With media outlets shrinking daily, scoring media coverage is getting trickier than ever. As such, PRs are really having to think outside the box to secure coverage for clients. It’s no longer enough to just ‘spray and pray’ when it comes to a press release, these days you need to be strategic in your thinking to secure meaningful editorial coverage that will do wonders for your clients.
Having been in this business for 11 years, here at Agent99 we have seen all the tricks in the book and have learnt some key takeaways. We are committed to securing excellent media coverage for our client’s, even when it can seem like an impossible task!
Here we share some insider tips for those looking to get cut through in an extremely saturated industry:
Personalisation: It sounds simple but tailoring your pitch to individual journalists gets you a lot further than sending out mass emails. Yes, it takes a lot of time, but we hear repeatedly from journalists how important it is for PRs to personalise emails. Emails are far more likely to be mass deleted if they begin with a ‘Hey there!’ rather than the journos name. So, take the time to find which journalist you’re targeting, the topics they cover and email them personally. We promise your effort will pay off!
Hook them in: Journalists, much like everyone, are time poor. That means, to get their attention, you need to do it fast! Write your email with all the best and most relevant information up top. If it takes longer than a minute for them to get to the good part of your pitch, chances are that they’re just not going to see it unfortunately.
Do your research: If you’re looking to get featured by a journalist, it’s crucial to do some research first. Take the time to see what they’ve been writing about recently, what their interests are and what they seem to pick up on. That way, when you’re pitching you can reference similar articles they may have written to show you’ve taken the time to really get to know what they’re looking for. Here at Agent99 we also take a journalist out each month for a coffee catch up. It’s a great way for us to pick their brains, find out how they like to be pitched to, what they love (and hate!) about PRs, and how we can really help them with their stories. This time and effort really pays off and as such we’ve got some fantastic working relationships with key journalists.
Creativity wins: Nothing amazing ever came from thinking inside the box, so get your creativity hat on and go to town! Many journalists have been in the industry a long time and therefore have seen (most) things before. By coming up with a super creative idea, pitch, PR stunt or event, you’re likely to pique their interest, in turn getting that much needed awesome piece of coverage which will blow your clients away!
Agent Rachel