Why you are not getting the media coverage you want (and think you should get)
Most in-house marketing teams have responsibility for their organisations, but many struggle to get the media coverage they want. Here’s how to change that.
In today’s media landscape, getting your story featured in the press is harder than ever. With more PR professionals than journalists in the UK for the first time, the competition for editorial space is fierce. Journalists are inundated with press releases daily, and many national reporters are expected to produce up to eight stories a day – that’s one every hour.
Yet, despite these challenges, clients we work with continue to secure high-impact media coverage for clients across national, regional, and trade publications. Our secret? A direct and journalist-first approach that most in-house marketing and communications teams struggle with.
Journalists are inundated with press releases daily and expected to produce up to eight stories a day.
Here is what Clearly PR’s managing director, Paul MacKenzie-Cummins, says:
“Journalists don’t have time to dig through fluff. If your story doesn’t grab them in the first 15 seconds, it’s gone.
“The trap most businesses and brands fall into when writing press releases is attempting to ‘sell’ their organisation to journalists. They will often start off saying things like ‘We are the leading X…,’ ‘Our revolutionary Y…, ‘This truly unique…’ – any of these stock phrases will kill your chances of being taken seriously stone dead. Journalists hate them.
“Moreover, they are not true. Unless you have the largest share of your market, you are not the market leader. To describe anything as being ‘revolutionary’ is a throw-back to the 1980s and makes look like you are behind rather than ahead of the times. As for being ‘unique’ – is there really no one else doing what you do?”
Clearly PR takes a vastly different approach to getting our clients’ stories featured in their chosen media. We follow a simple three-step process
- Step 1: Have a bloody good hook to pique the reader’s interest.
- Step 2: Answer the who, what, when, where, and why right from the
- Step 3: Don’t waffle, get to the point quickly, and fill in the gaps
This latter point is important. Any gaps requiring journalists to conduct their own research can kill the release instantly – they simply do not have the time. They are relying on messengers – you – to give them the access to all the information they need in the here and now.
The approach outlined above is not rocket science, but few – if any – inhouse marketing and communications teams ever get it right. That is not their fault; those creating their organisation’s news stories tend to be marketers first, communications specialists second with the PR role often bolted on to their current marketing responsibilities.
“Journalists don’t have time to dig through fluff. If your story doesn’t grab them in the first 15 seconds, it’s gone.”
Paul MacKenzie-Cummins
“Journalists don’t have time to dig through fluff. If your story doesn’t grab them in the first 15 seconds, it’s gone.”
If PR is important to inhouse teams, it is always worth partnering with a PR firm who can provide an Advisory Service on an ad hoc basis. This can be both cost effective and improve your chances of media success.
Indeed, where many in-house teams and even some PR agencies falter is by sending generic, bloated releases. But critical to media success is knowing how to make journalists’ lives easier. By delivering everything they need upfront, press releases can be turned into publishable stories that build lasting relationships with key media contacts.
Paul adds:
“PR isn’t just about promotion – it’s about precision. When you respect a journalist’s time and send them stories that have relevance to them, you earn their attention.”
In a crowded field where most PR efforts fall flat, following the advice outlined above will help you stand out as a trusted media ally and a proven expert in turning stories into headlines.
We’re the experts in guiding businesses and brands to generate impactful media coverage. See our Advisory Service for more information.
