Media Relations

It’s not an easy time in general. Perhaps more so for media relations pros, who are pitching against several dominant stories and an eclectic pastiche of other items. Still, PR pros are nothing if not resourceful. The best are finding opportunities in the crowded field. Here are a few on November 19, 2020.

There’s no definitive way to pitch. Some prefer to send out news to as many content providers as possible and see what sticks. Other media relations pros opt for pitching a few time-tested journalists. As we get ready to discuss these topics and more during PRNEWS’ Media Relations Next Practices Virtual Event (Dec. 8-9), Deshundra Jefferson, chief strategic communications officer with Credit Union National Association, gives us a look at her pitching philosophy.

Too many PR pros continue to conduct media pitching with the “spray-and-pray” approach, using a long list of media contacts that might be way out of date and contain the wrong information for content creators. Instead, a smaller, hand-crafted list is a better bet. Here’s a step-by-step method for creating such a list.

Millions will enter polling stations and vote for the next president. While many of us have watched this election closely, few have considered PR’s role. Whether used positively or negatively, all candidates

A traditional view of PR sees success as dominating news cycles with as much buzz as a brand or celebrity can generate. Former VP Joe Biden is not doing this. Instead, he’s allowing his opponent, the president, to do most of the talking. Kglobal VP Jenny Wang explains why this tactic is working well for the Biden Harris campaign.

Earlier this week, Johnson & Johnson announced it had paused “further dosing in all our COVID-19 vaccine candidate clinical trials” due to an “unexplained illness” in a volunteer. One day later, drugmaker Eli Lilly paused its clinical trial for an antibody treatment. For PR pros, messages related to the race to find a vaccine and treatment serve as a natural experiment in healthcare communication.

Media relations guru and PR coach Michael Smart discusses a terrific lesson for communicators from Disney executive chairman Bob Iger’s autobiography. Smart says the relationship between Disney’s top communicator Zenia Mucha and Iger, which is based on honesty, sometimes brutal honesty, is the model we need to emulate.

Technology has invaded the world of media relations, allowing PR pros to send press releases and other announcements easier and quicker than ever. Still, a recent PRNEWS webinar emphasized the human factors in media pitching, including building relationships with journalists through phone calls and empathy.

It was one of those rare weekends. Just about any news story was getting crickets from the media except for one. Indeed, there were several examples of moderate PR crises, but few noticed. Basing your crisis strategy on other stories crowding out media coverage of your company’s PR crisis is a gamble that hardly ever pays.

Even before the pandemic, plenty of major media outlets were struggling to stay in business. With fewer targets to pitch, is it time to ditch your media relations strategy? Veteran communicator Michael Monahan argues there still are myriad ways to attract coverage, even if one of the solutions means PR pros are crafting content.