Tag: public relations

How PR Brings Value To The C-Suite

Posted on by Caty Posey

The value of a strategic PR program isn’t always obvious to an organization’s leadership. But the impact of public relations is most relevant to those in that C-suite – whether they realize it or not. A C-level role offers plenty of opportunity as well as distinct challenges for decision-makers, especially in an uncertain economic climate. For most, it’s a huge personal and professional achievement that marks a heady time. The role of public relations may not be top of mind. However, it should be.

It’s important for a CEO and others at the C-level to understand what the right PR strategy can bring to the table. Here are some key areas where public relations can make a difference.

Strategic PR builds reputation

Public relations is sometimes mistakenly placed in the marketing bucket. But marketing and public relations are two very distinct functions. While marketing is focused on driving sales, PR is designed to build trust in a brand or company and grow its reputation. That may not seem like as high a priority as demand-generation, but over the long term, reputation offers greater value to the organization. And in the ideal world, marketing and PR work together. You need both.

Reputation is also invaluable at the individual level. The right kind of visibility is a career-booster for a newly minted C-level executive or one who aspires to be there. There’s real personal and professional value in tactics like keynote and panel speaking opportunities, contributed opinion content, thought leadership, and industry recognition. Those are all desired outputs of a good PR campaign.

An outside perspective

It’s easy to get tunnel-visioned when you are close to a project or business unit. What you see and what your PR agency sees could diverge — in a good way. PR pros know what will be interesting to the press, what poses a risk, and how to spot and shape a story. By asking the right questions and engaging in thorough conversations, a PR team will know how tell a story for maximum impact. Beyond the media relations role, an objective view of the organization will help identify vulnerabilities, opportunities, and new strategies to build a leadership positioning.

A deep understanding of media and influence

Experienced PR teams offer deep and varied relationships, from the companies they work with, to journalists and influencers. Additionally, we bring an understanding of the nuances of exclusive media outreach, like timing, competitive intelligence, and targeting strategy. Our facility to identify what’s of interest and effectively engage with the right reporters at the right time, can be the difference between a stand-out success and an initiative that falls flat.

A resource for high-level storytelling

In technical industry sectors like B2B and ad tech/martech, it’s not always easy for an internal team to recognize the bigger story. A trained PR expert has the experience to not only understand technology advantages, but build a narrative to guide positive visibility and thought leadership at the executive level. Additionally, specialist communicators are adept at spotting and synthesizing trends within a sector or industry. Seeing around the corner is helpful in developing the big ideas that drive positioning and earned media coverage.

An extension of internal PR and communications

As a practical issue, many companies are restricted when it comes to head count. An agency team brings value that is distinct from the background of an internal comms unit. The value lies in the “multiplier effect” of the added media and sector experience of the external team. It can thus act as an extension of the internal PR unit, but with complementary roles, relationships, and experience. Joining forces through a trusted partnership amplifies a company’s ability to communicate to its most important audiences.

A big-idea resource

Who can put a price tag on a great idea? The right creative campaign, whether earned, paid, or both, can generate extraordinary benefits in the form of brand engagement, credibility, and even loyalty.

These attributes of strategic PR are not the only ones, but they’re important for any new C-suite executive. An experienced PR partner can advise on key moves and help guide decision-makers on strategies and channels that build individual careers, corporate reputation and business growth.

Three PR Classes They Should Teach In College

Posted on by Lori Mouradian

College courses in PR and communications can be very valuable; as PR students, we learn about topics as varied and vital as crisis communication, industry ethics, and social media management. Such classes are beneficial for anyone planning a PR career. Yet sometimes college professors spend more time telling us what our future looks like rather than showing us how to get there.

As someone working at a top PR agency, I know there were some missing courses. Here’s a sampling of classes that could be helpful to PR professionals working today.

How to write an intriguing pitch

Whether you’re an Account Coordinator or a PR veteran, you will be pitching stories… a lot of stories. The standard advice is to do your research, check your grammar, and personalize the pitch to the reporter. But in my experience, another key to pitching success is an attention-grabbing subject line. After all, if a journalist doesn’t make it past the subject line, the pitch will fail. So, make that subject line work hard! The other lesson I’ve learned on the job is to keep it short. Reporters and producers have too much going on to be reading lengthy paragraphs. A good pitch should get straight to the point without including all the story’s information.

How to build a killer media list

If you work in PR, you’ll be building plenty of media lists for your pitches. Anyone can find around 50 contacts and put them in a google sheet and send their pitch out to the list. But a good PR practitioner should know that it’s not about how many names are on your list, but how many are interested in the story. Colleges should teach PR students the more practical aspects of media pitching. They include how to look out for these things: where the reporter writes; what’s his/her focus; and how they like to be approached. Quality and personalization trumps quantity every time. Check out Sarah’s tips here for more on how to tailor a story pitch to maximize its appeal.

How to be proactive

If you work on the agency side, no day will be exactly like the one before. We don’t know what will happen in the news cycle, what our clients may throw at us, or how hectic a given day will be. So, it’s natural to feel that we’re sometimes in a reactive position. But the best advice or lesson for succeeding at a PR agency is to be as proactive and hands-on as possible. Think about how to go beyond what’s asked. Scour the landscape for find media opportunities before you’re asked. Follow up with reporters on pitches, and always, always take notes. Some days doing multiple news scans throughout the day for a specific issue or client can be fruitful. And on other days, volunteering to take on more will help you stand out. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Whether it’s your first week or your fiftieth, asking questions and showing appropriate curiosity will display initiative and proactivity.

 

New And Emerging Social Platforms PR Teams Should Know

Posted on by Krystle Cajas

For marketing and PR teams, social media is a gateway to engagement. New and emerging platforms in particular are ideal tools for reaching a specific audience or participate in a trending conversation. And that’s where most brands want to be. So, what’s new?

BeReal. Discord. Even Twitter Spaces.  We’ve all heard about them, but what should PR people know, and how can we use them?

Research dynamic conversations, in real time

By most accounts, Twitter is not in a very good place right now. Yet PR teams shouldn’t overlook features like Twitter Spaces. It was inspired by Clubhouse, the pandemic-era audio application that connects people around the world and was briefly the Next Big Thing. Like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces allows for live audio conversations, where thousands can join the community for a lively discussion in real time.

As a result of this Twitter update, PR professionals can “eavesdrop” on conversations and gain relevant knowledge from curated audiences. Conversations in these spaces can not only be educational but entertaining as well, you never know who will be in any given space at any given time. Elon Musk briefly joined a Twitter Spaces conversation and made headlines when he spoke to reporters who were previously banned from the platform.

The appeal of Twitter Spaces is obvious. And while Clubhouse might work better as a standalone platform for some brands, Twitter Spaces’ audience, at over 200 million, far outstrips that of Clubhouse, which peaked at 10 million. Who wouldn’t want to listen in as influencers, celebrities, and journalists share what’s on their minds in a way that isn’t restrained by 280 characters?

Spreading the news

PR professionals are always looking for fresh ways to engage across versatile media platforms. While “Twitter Spaces” may offer a novel experience on a familiar platform, there are also newer opportunities. Discord, a VoIP (voice-over internet protocol), is very different from most social media. And while it’s not new, it has emerged as a powerful research and engagement tool. It features live customizable participation and collaboration in various forms all at once. Discord lets users participate in various chat rooms that may be either private and invite-only or publicly accessible. Servers within each channel offer interactive video, voice, and text features. The multitude of features lets PR teams put out content in nearly any format and take in lots of information in one application. Also bots make it possible for participants to join creatively through gaming, making the experience more interactive. It adds up to a social tool for communicating with like-minded sources and brands interested in systems that offer more than a back-and-forth email chain.

Now let’s be real…and authentic 

In a world where more social filters often means more users, “authentic” is not the word that comes to mind. But the opportunity for users to be “real” is something that has endeared BeReal to Gen Z in particular. Although it’s limited by the number of people with whom you can share, the photo-sharing app has garnered the attention of brands like Chipotle. Its success even pushed Instagram to release similar dual-camera features. With uncurated and ad-free content, what you see is what you get. The content is actual, unedited, and shown within a two-minute window. BeReal is an application that provides brand awareness at a different level than we’ve seen before. It’s more intimate, and in many ways changes the certain standards for users. With everyone receiving the same notification at an exact time to share a photo, the application captures daily life. That makes it a useful research tool as well as an engagement platform.

Data-driven social media platforms encourage PR professionals to be in the know when it comes to the latest news and trends. They help us reach wider audiences while narrowing in on specific demographics, and the interactivity makes for greater personalization. They’re the engagement newsreel we didn’t know we needed – until now.

Five PR Skills To Sharpen In 2023

Posted on by Chanel Roopchand

The start of the new year is an excellent time for PR teams to reflect on their abilities, needs and competencies for the coming months. What worked well? What needs improvement? Here are vital skills for PR people to assess and enhance in 2023.

It’s all about….communication

PR is a part of communications, but ironically, we don’t always communicate well with one another within a team. Clear and cogent communication among team members ensures that every member knows their task and the deadline. Open channels for colleagues avoids confusion and can boost team morale. We work more effectively together when we share the same definition of success, and open expression of ideas helps build trust. After all, a winning idea can come from anyone.

These principles apply even more to client communications. Some team members may assume that clients understand what goes on behind the scenes and save formal emails for results reporting or logistics, but it’s important to let clients know what we’re thinking and planning even when we don’t have tangible progress to report.

Writing still matters

Content skills go hand-in-hand with communications, but even in the video age, coherent and persuasive writing is at the top of the list. Effective writing strengthens media pitches, powers sales presentations, and is often the basis for successful thought leadership. When writing, it is important to keep the specific campaign objective at the forefront. This can help to be sure key messages are being conveyed and you aren’t steering away from the topic at hand. Another way to be sure you are writing effectively is to create an outline of what you plan to write. This framework will help guide you in the right direction while writing and will ensure all points are made. Something to keep in mind while writing is that you won’t get it perfect on the first draft. It is important to realize that reworking the material and going in and making multiple edits is necessary for success. Keeping these tips and skills in mind will help you grow as a writer each day.

Research is foundational

Research skills are the unsung heroes of good public relations. The right research, framed correctly, can make the difference between a winning business presentation and an also-ran. It’s also the underpinning of most successful media story pitches. And needless to say, in-depth knowledge of a business category is foundational to a good relationship and successful PR program. In a real-world situation where budget decisions are being made, the right data is powerful. It will place your team in the position to answer unexpected questions and generate confidence in our approach.

Relationships will make your career

Public relations isn’t only about relationships, but they matter. A lot. Those who success have probably build their career on a professional network. This translates to client relationships, and, of course, colleagues can become clients and vice versa. You want to keep your network expanding over time. Then there are the all-important relationships with reporters. With an overflowing inbox, any journalist is more likely to click on a note from someone with whom they feel a connection. Putting yourself out there will pay off in the long run.

Raise your voice

Speaking in front of strangers can be challenging, but it’s an important PR skill. Some people are more easily persuaded by a verbal conversation than a written document. And in the post-COVID era, face-to-face meetings are making a comeback. Communicating confidence in your materials and recommendations is a clear asset in sales as well as program management. For those who struggle to speak up in meetings or express their ideas with confidence, it may help to plan their messaging in advance, just as we advise clients to do in media interviews. It’s also useful to practice, and the more you speak up and nail the points you want to make, the easier it becomes.

How PR Teams Can Use ChatGPT (Generated By ChatGPT)

Posted on by Dorothy Crenshaw

The post below was not written by a human being. It was generated when ChatGPT was given the prompt to write a 350-word blog post about how PR teams can use ChatGPT in their work. You can be the judge of its accuracy, quality and style!

ChatGPT, a language generation model developed by OpenAI, can be a valuable tool for PR professionals in a variety of ways.

One of the most obvious applications is in the creation of written content. ChatGPT can assist with the writing of press releases, speeches, email campaigns, social media posts, and other forms of written communication. With its ability to understand context and generate human-like text, ChatGPT can help PR professionals create content that is engaging, persuasive, and tailored to their target audience.

In addition to generating written content, ChatGPT can also be used for media monitoring and analysis. By using the model to analyze large volumes of text data, such as news articles, social media posts, and other online content, PR professionals can gain valuable insights into how their brand or clients are being perceived in the public sphere. ChatGPT can also be used to identify key influencers and track the spread of specific information or messages across different platforms.

Another important aspect of PR is crisis management, and ChatGPT can help in this area as well. The model can be trained to quickly generate responses to common questions or concerns that might arise during a crisis, allowing PR professionals to respond quickly and effectively. Additionally, ChatGPT can help generate simulated social media posts and other content that can be used for crisis management drills and training exercises.

ChatGPT’s ability to process and understand large amounts of text data can also be beneficial for market research. With its help, PR professionals can analyze customer sentiment, identify areas of opportunity or concern, and gain a better understanding of their target audience.

Finally, ChatGPT can be an excellent tool for internal communication and collaboration. The model can be used to create meeting agendas, summaries, and other internal documents, which can help keep teams on track and streamline communication across different departments.

In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can help PR professionals with a wide range of tasks, from content creation to media monitoring and crisis management. With its ability to understand context and generate human-like text, ChatGPT can save time and improve the effectiveness of PR efforts.

For PR, Is ChatGPT An Asset Or Threat?

Posted on by Dorothy Crenshaw

Everyone’s talking about ChatGPT, including most of us who work in public relations. Opinions and experiences vary, but ChatGPT will likely be a game-changer when it comes to how PR teams work. AI has been promoted as a tool to automate repetitive tasks, freeing us to engage in the strategy and creative work involved in a typical PR engagement. But the latest iteration promises much more. It’s different from previous generations of chatbots.

Can ChatGPT make our job easier?

So, what is ChatGPT? In simple terms, it’s a language-processing tool powered by artificial intelligence. It was trained on a huge dataset and uses a predictive model to generate content in real time in a fluent, conversational style. To date, bots just haven’t been able to mimic that natural fluency. ChatGPT content, on the other hand, mostly reads like an actual person wrote it.

ChatGPT has real limitations

I’ve played around with ChatGPT; in fact, I asked it to write this blog post to see how useful it is for first-draft content. The results were underwhelming. It spat out 350 words of a perfectly coherent post, but it was light on substance, and there were claims I thought were blatantly wrong, like that ChatGPT can do media monitoring. The tone was neutral to the point of being pedestrian. It was about as sophisticated as a junior-high-school history essay. You can judge for yourself here.

ChatGPT has many strengths as a research tool, but there are also limitations, at least for now. It can’t access information beyond the end of 2021. That’s a big deal when your work includes generating content based on up-to-the-minute trends as it does in B2B tech PR. That’s why I was surprised that its post claimed to be a tool for media monitoring. In its current iteration, it can monitor trends, but it’s not up-to-date on current events, because, contrary to what many people think, ChatGPT isn’t connected to the web. It’s also prone to factual mistakes. This piece in Fast Company about its lack of reliability is positively scary.

But ChatGPT is amazing for other tasks. It’s useful for analyzing data, like consumer behavior, demographic trends, or media consumption patterns, all of which can support PR program research and key audience targeting. And the speed with which it generates readable content, even when mediocre, is breathtaking.

Banish the blank screen

Some PR professionals claim they use Chat GPT to draft press releases, speeches, and written content. I’ve run into many of the same limitations I found with that experimental blog post with that kind of content. But, in fairness to my AI companion, I fed it very little information. It learns as it goes, so the more time you invest, the better your result. And let’s face it, a first draft offers an instant starting point when it comes to creating content. Any writer knows that it’s generally easier to edit from a rough draft than write something from scratch. Editing ChatGPT’s work probably beats staring at a blank screen in most cases, and we can even feel smug and superior in the process.

My colleague Chris Harihar is a big ChatGPT booster. He’s used it for quick generation of agendas, reports, captions, titles, and even executive quotes and rough content. He says ChatGPT is a decent copyeditor and swears by it for creation of tables and charts to include in proposals.

I could go on with my criticisms of ChatGPT, but here’s the thing – it was released only a month ago, and it’s a prototype. It may be limited as a tool now, but 2023 will bring new iterations, and it will only get better. There’s no dismissing it as a fatally flawed tool or passing fad.

In fact, I’ll close with a paragraph straight from ChatGPT. In response to my query about how PRs can use AI, it produced a fairly generic post about AI as a PR tool. The draft ended with this caveat:

However, it is important to remember that AI is a tool, rather than a replacement for human PR professionals. The critical thinking, creativity, and judgement that PR professionals bring to their work cannot be replicated by AI. Therefore, it’s important for PR professionals to embrace the new technologies and find ways to incorporate them into their work, rather than viewing them as a threat to their jobs.

It’s probably just trying to massage my ego, but ChatGPT is getting smarter every day. It’s here to stay.

Showtime! How Working In PR Is Like Playing In A Band

Posted on by Matt Herman

Working at a top B2B tech PR firm rocks. But for me, that’s doubly true because I’ve been able to pursue music as a fun side hustle. In most cases, agency PR is a typical office job and being a musician is about performing live in front of people. But there are surprising parallels. In fact, my day job can sometimes feel like playing in the band. What’s more, I’ve been able to use the experience from each role to enhance the other. Here’s what I’ve learned as a musician and PR professional.

Know your audience

Whether you’re writing a byline or preparing for a gig, it’s important to understand your audience. Ahead of a live show, I always check out other bands on the bill to understand what kind of music they play and who will have the biggest draw. I’ll use that information to cater a setlist that will resonate with that audience while staying true to my band’s persona. This kind of targeting translates into PR-driven content, too. A bylined article for a tech or business publication, for example, must be written with the right audience and end goal in mind. A highly technical martech piece would be placed where a savvy mid-level executive would see it, not a consumer with no technical or martech experience. Keeping the audience in mind makes for an easier drafting process and a seamless pitch effort — or performance.

It’s showtime, so expect the unexpected

As PR professionals, we’re constantly on calls with clients to discuss any ongoing initiatives and brainstorming how to move a campaign forward. Sometimes, I find myself on the spot, when a client needs real-time advice, a course-correction during an interview, or a solution to strategy problem. I’ve learned to think on my feet and pivot where necessary. Sometimes we have to improvise in PR, and occasionally those work scenarios are actually similar to technical issues on stage. There may be a piece of gear that isn’t working in the middle of a performance, or one of us might forget part of a song. I’ll need to quickly troubleshoot to get the performance back on track, and most importantly, get on the same page with other musicians on stage to support them in a tricky moment.

Relationships make the difference

A huge part of working in PR is developing relationships with relevant journalists. Finding success as a musician rests on similar principles. For example, a client working deep within the XR/Metaverse space will likely have a steady stream of announcements and proactive topics they can discuss with media. Having relationships in place with key reporters makes pitching as simple as a ‘hey, check this out’ email as opposed to a long-winded pitch explaining every aspect of the story. It’s similar to a musician’s role, because we create momentum for our band by forging connections with our peers and other industry figures. Posting on social media about a new song is one thing, but physically going to a venue where we know like-minded musicians can net new gig opportunities, or a relationship that’s fruitful down the line. You never know how a reporter or fellow musician can help in the future, and it’s important to approach all situations with an equal amount of respect and optimism.

2023 PR Opportunities For Ad Tech Brands

Posted on by Bindi Saikia

As 2022 winds down, PR teams are looking and trends and opportunities in their most relevant categories. One of ours is ad tech. Despite economic headwinds, the global advertising industry has been robust and seems poised for more growth. Post-Covid, brands are spending on connected TV (CTV) ad platforms and the industry is abuzz about retail media. Yet, uncertainty is the new normal.

Ad tech is always on the move and changes in the space invite new opportunities and challenges. Heading into 2023, here are some developments we should expect:

CTV advertising pie getting bigger – will it overtake mobile?

CTV has been a huge trend, and 2022 has been a banner year for it. With advertisers ramping up their spending, it’s not unreasonable to think that the “year of CTV” will continue for over a decade just as the “year of mobile” dominated the ad industry for a decade or more. In fact, per this report, 98% of brand advertisers believe CTV will exceed mobile ad budgets. As CTV gains steam among both viewers and advertisers – with nearly 95% of US households reachable via CTV programmatic media and ad dollars flowing from linear to streaming – the opportunities are abundant.

Still, according to industry experts, the era of CTV expansion and fragmentation is coming to a close. Evolution – and maybe even consolidation – are expected in 2023. With Disney+, Netflix and other streaming platforms embracing ads, the CTV landscape is becoming more advertiser-friendly. As more services offer ad-supported options, advertisers will have more opportunities to engage with audiences through ads relevant to their tastes and lives.  CTV and the streaming landscape are poised to evolve constantly and advertisers should be ready for the next chapter. To thrive in 2023 and beyond, advertisers will need to win over audiences who have lots of content choices. They’ll succeed by choosing performance-driven partners who deliver brand-safe, premium content, precision audience targeting at scale, personalization and proven measurability.

Retail media network – no longer just a buzzword but a market reality

Demand for first-party shopper data, coupled with the looming disappearance of third-party cookies, has created a moment of opportunity for innovative multi-location brands and retailers. Retail media (explainer here) is more than one of this year’s hottest buzzwords: it’s the next big advertising channel. Retail networks are growing exponentially and per GroupM, retail media already represents 11% of global ad spending and will grow 60% by 2027.

For multi-location retailers, it’s an opportunity to diversify revenue streams and target consumers with highly personalized ads. Many retailers are following the footsteps of giants like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Kroger by launching their own retail media networks (RMNs). Dollar General, Ulta Beauty, HomeDepot, and CVS, among others, have launched ad-sales businesses to diversify their revenue streams, taking advantage of foot traffic in stores and visits to their e-commerce sites.

What does the next phase of retail media look like? Experts say it’s very promising. The ability for brands to reach a retailer’s audience at various points in the buying journey remains attractive for advertisers. As more businesses hop onto the lucrative RMN bandwagon, we can expect to see a growing number of retailers competing for a finite number of advertising dollars.

Cookie-less era – the industry is buckling up, finally!

For digital media, this year has been another time of significant change. Google again announced a delay in third-party cookie deprecation on Chrome and privacy regulations have tightened. These moves have only raised the stakes for advertisers and media companies of all kinds.

Google’s delay gives the industry more time to test, plan and integrate the cookieless solutions available today and prepare for an identity-constrained future. Publishers should therefore continue adopting and testing identity solutions to maintain today’s robust advertising ecosystem and future-proof their business. The good news is that the urgency to test and select identity solutions has doubled YoY among marketers and publishers (this commissioned study from our client, Lotame confirms the urgency as the industry is finally feeling the heat of a cookieless world’s approach).

Will Google sunset third-party cookies eventually, whether it’s in 2024 or beyond? Who knows? But, at this point, the industry should have a clear understanding of where they stand on identity in light of cookie complexities today and in the future.

Overall, 2023 is shaping up to be yet another exciting year for ad tech and ad tech PR. The rise of privacy-focused solutions, growth of programmatic advertising, increasing use of AI and machine learning and brands leaping into the metaverse are just some of the trends we’ll ride to meet the demands of the future.

 

Five Tips For Managing Tricky Clients

Posted on by Ron Stein

Working at a tech PR agency, we’re accustomed to collaborating with many different types of companies. Some are familiar with the ins and outs of public relations, while others are new to PR and rely on our guidance. We’re lucky to have clients who are respectful, professional, and even fun as partners. But as every agency or in-house PR person knows, there can be bumps in any relationship. The good news is that many problems can be avoided with a strong onboarding process at the outset. It sets the cadence of communications for the engagement, and, more importantly, the expectations for deliverables and impact.

But what if you still sense problems? Red flags in a client relationship can include unrealistic timelines or expectations for earned media; excessive emails or calls outside of regular work hours, or unusual demands that fall outside the scope of work.

If a client is unreasonable, unprincipled, or abusive, that should be addressed and the relationship ended before it can affect team morale. But for ordinary adjustment problems, there are solutions.

Double down on communications 

Communication is the best way to show that you’re engaged and committed to the relationship and its goals. When in doubt, be proactive — ask for clarification, anticipate the response, and push back gently when necessary. Most clients value PR teams who take initiative, especially when it comes to addressing concerns or miscommunication. No matter how you slice it, there’s no such thing as too much communication in a client relationship.

Ramp up media opportunities 

Has your media coverage slipped from the standards set at the beginning of the engagement? We all create PR plans with pitch ideas to help generate a drumbeat of consistent media interest, but there are times when pitches don’t resonate for one reason or another. That’s when it makes sense to deviate from the plan and shake things up a little. It can also help to tap tools and services such as ProfNet, HARO and Qwoted, capitalizing on low-hanging fruit or offering reactive commentary on current events to journalists. Along the same lines, take a look at this post on getting a fast start for your media relations program. “Quick wins” are a great way to set up a relationship for success.

Showcase your thinking

On our weekly PR touch-base meetings, we generally go through an agenda with all in-progress and upcoming items and initiatives. While that’s a critical part of any PR program, it’s a good idea to show the thinking behind the tactics. The easiest way to do this is to explain the rationale behind a pitch, offer color on a reporter’s needs or a background discussion, or share high-level observations on strategy. You can also slot in time for casual brainstorming. When they see you’ve “done your homework” and that you know what you’re talking about, any client will feel confident in your relationship moving forward.

Triple-check the small things

As PR professionals, one of our strongest qualities is an eye for details. But since we’re often juggling many things at once, it’s tempting to rush through tasks just to check them off the list. This can lead to sloppy emails or careless mistakes in documents like agendas or recap reports. Punctuality, consistency and attention to detail will help inspire confidence by clients who may be unhappy or needy by nature.

Understand their world

Internal PR officers have the advantage here, because they’re naturally more integrated into the business of their “clients.” Agency teams, on the other hand, have a tendency to be narcissistic. We sometimes personalize client feedback because we fail to understand the broad scope of their responsibilities and business pressures. Remember, it’s not always about you. Every good PR crew should commit to a deep dive into their client’s business, show curiosity, track business trends and understand the bigger picture.

If a client seems unhappy, there is usually a reason for it and there is almost always a way to right the ship. Keeping these suggestions in mind can help build stable relationships and ensure that all parties work together harmoniously.

How To Personalize Your Media Pitch: PR Advice

Posted on by Sarah O'Connell

The most rewarding – and maybe the hardest – part of working at a top tech PR agency is pitching stories to media. There’s no tougher audience than a journalist, especially in tech. If you think you get a lot of emails in a day, journalists get ten times more, at least. The challenge for PR people is to break into their inboxes, and we can only do that by meeting their needs as well as our own.

In addition to proper research and targeting, there are ways to draft a pitch that will actually be read. Making it personal is a great starting point. Here are six ways to customize a media pitch so journalists read it and respond.

Read their work 

The easiest way to personalize a pitch is to mention a journalist’s past stories or segments. This works well in our field of B2B tech PR, but it’s a pretty universal principle. Tell the journalist you enjoyed their piece on retail media networks or thought an article on data privacy was interesting. Call out specific points that stood out or share your take on the trend. Be genuine, and make sure you then segue seamlessly to the pitch. As Suzanne Struglinski of Industry Dive says, “PR tip of the day – have you read, watched or listened to anything done recently by that journalist in that news outlet you want to cover your news? No? Time to fix that.” Following top journalists, consuming their content consistently, and reacting to it in meaningful ways will help when it comes to personalizing any outreach.

Personalize the subject line

An overly generic subject line is a story-killer, so if you’re including a tidbit on a recent story or appearance, flag it in the subject line. It’ll instantly tell the journalist that your pitch is personalized rather than the result of a mass mail-merge. Naturally, it will be more likely to catch their attention. But be sure to follow through in your pitch so that the email doesn’t come across as a bait-and-switch type of note.

Stay current on panels and appearances

Journalists often make great panel moderators. They know their industry and know the questions that get a conversation started and keep it flowing. Speakers’ panels are great tools to get insight on relevant topics and gain an understanding of priority media. Mention a journalist’s most recent panel or speaking gig in your pitch, and offer feedback. It will show engagement, and let’s face it, everyone appreciates an audience.

Bring up prior communications

Once you’ve secured a great opportunity, use it to your advantage. Remind the journalist that you chatted previously, or that they covered one of the stories you offered. Assuming it went well, they’ll likely be keen to hear from the same executive or be open to a fresh pitch involving the company. Or, you may be able to refer to a colleague or mutual journalist friend to help them make the connection.

Follow them on social media 

Similarly, feel free to mention a post or tweet from the journalist in your pitch. Obviously, it shows you’re paying attention and may help build a rapport. However, we don’t recommend pitching a journalist via Twitter or other social platform. They probably get enough direct messages, and it’s not smart to add to those unless they’ve invited DM pitches, or if it’s absolutely the last resort. But of course if you see a journalist tweet about a trend relevant to a story you’re pitching or a post asking for POVs from industry experts, you should reference it in your pitch.

Following journalists on social media also offers tips and insights. They’re not shy about what they personally do and do not want to see in their inbox from PR people. Some despise getting pitches that offer an exclusive chat with an executive or don’t appreciate receiving commentary on breaking news.

Don’t pitch everyone at one publication

This has less to do with what goes into your pitch than how you do it. You will likely have multiple reporters from the same publication on your list, but instead of pitching all at once, offer your story or interview to a single journalist. If they don’t get back to you after 24 hours or so, move on to the next. Through our media outreach efforts here at Crenshaw, we’ve found that reporters appreciate when they’re the only one pitched at their publication. If you think they don’t know who else at their outlet you’ve contacted, you’re wrong. Journalists at the same publications are having the same conversations with their editors and will find out if they received the same pitch. This might seem tedious but in the end you could create a great relationship with that journalist who bites.