Media Relations

Monsanto’s targeting of  journalist Carey Gillam grants PR professionals a revelatory look at just how far the agrochemical giant was willing to go to silence its critics. For communicators, many of the tactics used against Gillam look familiar. In this case, though, they were weaponized in the interest of spinning factual reporting. Here’s what we learned.

When it comes to pitching reporters, the more things change, the more they stay the same. While Twitter and contacts saved to your phone replace Rolodexes, much of the work to land impactful placements remains developing solid relationships with reporters. Software offerings can give you a list of potential media contacts in a few minutes, but seasoned pros still caution against blasting reporters with generic emails.

At the heart of PR is storytelling. The ability to describe the goals and purpose of an organization stems from communicating a clear narrative. Building a brand newsroom allows for a living, breathing example of your priorities. While it’s nice to have a large budget, small expenditures can be used to create a respectable brand newsroom.

We assume journalists decide what to cover based on what their readers want to know about, right? Maybe not. A study of travel writers finds their top criteria is their interest in a topic. This means those who pitch to travel journalists must adjust their tactics.

We’re told in media relations to “think like a journalist.” Frank Ahrens modifies that a bit to read “think like a food service industry employee.” Specifically, the VP at BGR Public Relations argues that media relations pros can learn much about relationship-building with journalists from the way Chick-fil-A employees treat customers.

Often found anchoring a newscast or reporting from the field, veteran TV pro Megan Pringle knows what kinds of stories will hook viewers and boost ratings. A lot of her stories come from press releases—but a lot of press releases also hit the trash bin. Pringle gives PRNEWS the scoop on how to grab her attention and get your story on her newscast.

Healthcare is without a doubt one of the most impactful, polarizing and challenging spaces in which to work in PR. And being a woman in any industry is also a challenge. At the Women in Healthcare Communications Awards Luncheon at the Yale Club, PRNEWS recognized a handful of women who are not only owning their senior communications leadership roles in the healthcare space, but also striving in their jobs to improve the health and wellbeing of us all.

The “brand newsroom” is a concept that’s here to stay, with several large brands including Marriott and General Electric earning plaudits as successful early adopters. Hype surrounding brand newsrooms has reached a crescendo, but small and mid-size brands need not be concerned that they rival the reporting power of the New York Times to survive. Let’s take a look at what these two entities really are and how traditional newsrooms actually inform the brand content creation process.

Nearly all communicators use technology in their daily work. In healthcare, though, technology surrounds communicators and the practitioners they work with each day. Ahead of next week’s PRNEWS Top Women in Healthcare Communications awards luncheon in NY, we asked several awards finalists to discuss communications, technology and how to maintain a human touch.

Muck Rack, a journalist database, media monitoring and coverage reporting platform, released its 2019 State of Journalism study, highlighting how journalists use social media and work with PR teams. Currently, 47 percent of journalists believe that “the way most companies share information with the media is outdated.” It seems the PR industry still has some work to do towards building relationships and updating pitching for the digital era.