Media Relations

In today’s oversaturated, mile-a-minute news cycle, it can feel impossible for PR professionals to get the attention of the right journalist at the right news outlet at the right time for their brand. But though there are certainly no foolproof formulas to hit the jackpot every time, you can increase the chances of your pitch getting noticed with some tried-and-true methods from communications experts like Scott Dobroski, senior director of corporate communications at Glassdoor. Here’s some of his advice on how to get your email pitches noticed.

Right or wrong, many executives think the only media that matters is the Wall St. Journal and the NY Times. OK, so how do PR pros get their brands a mention in one of those papers? We turn to someone who’s climbed that mountain. Frederik Bjørndal, who heads media for N. America and Europe for Novozymes, a bio-solutions firm, provides a checklist for getting your pitches read and covered.

PR News and its Media Relations Working Group, comprised of 23 media relations and communications specialists, surveyed PR pros during March and April 2018 to gauge attitudes about media relations today and tomorrow. More than 400 responded to questions about the difficulty of obtaining media coverage, the importance (or not) of investing in media relations and earned coverage during an age of social media influencers and brand-created content.

Video has become an essential communications tool across all walks of life—including, it would seem, international diplomacy.

At the June 12 meeting in Singapore between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump showed Kim and a group of reporters a video in the style of a dramatic movie trailer. The narrative painted the two politicians as Hollywood film protagonists who hold the fate of the world in their hands.

You could feel the tension rising in the air, knocking out the aroma of coffee beans and herbal tea. Nancy had ordered a decaf-caf skim latte and the barista seemingly got it wrong. She stormed… Continued

With so many voices clamoring for attention, total silence might be the only way to cut through. Philadelphia Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins illustrated that point in a June 6 video of a locker-room press conference that instantly went viral on Twitter, and has racked up over 1.88 million views as of this writing.

Is there an industry that’s changed more lately or received more attacks than media? With this background PR News surveyed more than 400 communicators about their views of media relations in this uncertain environment and beyond. In short, communicators believe media relations will continue to be an important part of PR, but to be successful they’ll need to adapt to how it has changed. It is unclear they’re prepared to do so.

During the Obama administration and since the political rise of Donald Trump, Americans have grown more accustomed to expressing strong convictions on social media, and brands that are even tangentially related to such commonly held strong opinions have found themselves under pressure to weigh in quickly. Trending news stories lead to social posts, and suddenly brands are in the hot seat.

Corporate responsibility leadership or PR spin? That’s a question the media has been pondering regarding Starbucks’ trainings to combat racial bias in its employees. The coffeeshop giant is shuttering all of its stores across the U.S. for four hours the afternoon of May 29.

Watching the political scene can provide PR pros with a tuition-free course in media relations, argues veteran communicator Arthur Solomon. His 2017 columns about political communicators’ missteps were some of our most popular. He’s back with more lessons from the first half of the 2018 political season, including this gem: If you crave loyalty at work, bring your dog to the office.