“We don’t have anything to pitch. No big announcements. Nothing interesting happening in the business.”
If you’ve led a PR team, you’ve probably heard a version of this more times than you can count. Some communicators, especially those early in their careers, assume coverage only comes from splashy launches or major milestones. That is never fully true, and in today’s AI-influenced media environment, waiting for the “perfect” moment is riskier than ever. It can quickly limit a brand’s visibility and credibility.
AI-powered search and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) increasingly determine which stories surface. That makes a steady stream of credible, well-framed content, both earned and owned, essential for building a brand’s presence and reputation.
The data backs this up. A recent Muck Rack study, analyzing AI-cited links from prompts, found that more than 95% of citations come from unpaid media sources, 85% from earned media, and half of all AI-generated responses include at least one earned media citation. In short, earned media heavily shapes how your brand shows up.
Yet securing those mentions has never been harder: 72% of communicators name low journalist response rate as a top challenge, with shrinking relevant reporter lists and faster news cycles compounding the problem.
That’s why story mining, the ability to consistently uncover and shape compelling narratives from everyday business activity, has become essential for PR pros. It’s part mindset, part method: curiosity to spot opportunities, business acumen to see relevance and journalistic instincts to frame the story.
Here’s how leaders can build story-mining muscles on their teams:
- Expect business fluency
PR pros can’t surface strong stories without a clear grasp of how the company works. Encourage your team to build understanding of the business model, revenue streams, customer pain points, industry trends and competitor moves. Share with them insights from leadership meetings, promote cross-department shadowing, and create a glossary of key terms.
- Foster a newsroom mentality
Teach teams to think like reporters and be active listeners and curious consumers of internal information. Guide them to evaluate ideas for impact, timeliness, uniqueness, relevance and human interest by asking: Who cares? Why now? So what? What’s new? Hold regular brainstorm sessions and help flag new trends, changing circumstances and emerging news cycles. Remind them to consider all media types and story formats, from trend pieces and features to opinion pieces when thinking of pitch opportunities.
- Stay close to the business
Most stories live outside the communications department. Teams should build trust with colleagues in operations, sales and customer service to uncover small wins, data points, customer anecdotes and cultural moments. Even modest achievements can become strong narratives with the right framing. Assign team members to “adopt” departments and keep regular check-ins.
- Solicit story ideas
Give all company employees an easy way to flag stories from the field, whether through a shared form, chat channel or quick email. Review submissions regularly and decide if and how they can be turned into compelling content, including a media pitch.
- Use AI to support story mining
Bring AI tools into your team’s workflow to help spot hidden narratives, analyze trends and identify coverage gaps. Generative tools can tailor versions of a story for journalists, social platforms or thought leadership, as well as improve search visibility. AI shouldn’t replace human judgment, but it can sharpen it, helping teams identify, shape and deliver impactful stories at a regular cadence.
Bottom Line
Waiting for “big news” is no longer a workable strategy. By developing strong story-mining skills on their teams, communications leaders can prepare them for the future and ensure a steady flow of narratives that attract attention, earn influence and keep their brand relevant in the AI-driven information ecosystem, even when nothing obvious is happening.
Karina Frayter is a Strategic Communications Executive.