For Sue Vitters Howland, VP of Weber Shandwick, attracting the media’s attention to your company’s innovative initiatives may have everything to do with the focus of your pitch.
“Workforce trends tend to have a broad appeal with the media. Reporters who cover business, employment, education, retail, social issues, etc., are all interested in various angles of workforce stories. So if, for example, you don’t succeed in piquing the interest of the business reporter, then identify an education angle to the story and pitch the education reporter,” she says. “Additionally, companies often implement workforce initiatives across the organization, and if the company is national, that means you’ll be able to provide that ever-important local angle for daily newspaper reporters across the country. Finally, many organizations release significant studies on national workforce topics. The key is to identify the compelling stories and trends that relate to your company’s initiative. Once you find a winning story, keep on pitching it to every city and type of media outlet that’s out there.”