There's no surefire way to win media coverage for your brand, but strategic timing can help you avoid wasting hours of research and writing pitches that are routinely ignored by journalists. Jackie Allder, director of public relations and communications at Long & Foster Companies, recommends never losing sight of the news cycle's rhythms. It pays to resist the pressure from senior leaders or clients to send that pitch right now and instead be a part of the news cycle's ebb and flow.
Allder lists four reminders to help media relations pros stay in sync with the news cycle, from following seasonal trends to drawing parallels to relevant breaking news.
Sometimes bad timing can be good timing. Media coverage can be slow during the late summer, when most families are on vacation, and during the holiday season (after mid-December). But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for a company that’s trying to make an announcement during those time periods. Rather, you’re facing less competition, and the media who are working then are often hungry for news (and good news, at that). Your pitch might have generated a paragraph of coverage in a busy week, but in the slow season, you could get a headline story. On the flip side, if a bad story about your organization breaks at this time, you’ll have the benefit of fewer eyes seeing the information.
Weeks-old information is not news. They call it “news” for a reason. Is your pitch something new? Before a case study is published, a new product is launched or a sale is closed, you want to have a press release and pitch ready for the day it’s finally official. Once that day approaches, make sure to review recent news to see if there’s anything relevant to what you’re sharing. Sometimes it can help to connect your story with another item in the news, but make sure not to take over news that isn’t yours (more on that below).
This article was adapted from PR News' Media Training Guidebook. Order a copy today for a deep dive into pitching, crisis management, influencer relations, measuring media efforts and more.
Exclusives still exist and might increase your chances of coverage. In today’s 24/7 media world, news outlets are racing to find the latest information and next breaking story. If you have a big story to pitch and are willing to give an exclusive to a specific reporter, you might get a better story than you would when working with multiple outlets. Offering exclusives to certain publications also helps build relationships with them, so they’re more likely to take your call the next time.
Sometimes it’s not your news. Let’s say a certain topic is trending, and your executives want to get some buzz, building on that item in the news. Plenty of companies have been scorned in the media for trying to jump on the bandwagon of a story. Don’t be one of those, but still consider your opportunities for coverage. If you work for a dairy company and a medical research study is published about the benefits of dairy to a long life, you can easily tag along with this story. Options might include pitching recipes with dairy that are healthy and delicious or sharing a human-interest type story about your founder (who’s 85 years old and has always consumed his own products). Don’t try so hard that it feels forced; that’s when you can get into trouble.
Follow Sophie: @SophieMaerowitz