A PR pro and a media maven share new details
Our PR Director, Tara, recently presented at a Public Relations Society of America Northeast Wisconsin meeting alongside NBC26 Anchor and Assistant News Director Stacy Engebretson to help local PR professionals get inside the mind of a reporter. Through this open discussion, Tara and Stacy revealed top tips PR pros should keep in mind when hoping to get coverage. Here are our three takeaways:
1. Provide media assets
You might be in a situation where reporters aren’t able to attend your event, but the outlet still wants to provide coverage. Don’t fret! Be proactive and send the media outlet photos and/video from the event. As newsroom staff shrinks, this helps relieve the reporter’s workload from physically attending the event while giving yourself a higher chance of garnering coverage.
2. Have patience
While we live in a world where the news moves fast, patience is required when pitching, especially when pitching in advance. Reporters typically don’t know what they’re covering until the day of, so while it’s helpful to share information about an event a few days before it takes place, the reporter most likely won’t know until that day if they will be attending. In this case, be prepared for media to attend, send a media alert the day of, and provide your on-site contact information so reporters can connect with you if they cover the event or story.
3. Be open to other platforms
Even though broadcast coverage might be the medium you have in mind, many reporters are now moving to social media and online-only stories, which are great opportunities you should leverage. Many news station websites have tens of thousands of unique visitors each month, and this type of coverage is valuable. When pitching social media or online-only stories, make sure your story is fitting for a written piece compared to broadcast.
Mastering media relations takes time, but lucky for you, we’ve got some experts on hand. Send us a message! We’d love to explore how we can help you and your organization get some local and national love.
