Standing out from the crowd

Reporters receive endless pitches every day, although typically, they will only write one or two stories each day. Standing out from the crowd takes time, expertise and careful planning, and many companies just don’t have the manpower to do it effectively and consistently. So how do you make your company standout in a 24/7 media cycle? 

This may seem an overwhelming question but actually the tricks to successful media relations have not changed so much as advanced, and it still comes down to understanding the ‘Newsroom Structure’, delivering quality content, targeted media stories and telling your story with unique news angles.The 24/7 demand for news has created a ferocious competition amongst organisations for audience share. News is constant and this should make selling in stories easier, but this isn’t true. With fewer journalists and more space to fill, content needs to be bold, different and newsworthy. Journalists don’t have time to sift through pages of copy and spend hours seeking out the perfect image. So, the modest press release isn’t dead…it just needs to evolve! Going forward, we will see more dynamic press releases with embedded photos, infographics, video etc. Content will always be key in public relations but in this day and age, it has to be more visually compelling and concise to get attention!

Bloggers (blogebrities), freelancers and cyberstars are becoming more common as go-to sources for storytelling and making connections with customers. The importance of these key influencers has increased due to shrinking budgets and news company mergers. Seek them out for outreach across various outlets and channels. Let’s not forget that all journalists are only interested in what their particular audience wants to read and share, so the same rules about doing your homework, building relationships and targeting the right reporter still apply.

We know that the corporate world is already embracing ways to reach target audiences with social media and different technologies…next is the revamp of the tired press release into something more digital and interactive!