Elevate Your Media Relations Game: Unlock the Secrets to Engaging Journalists

As a public relations professional with deep expertise in media relations, I know the secret to success is delivering a pitch or press release that can help journalists do their job. That means ensuring it’s relevant, explains why the topic/theme will be interesting to their audience, and has all the key info (visuals, interview opportunities, and data/proof points with relevant source links).

Journalists say they are not getting what they need public relations professionals.

So, when I read reports like @Muck Rack’s State of Journalism and State of PR surveys, I find it puzzling that more PR pros and those working at a public relations agency aren’t doing the same.

These surveys show a real disconnect between what journalists want/need and what they receive from media relations professionals.

If you’re looking to improve the success of your media pitching, check out some of the findings below for key insights on how to repackage your next media relations campaign.

Email Pitching: One-on-One

• 83% of journalists and 83% of PR pros agree on one-to-one email pitching. Yet, 62% of public relations pros often pitch multiple journalists at once. While I find it important to include at least a couple of journalists from each outlet (what if one is on vacation? Or sick? Or busy?), spamming the entire newsroom will only annoy everyone.

  
  

Relevance Over Customization

• 73% of journalists reject pitches because they are irrelevant, while only 37% of PR pros prioritize relevance. If you’ve done your research, your media list should only contain relevant journalists. That being said, as newsrooms shrink, there are more generalists who may, at first glance, consider your pitch irrelevant. Your job is to explain why your pitch is relevant to them and their audience.

  
  

• 20% of PR pros focus on customization, yet just 6% of journalists find it crucial. Prioritizing relevance could be the key to better engagement.

  
  

  

  Be thoughtful about who you are pitching at each outlet. Don't spam the entire newsroom.

  
  
  
  

Timing and Follow-ups

• 64% of journalists 64% don’t mind pitch timing, contrary to the 51% of PR pros who prefer Tuesdays. (I hate seeing this stat because I always pitch on Tuesdays … darn! The secret is out).

  
  

• 51% of journalists appreciate one reminder/follow-up email, as do 46% of PR pros. A reminder that this is limited to “one reminder.” I sometimes send a second reminder if I have something new to add to the pitch, but I certainly never send a third.

  
  

Social Media Preferences

• 36% of journalists favour X (formerly Twitter) for real-time updates, whereas 50% of PR pros prefer LinkedIn. PR pros should pay attention to this mismatch of platforms. If you want to find the journalists, you have to be where they are.

  
  

Put yourself in the journalist’s shoes. The easier you can make it for them to cover your (relevant) story, the more likely they will do so.

If you'd like to learn how to improve your media relations efforts, reach out to us at info@amplifyonline.ca.