How to use data to win media coverage
A recent story in the PR press reported that journalists are now challenged with generating eight – yes 8 – or more stories per day. When you consider that most of these stories are upwards of 400-500 words each, that’s a huge task. I mean, we’re bloody good writers here at Clearly, but that would be a stretch even for us.
But this presents an opportunity for businesses to get some great media coverage. If you have a good story that is crafted in the right way, you can improve your chances of seeing your business featured in an outlet that is consumed by your target audience.
Moreover, you will also be doing a very time-poor journalist a massive favour for which they will remember and likely come back to you again. It’s about adding value to them and the audiences they can connect you to.
One of the most effective ways to do this is using data, and we’ll use the example of a large-scale recruitment company whom we have worked with since 2020.
They employ over 250 across Europe and USA. Every year, they share data on the key hiring trends and workplace issues from the previous 12 months and their predictions for what might come over the course of the year ahead.
We then analyse this information and turn it into a series of UK, EU and US-focused PR campaigns. In practice, this typically includes:
- Articles penned on behalf of their key experts within the business.
- Whitepapers and guides that extrapolate some of the key findings in the reports and dive deeper into them, such as variances in the number of women entering the tech industry or trends on the appointment of other under-represented groups to senior roles.
- Digital assets such as infographics, videos, and podcasts.
- Press releases sent to targeted media outlets that increase exposure of our client’s brand and awareness of the insights they have uncovered.
Each of the above can all be shared with their prospects at various touchpoints (weekly emails, newsletters, social media) and pitched to the industry and national press.
It may surprise you to learn that we’re encouraging clients to create and send digital assets with a news release, but we do this because the media is vying for eyes and the more content they can produce to support a story they are running the better your chances of having your story picked up.
The effect this has is three-fold:
- Demonstrates the client’s sector expertise as having a finger on the pulse of what is happening in their industry.
- Piques the interest of the media because the business is able to share real world examples of how their experience, findings and insights relate to the clients they have worked with during the period in question.
- Enables journalists to see how they help their prospects to make better informed hiring and business decisions. This creates a sense of connection and trust based on an understanding of the challenges and pains businesses face, which in turn builds authority as a go-to provider of choice.
The above makes the process of securing media coverage relatively easy. It isn’t. Even for a team of seasoned (or old, whatever your preference 😉 ) PR pros like some of us it is a challenge. And the challenge is always about finding the ‘hook’.
But that is where Clearly PR has always exceled. We find the stories that clients had little idea existed in their businesses and craft their messages in ways that are almost irresistible to the media outlets they want to appear in.
Can we help you in any way?
Do get in touch if you need help with your PR.
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