a story placed. This was effective in a pitch I sent to Lucy May of the Business Courier regarding the number of women in the funeral industry. Surprisingly enough, the sector has evolved from a good ol’ boys’ network to one in which women are outnumbering men in mortuary schools. Lucy was intrigued by the finding and the final story can be found at http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/print-edition/2012/02/10/women-find-outlet-for-compassion-in.html. How does Dunkin’ Donuts get its name out there? By commissioning a study of the most caffeinated professions of course: http://prdaily.com/Main/Articles/Study_PR_is_the_secondmostcaffeinated_profession_9637.aspx.

Going to great lengths to conduct a study may seem a lot of work, but it makes for a more impactful story pitch than one backed only by hunch and suspicion.

Gotta Love the Publicity Stunt

I was watching CNN one morning when there were back-to-back stories that were clearly the handiwork of a PR firm or advertising agency. The first was the debut of Burger King’s bacon-flavored sundae, the second the announcement of Mike and Ike’s divorce. The industry term for this is “manufactured news” and it’s easy to see why. Buy yourself a wacky national holiday calendar, pick up a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records and devise a publicity stunt worthy of media coverage.

Don’t Forget Digital

Cincinnati is a weird DMA in which there are four major TV stations and two major newspapers, making it appear as though there aren’t many places for getting a story placed. But for stories that don’t stand a chance of making it into the Enquirer, there are numerous Cincinnati-specific blogs that are well-done and are more receptive of PR pitches. I pitched Advisor, the first online portal for funeral planning, to just about everyone I thought may be interested. Ultimately Soapbox picked it up: http://www.soapboxmedia.com/innovationnews/110111auroracaskets.aspx. As more and more people get their news online, read blogs and rely on other forms of citizen journalism, today’s PR pros should be well-versed on digital outlets and reporters willing to cover their organization.

Finally, there is no substitute for a nicely tailored pitch to a reporter you know may be interested in the information. Be friendly, offer them an interesting story and you’ll be an invaluable asset to reporters and clients alike.