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Three Reasons to Consider Targeted Media Approaches

The number of stories has long been an indicator of the success of a press activity. However, times are changing, and the media ecosystem is evolving. Is quality now taking precedence over quantity? Here are three reasons to consider sending a story to a carefully targeted reporter.

1. Bet on a Background Cover
By offering a news story to a journalist, you’re proposing not only a topic, but an interview with a spokesperson,  more elaborate context than the 500 words of your press release and very specific examples to illustrate your words. This allows you to personalize your story and position an expert to possibly get in depth coverage. If your spokesperson is well spoken, your subject may also stand out from the hundreds of press releases that journalists receive daily.

2. The First Time
When you announce an event or unveil a study for the first time, it is likely that this news does not attract spontaneous interest from the media. If your organization or the client you are communicating to has a low profile, you will need to establish credibility to convince the media that the public would be interested in the topic. In this case, it is also possible to propose a story to a reporter, specifically covering the industry or sector the activity is focused on.

 3. Multiple Stories
You have a gold mine of content? By segmenting information to define multiple media angles of interest, you can create separate stories and associate an appropriate spokesperson for each. It’s about getting targeted journalists’ attention and showing value of these separate news stories, contextualizing them, and ultimately supporting your approach with tangible data.

Key Points
To optimize your success rate, here are some factors to respect:

  • Always be transparent with journalists;
  • Choose the right media before, according to your target audience;
  • Identify the appropriate journalist covering the proposed topic;
  • Submit an interesting offer: written and visual contents, spokesperson of interest, experience (example: a visit): in short, a real story!

Media relations is not an exact science. It’s a happy mix of controllable factors, such as strategy, sense of timing and the right approach, as well as  influences you can’t control. And beyond the initial outreach to media, never forget the second word of the term “media relations” is not incidental. Without professional and personalized relations with the media, there is no point in engaging with them!

Mylène Demers About the author
mdemers@casacom.ca
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