For decades, many communications strategies focused on getting a story in the New York Times or creating catchy commercials that sparked conversations around the water cooler.

But times have changed, according to Amanda Coffee, a seasoned communications leader. Today, communicators need to focus just as much on authenticity and giving a glimpse into what brands stand for. A big part of that is providing reporters and customers alike with candid access to key company representatives.

“Access can mean meeting a CTO or CFO, but it can also mean meeting the people on the front lines,” Coffee said during Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference in Austin, Texas.

Coffee’s presentation – “Comms This, Not That: (and Tactics You Should Sunset)” – outlined a series of “what’s in, what’s out” elements ranging from the switch from press releases to social-focused strategies and moving from scripted messaging to content that’s more “real” as Coffee put it.

Audiences, especially the highly prized 16-to-24 age group, crave genuine engagement from companies and brands. Coffee believes this current generation is prone to dismissing corporate jargon from company spokespeople and slick social media content. So, instead, companies should tap into messaging and communications channels that allow them to engage their audiences in a more genuine way.

New media landscape is all about personalities

Coffee, who previously led global communications for brands like PayPal and Under Armour, believes the modern media landscape is making it easier to achieve engagement goals. The rise of podcasts, Substack and other nontraditional media platforms provides a way to connect with hard-to-reach audiences.

Journalists like Casey Newton and Taylor Lorenz, as well as podcasters like Alex Cooper, have the power to resonate with their audiences because they’re trusted messengers who tend to be more conversational and personal.

“What I love about podcasts is that there’s minimal editorial input,” said Coffee, currently a comms strategist. When working with traditional business media like the Wall Street Journal, the reporter typically covers the market or financial aspects of the story, which requires a certain level of tension.

An executive might provide a great quote that highlights the direction of a business, but reporters will put it in a broader financial context, causing the brand to lose some control over its messaging.

“When it’s a podcast, they really can’t add the editorial because it’s your spokesperson’s language, and you can really, like focus on the topics,” Coffee continued. She pointed to President-elect Donald Trump’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast and Vice President Kamala Harris’ appearance on “Call Her Daddy.”

Coffee advises communicators to explore podcast, newsletter and social creators who align with company values or provide platforms for sharing their story. They should use social engagement figures and audience demographics to potentially change the minds of leadership who may not understand the value of these platforms as viable media channels.

“We’re moving away from the mindset of only wanting print coverage,” Coffee said.

Stories from the front lines

Traditionally, it’s leadership who appear in media interviews or social content. But Coffee believes empowering employees as brand ambassadors has real value.

In the past, she and her team identified “culture carriers” within the organization and provided them with the tools and resources to share their stories on behalf of the company. Coffee suggests looking at corporate values like innovation and inclusion, and then finding the people who best represent those values. Employee resource groups are a great place to find culture carriers, Coffee noted.

These individuals need media training, but they can share their stories on social media, and the company can amplify that content. By doing so, companies show they support their staff and give them a voice, emphasizing the “show, not tell” aspect of their corporate values.

Coffee gave the example of mothers who took a big career gap and returned to PayPal. The comms team media-trained these employees, and they went on to appear on the Today Show, Marie Claire, CNET and more to talk about their experiences with PayPal’s Recharge program, which provides paid training to female technologists reentering the workforce.

At Under Armour, Coffee highlighted designers and former athletes who created footwear and football uniforms. Not only were they able to provide more in-depth analysis about the product than an executive likely could, but it also kept the conversation on track.

“What I love about using subject matter experts is it’s low risk,” Coffee said. “They can’t ask you about a lawsuit or the last earnings call; they’re like, ‘All I know is how we made our football pants from yoga innovations.’”

Instead of looking for the most senior-level person, consider entry-level engineers and designers, or even interns, Coffee said.

“That’s who people want to hear from,” Coffee said. “If you have someone at the front of a trend sharing their story, you almost don’t need the CEO.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Real, authentic ways to engage Gen Z appeared first on PR Daily.

Knowing the rules of engagement with reporters is one of the most important things a PR pro can do – and counsel their clients on. But within the realm of on the record, on background and off the record, there can be a great deal of nuance and considerations.

We asked communicators on LinkedIn to share their best practices for navigating these treacherous waters. Here’s what they said.

Answers have been edited for style and brevity.

On background

Mike Nachshen is president and owner of Fortis Strategic Communications.

First, it comes down to trust. Do I trust the reporter and do they trust me?

Second, rules have to be established and mutually agreed to BEFORE the background or off the record portion of the conversation begins

Third, make sure everyone understands what they are agreeing to. Off the record is different than background. And background can be for or not for attribution.

E.g.:

Me: “Great question… I’d like to give you some context before I answer. OK if we go on background, not for attribution, first?

Reporter: “Can I list you as an ‘a contact close to customer X’?”

Me: “Sorry… no. No attribution at all, I’m afraid. But I’m giving you enough to go out and find this in the Congressional record if you need attribution.”

Alex Dudley is principal at Principal, Cloudbreak Communications.

I have found the “on background” tool very useful throughout my career. Often it is a way to help a journalist work a nuance into their story that would otherwise not make it because it is too difficult to source. This is particularly true in an era where the bland corporate statement rules the day.

Janice Mandel is a podcast host and founder of Janice Mandel.

A rationale of mine for going on background would be:I’m asked a question by a reporter and the answer requires context not directly relevant to question at hand. If I want to ensure the reporter understands that context I may ask if we can go on background. I find this helps communicate nuances the reporter may not know.

Off the record

Parry Headrick is the founder of Crackle PR.

Never say anything to a reporter that you wouldn’t want splashed on a neon sign in Times Square.

 Kevin Nolan is VP of marketing at Sagility.

This may be a basic step, but make sure you clearly state you’re going off the record before you do. Ensure the reporter agrees. Something like “this next sentence is for background and should be off the record.” There should never be a “why did the reporter write that? I thought we were off the record?” moment. Ever.

Mary Beth Popp is vice president, Corporate and Brand Communications at FIFCO USA.

I always say, remember that if you share information off the record – the reporter always knows it. So for example, if you go off the record about making a product for another company (contract manufacturing), and something happens with that product — they know you made it. You never know how it may impact your organization in the future. I only go off the record to provide context and background.

Linda Zebian is head of communications at Muck Rack.

Even if you say, “I don’t know,” that can be used in the story and attributed to you, which has implications, so be very careful to establish where you are on the record at the start of a conversation.

I really appreciate all of the comments here suggesting “nothing is off the record,” but I respectfully disagree. Investigative journalism would not exist if journalists did not commit to keeping conversations with sources private and sacred. Off the record interviews are a cornerstone of a free and independent press.

Katie Heinz Pfingsten is manager of media relations and training at Public Communications Inc.

In media trainings, we’ve been asked by spokespersons if there are any legal ramifications if they agree to speak off the record and a journalist publishes the material. Some have been surprised to learn that a verbal agreement to speak off the record or on background isn’t legally binding. We also remind them that anything that’s said before the camera is rolling or in an email exchange with a reporter — no matter how informal — could be quoted/published.

Erik Sherman is a freelance journalist and writer.

If you are considering off the record or on background, remember that it has to be negotiated in advance and both sides must agree on the exact definition to avoid unintentional misunderstandings.

Ben Craft is vice president of community engagement at the Center for Human Development.

Asking to go off the record too much or on trivial or irrelevant details punches big holes in credibility.

Sarah Kissko Hersh is founder of Type A Consultancy.

Don’t say it if you don’t want it published.

Erika Leigh is public relations account manager at LeadCoverage.

Ask yourself, “would it be OK if this actually got out and my name or my organization’s name was attached to it?” If yes, then proceed. If not, don’t disclose it no matter the circumstances.

Rebecca Burn-Callander is a freelance journalist, podcast host and director of communications at Build Concierge.

Over the 20 years I have been a business journalist, I have never printed anything that was told to me “off the record.” This means that find people tend to be extremely candid. They explain why something happened, how much it cost, how they felt about it — things they would never want published but can massively impact the tone of the final article. It’s a way of giving the journalist a glimpse of the struggle, the stress, and your personal feelings, knowing that your comms team would never allow it

The post ‘It comes down to trust’: Communicators on when to go on background, off the record appeared first on PR Daily.

Matt Purdue is senior strategist at Magnitude, Inc. 

The rise of independent journalism is a booming trend that bears watching by all PR professionals. Impacted by shrinking newsrooms, budget cuts and other negative pressures, more journalists are leaving traditional media platforms to start their own brands.

Some of these personalities have robust reputations and massive followings, making them a potentially vital component to a successful communications strategy. However, engaging with them effectively requires careful consideration and coordination.

What’s driving this trend?

In 2023, more than 21,000 corporate media jobs were cut, a 467% increase over 2022. Companies from NPR to the Washington Post and News Corp. announced massive layoffs. Simultaneously, journalists at traditional brands are exhausted from doing more with less. More than half of them have considered quitting in 2024, citing fatigue and/or burnout (recent Muck Rack survey), so there’s no reason to think the trend of journalists jumping ship will end anytime soon.

In fact, media consumers don’t want it to end. They are demanding changes in the industry. Today, Americans’ trust in media is at an all-time low, with only 32% of people feeling “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence that the media is reporting the news fairly and accurately.

Consumers are more than willing to seek out alternative news sources. Per a recent Free Press survey, 51% agree that “having more independent news outlets is important to stopping disinformation.” Meanwhile, 72% of Americans are consuming at least some of their news via social media.

All these forces are driving a growing market for indie journalists and the PR pros who work with them. “The media space has never been more fragmented,” said Ashley Forrester, Director, Strategic Communications, Samsung Electronics Americas, who is speaking next week on a panel at Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference called The New Newsroom: Earning Attention in a Seismic Media Landscape. “Newsrooms are shrinking while consumers have so many options. What they want is relevant, authentic news they can consume in the way they want to consume it.”

What’s different about today’s indie journalists?

The concept of independent journalism isn’t new. PR pros have been working with freelance reporters for decades. But these aren’t your grandmother’s freelancers. Many of today’s indie journalists are award-winning industry veterans who come with tens of thousands of followers to their new platforms..

A list of names that have gone independent recently reads like a roster of journalism all-stars:

• Taylor Lorenz left the Washington Post to start User Mag, focused on tech and online culture.
• Jason Koebler, Joseph Cox and Samantha Cole left Vice to launch 404 Media, which also covers tech-centric topics.
• Tech reporter Casey Newton, formerly of the San Francisco Chronicle and The Verge, now runs his media brand The Platformer.
• Oliver Darcy moved on from CNN to start Status, covering media and the information space.

For PR pros, it’s important to note that these creators are not following one consistent business model. Some have started their own websites, others newsletters and still others podcasts and/or Substacks. (PR Daily’s Allison Carter recently wrote about the rise of Substack journalists.)

This diversity can make it  confusing for PR practitioners looking to engage with these journalists – but it’s a challenge that must be overcome given the huge reach some of them boast. “Traditional media are not going anywhere,” Forrester said. “But PR pros need to fire on all cylinders. If you are not building relationships with these independent journalists, that’s only playing half the game.”

Tips for engaging with indie journalists

When it comes to building fruitful relationships, experts offer several best practices.

Remember, they’re still respected journalists: Even though they no longer have a WaPo email address, be sure to work with them like the seasoned pros they are. “Treat them the same way you would treat the traditional press,” said Meredith Klein, a former communications executive at Pinterest and Walmart who pitches indie journalists on a regular basis. “Offer them exclusives. Take them out for coffee. Don’t just add them to your media list – get to know them.”

Do your homework. Then do it again: Without corporate owners or editors looking over their shoulders, indie journalists are free to develop their unique styles. Woe to the PR pro who ignores this reality. “There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to working with them,” Klein added. “Each one is different, so acclimate yourself with each one.”

Klein suggests analyzing the tone of their content and gauging how much personal opinion they inject into it. “Some of them can get snarky, so use caution,” she says.

Put on your creativity hat: Given the various types of platforms launched by indie journalists, PR pros need to be inventive when pitching them. While one might be open to a written Q&A, another might need a podcast guest. “They may not want to do a long interview,” said Klein. “They want Skim-esqe stories. They want to hear news quickly from a credible source so their audiences can easily understand what they need to know.”

Samsung’s Forrester suggests getting creative when pitching subject-matter experts. “The doors are open to a wider array of voices,” she explained. “They are not just looking for traditional spokespeople. Instead, offer the researcher in the lab or the employee on the frontline. There are few limits as to what the content needs to look like.”

Open your wallet: These journalists are also businesspeople who need to drive revenue. Make sure you are supporting them financially by subscribing to their paid content. Also, view their revenue-producing programs as options for serious return on investment. “Ask yourself: Does it make sense for me to connect with a content creator to fill any gaps in my strategy with an audience that has opted in and is really engaged?,” Forrester said. “You can work with them to create a story that can really hit home with your target audience in ways that are authentic, personalized and land in near-real time.”

Klein summed up the relationship-building opportunities this wave of indie journalists presents to PR pros. “You have to be an early adopter,” she said. “Create and nurture those relationships.  If you are there for them, they will be there for you.”

PARKING LOT & STATISTICS

Journalists are finding new business opportunities flourishing

• Substack now has 20 million+ subscribers and more than 2 million paying subscriptions. Over 17,000 writers make money on Substack.
• Number of global podcast listeners reached 7 million in 2024, a 7.85% increase over 2023.
• In the US, an estimated 135 million consumers have listened to at least one podcast per month this year, an increase from 120 million monthly podcast listeners in 2023.

What’s driving this trend?

Pressure on traditional newsrooms.

• Layoffs: In 2023 as a whole, more than 21,400 media jobs were lost, the highest (excluding 2020) since 2009, when more than 22,300 jobs were cut, and 2008, when 28,800 or so jobs were cut – both in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession. (Challenger, Gray & Christmas via Fast Company)

The trend is not likely to abate any time soon, as more journalists want to leave their jobs.

• More than half of journalists in the U.S. have considered quitting in 2024 citing fatigue and/or burnout, according to a recent Muck Rack survey.
• Poll of 402 journalists in August:
  • 56% of journalists have thought about quitting this year
  • 40% have previously left a job because of burnout.

Meanwhile, the demand is hot for new media platforms.

• Americans’ trust in media is at an all-time low. (Gallup poll)
• ​​Only 32% of the population reports having “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence that the media reports the news in a full, fair and accurate way.
• 72% of Americans get at least some of their news from social media (Pew)
• Recent Free Press survey: 51% agree that “having more independent news outlets is important to stopping disinformation.”

The post The rise of independent journalists and tips for engaging with them appeared first on PR Daily.

The dust is settling from the 2024 U.S. elections. The news environment that surrounded the ballot casting was, in many ways, as contentious as the election itself, with rows about endorsements, debates about covering Trump’s firebrand of politics and more taking center stage and dividing both journalists and consumers.

But amid all those controversies, where did Americans get the news that helped inform their voting decisions? Even though the most intense period of interest in politics may have passed for another few years, understanding the news sources Americans use to help make big decisions can likewise help PR professionals better target their pitches.

Research conducted by Pew Research in September sheds light on the most popular political news sources. Here’s what PR pros should know.

Other and none

In this survey of 8,000, respondents were allowed to name any sources they chose. The open-ended nature of the survey means that the top two responses weren’t a network at all – they were people listing sources too unique to be listed in the overall findings or they didn’t list a primary source at all.

Nearly a third of respondents chose a niche outlet as their primary source, putting their responses into the “other” category.

This should be a massive wakeup call to PR professionals. Long gone are the days that a front-page newspaper hit or a mention on the nightly news would make your brand. Instead, people are looking to a plethora of different sources that more precisely fit their news wants and needs. Pew Research did not share precisely what these “other” were, but if you’re curious, just ask a friend. Or better yet, ask your target audience. The myriad sources they name will show just how dizzying the media landscape will be – and just how savvy communicators must be to wade through it to find the most meaningful sources.

The second largest category in the survey was people who did not name any main source. Again, we don’t know exactly what they said here. It could have been “I don’t follow the news” – a Pew Research poll from 2023 found that about 9% of Americans don’t follow the news at all, a number that very much could have increased in the last year as the news became more acrimonious.

Or it could be pointing to another problem with the news media: a lack of name recognition. As more and more Americans cite sources like “social media” as where they get news, the exact journalists behind that work can fade into the background, struggling from poor branding until all journalistic content seems homogenized in a tweet or a TikTok.

Regardless, the fact that nearly half of Americans are in their own media bubbles – or none at all – should ring loudly in the ears of media relations professionals.

What people pay attention to

Among those respondents who chose a news source, television reigns supreme. Of the top 10 named news sources, seven are TV stations, and all of the top five.

The most popular news sites for political news are:

• Fox News (13%)
• CNN (10%)
• Local TV (6%)
• ABC News (5%)
• NBC News (3%)
• NPR (3%)
• MSNBC (3%)
• The New York Times (3%)
• CBS News (3%)
• X/Twitter (2%)

In other words, a full third of Americans list a television news source as their primary way of getting political news.

This is not to say that they aren’t also getting news from local newspapers or influencers or the Wall Street Journal. Only that their top choices tend to gravitate toward television.

What is ‘the mainstream media’

Since Trump burst onto the political scene in 2015, there has been a great deal of discussion about “mainstream media.” What is it, is it bad, is it biased against Republicans. Pew Research asked about whether Americans consider their news source of choice to be part of the mainstream media. And overwhelmingly, the answer is “yes.”

Whether it’s MSNBC on the left end of the political spectrum or Fox News on the right, the majority of both stations’ viewers say they’re mainstream (88% and 61% respectively). Only 57% of viewers said that local TV was mainstream media, only 8% said it wasn’t – the remaining 34% said they weren’t sure. Of course, this is to be expected when dealing with a nebulous term like “mainstream media” which is entirely in the eye of the beholder. Is anything not on national television “mainstream news”? Or is it the prominence, prestige and power of a news source what makes it “mainstream”?

There is a strong political divide here. While 60% of all respondents said their favorite news source is mainstream media, only 48% of Republicans agreed, compared to 72% of Democrats. This is understandable given President Elect Donald Trump’s antagonism toward the mainstream media.

Regardless of political party, this survey shows a deeply fractured media environment with few clear winners. Clever PR professionals must truly understand their target audiences on a deep level to choose the right outlets – because there is no one size fits all.

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The post By the Numbers: Where Americans got election news appeared first on PR Daily.

Matthew Levison is global head of consumer at KWT Global.

If you gathered a group of journalists and thought leaders across the media landscape a decade ago to discuss the future of the industry, it would have lasted about 15 minutes, as the group simultaneous and emphatically proclaimed “print is dead and digital is king.” While at the time these claims felt alarmist, they also resonated as bold and visionary. Many moguls who made these declarations were seen as the realists, willing to say the quiet part out loud. A decade later, we still hear many of these statements and themes peppered through roundtables, bylines and keynotes, but today they feel reductive and out of touch. While it’s certainly true that the past decade has seen a reduction and refocusing of the print media landscape and the digital world thrives, the two are intimately linked alongside a far more nuanced ecosystem that sees the interconnectivity across print, digital, social and broadcast that complements and elevates the whole.

To further explore the dynamic between these various channels and unpack the interplay between them, KWT Global gathered a diverse set of editors and media leaders at the forefront of innovation across each, from Good Morning America, Cosmopolitan, Dossier and PS (formerly PopSugar). The insights in this piece are largely drawn from that discussion.

As digital platforms flourished and our media soothsayers began divining the impending print demise, online opportunities felt endless. Facing limitless audiences with instant access at their fingertips, the great traffic wars began, and the prevailing philosophy became “clicks at any cost.” Page views became king, and more eyeballs meant more money. That worldview reigned supreme throughout the birth and growth of digital, but about five years ago, a shift in thinking began to take hold and permeate editors across channels and outlets. With mass appeal, the “do it all” approach to editorial, and the rejection of specialized and focused brand growth came less loyal, less interested and less active readers.

While audience size and reach will always be an important part of a marketer’s mindset, alongside the media landscape, we too have grown, bringing a more sophisticated approach that prizes a qualified and engaged audience over a massive and mildly focused one. As both marketers and media leaders saw the value in a more tailored approach to content and the energized and active audience it brings, the industry’s next big course correction began, the niche-ification of today’s media landscape.

One of the most recent and visible manifestations of niche-fication is the recent full rebrand of PopSugar to PS. A complete overhaul that refocused and reframed the platform to double down on what they do best, driving the birth of this postscript to the legacy of the brand. As PS zeros in on real people with real stories and trusted reporting on health and wellness, audience trust grows, loyalty skyrockets, and engagement abounds.

This shift is happening across the industry, whether blatant or subtle, as all our panelists agreed. And what’s critical to the success of this shift toward niche-ification is the symbiotic relationship between a brand’s channels. What you lose in the mass audience you gain in the interwoven multi-point approach that inspires and activates these qualified audiences across multiple touchpoints. No longer is a story a story, as today’s story is tomorrow’s social post showing your product in action, next month’s print spread, and next week’s broadcast segment of best buys. Rather than the adversarial approach that defined the dynamic of the last decade’s media channels, today they work in tandem to strengthen, reinforce and drive to each other.

Smart marketers will embrace the change, dedicating resources and workstreams to a fully integrated multi-channel approach. This structural change should be designed to break down the silos that typically divide an agency to address the growing world of social editorial, the earned space living only on outlets’ social channels and the rise of the journo-fluencers  who have become the face of this content. A traditional editorial/influencer agency model is leaving results on the table as more and more value lies in the spaces in between. The agencies that will win are those whose barriers by channel fall away and refocus honing vertical experience to align with the focusing expertise and audience of each outlet.

Today’s media leaders and marketers understand that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and those that prioritize and respect the brand voice, perspective and authority of these outlets are those that thrive today and are poised to take on whatever shift is coming for us all next.

The post The niche-ification of today’s media landscape appeared first on PR Daily.

Let’s not bury the lede: local news is in a tailspin and has been for nearly two decades.

The 2024 State of Local News Report from the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications sheds a light on just how things have deteriorated in the last year. The report specifically examines newspapers, public broadcasters, network websites and standalone websites.

It’s a grim picture. But for the first time in years, there are some glimmers of hope on restoring these vital sources of news that inform communities, educate the populace and provide a key source for many PR professionals seeking hypertargeted messages.

Here are some of the most salient points for PR professionals.

Newspapers on the decline

Newspapers have been in trouble since they failed to adequately adapt their business model to the internet. Since 2005, the report finds that one-third of all newspapers have shut their doors. In the last year alone, 127 vanished. There are now 5,600 newspapers nationwide, with 80% of those weeklies.

In other words, there are only 1,120 daily newspapers in a country of 335 million.

Leading this steep decline is a continuing decrease in subscribers. The report found that 500 of the largest newspapers lost a cumulative 2 million subscribers in the past year – and that’s not even taking into account the Washington Post’s massive 250,000 subscriber exodus. That, of course, feeds into an overall reduction of newsroom staff, which shrunk by 2,000 roles in the last year. Overall, there are fewer than 100,000 workers employed in newspaper publishing nationwide.

These staffing reductions have also led to cuts in print frequency – or an overall move to digital. Even newspapers classified as “dailies” often don’t print on a daily basis – only about a third still have print editions seven days a week. Even among the 100 largest dailies, only 71 still live up to that title.. Thirty newspapers earned reclassification as “digital-only” sites, as they have stopped print circulation altogether.

Consolidation of newspaper ownership can make it even more difficult to land stories in print. The report looked at the homepages of 500 newspaper sites owned by the five largest holders (Gannett/Gatehouse, Alden/MediaNews Group, Adams Publishing Group, Paxton Media Group and a tie between Lee Enterprises and Carpenter Media Group) and found that one-third of the content came from another source, such as a news wire or a paper in a nearby area.

So even when there are newspapers, only about two-thirds of their content is being produced in house. On the one hand, that allows more of an opportunity for content to spread beyond its initial publication site. On the other hand, less content  produced locally reduces overall chances for placement.

Hope on the horizon

Things are pretty bad, but they aren’t completely bleak. As newspapers dwindle away, other types of news sources are cropping up to attempt to fill the void.

The report tracked 22 separate news networks across the U.S. that together represent more than 500 news sources. Some of these you’ve heard of, like Axios Local and Patch. These can vary widely in what they offer. Axios, for instance, offers local reporting primarily distributed through email newsletters. Meanwhile Patch, the largest of the networks, employs some reporters, but also opens its platform to independent reporters, who can use the site to share information without being employees.

These networks meet with mixed success, the report found. Patch has operated at a profit for several years but Axios laid off 10% of its staff earlier this year.

Another 52 new news sources cropped up in 2023 – a small number at the national level, but each representing a beacon for the community it serves, from The Owen News in Southern Indiana to The Plumas Sun in California. Ninety percent are digital-only, requiring less overhead to start than a print operation. And many are fueled by philanthropic giving, such as the Press Forward campaign, which has promised half a billion dollars for local newsrooms.

The bottom line for PR

Local news remains a critical part of many PR campaigns. While national placements like the Wall Street Journal might excite executives most, trust in local outlets remains higher than for national news. Pew Research found that 71% of Americans still trust their local news’ reporting to be accurate – huge numbers in a time of dwindling public trust.

It’s getting harder and harder to find placement in local news outlets, but there are also some tantalizing new options that allow PR professionals to connect with audiences who are engaged with their communities and passionate about the world around them. The ability to tap into these audiences, whether you want them to buy a new widget or get on board with a new wind farm, can’t be understated.

You might have to work a bit harder to get that placement, but it can still be so worth it.

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The post By the Numbers: The bleak state of local news – and a few bright spots appeared first on PR Daily.

The emergence of generative AI has brought significant changes to many areas of the public relations sector. One gaining traction right now is “digital twins” – virtual replicas of target personas.

In essence, digital twins are similar to the character profiles used in communications and marketing plans for decades, according to Ephraim Cohen, global managing director of media, platforms and storytelling at FleishmanHillard. The key difference is that digital twins are more dynamic in that they can use a broader range of data, which leads to better insights based on real-world results.

Cohen’s FleishmanHillard team first delved into generative AI more than five years ago as part of its ongoing effort to better understand audiences. When ChatGPT and other next gen products burst onto the scene around 2022, the agency “almost immediately started looking at digital twins” to make harvesting those insights “much faster, much easier and much more cost-effective to develop” than the traditional personas created by hand.

Jon Lombardo, co-founder of synthetic research platform Evidenza, noted that digital twins  also offer enhanced flexibility, allowing teams to test multiple messages simultaneously and compare the responses to each version.

“Things that used to take months now take literally minutes,” he said.

Developing a program

FleishmanHillard assembled a team of about 50 people to begin developing and testing its digital twin frameworks. The initial approach involved training bots on datasets related to audience behaviors, preferences and online conversations.

Cohen couldn’t go into detail about specific types, but he said FleishmanHillard’s main focus has centered on B2B and B2C audiences.

“We didn’t want to do it with real people, because there are a lot of legal and ethical ramifications there,” Cohen explained. “So we started by taking data sets on how people behaved, their favorite brands, purchase habits and online conversations, and then training bots on those data sets.”

The agency also used qualitative data sources such as academic papers, books and news clippings to build a more comprehensive understanding of their target audiences. That gave insight into things like behaviors, word choices and even their general thought processes.

The goal was not only to gain deeper audience insights, but to also create interactive tools that could assist with media relations and content strategy, Cohen said. He shared that the agency has even experimented with creating profiles of journalists and influencers to better understand how to position stories and content in a “way that resonates.”

Digital twins have made the once static persona “come to life,” Lombardo said. They can have actual names, roles and financial information, allowing for in-depth questioning. By asking the virtual person questions, they can gain the immediate feedback needed to model customer preferences, motivations and pain points.

“(Digital twins can) model the entire sample and give you a more robust view of what the market thinks,” Lombardo said. He added that Evidenza’s clients have had the most success using the platform to reach hard-to-access communities.

“Most of the people that PR people want to impress are not taking surveys or picking up the phone,” Lombardo said. “And in some ways, the only way to talk to them or model them is to use AI.”

Another area digital twins can help with, Lombardo said, is narrative and message testing – understanding how different stakeholders will respond to new campaigns or messaging. Beyond just helping to generate ideas, Lombardo advised PR pros to start asking their AI personas if they like the story angle or the messaging and why they feel that way.

Not as effective with real-time analysis

While the technology is promising, Lombardo highlighted that digital twins have limitations, particularly in real-time situations, such as crises or campaign results as they’re coming in.

“It’s very good at things that have a broader view, like research or segmentation or narrative testing,” he said. “It’s not as good at things that depend on real-time, immediate assessment.”

Cohen largely agreed with those sentiments, especially for digital twin programs just getting started.

Digital twins won’t be perfect from the start, especially when it comes to real-time processes. This is largely because most standard platforms aren’t designed for real-time use, but rather to learn from past data.

Cohen said that many of the initial results from FleishmanHillard’s trials weren’t relevant to their work because they were based on outdated information. It’s possible to train tools and keep them up-to-date, Cohen said, but a team needs to constantly feed and update them with new information. While it’s possible in theory, Cohen said that in practice, most digital twins would require a custom application to draw on real-time data.

While the technology isn’t there yet, Cohen said he feels the technology is moving in that direction. He said many augmentation technologies, like APIs, that can connect to bring in real-time data to a gen AI application.

“As it stands, we’re not there yet,” Cohen said. “But we’ll get there.”

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Using custom digital twins to better target messaging appeared first on PR Daily.

Vice President Kamala Harris is using her remaining time on the campaign trail to remind undecided voters about why they rejected former President Donald Trump at the polls four years ago.

With Election Day just two weeks away, most polls have the presidential race as a 50/50 contest. The Washington Post has Harris ahead in four of seven key battleground states, but the leads are tight.

In an effort to sway undecided voters, Harris’ camp has teamed up with Republican Liz Cheney and made efforts to reconnect with Black male voters, according to the New York Times. But the Democratic nominee has spent much of her time trying to paint Trump as unfit for the job and dangerous to the country. She’s doing so by using his own words against him.

“See for yourself,” Harris said during a recent campaign stop in Wisconsin before pointing to a screen that showed a 40-second video featuring Trump boasting about overturning Roe v. Wade.

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A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris)

“Harris’s attacks on Trump are intensifying as she tries to catch up to his lead on the economy, a key voter concern,” per the Times report. “Her campaign is reaching out to groups that might be turned off by Trump’s divisive style.”

Why it matters: Harris’ messaging strategy aims to frame her opponent as an unacceptable alternative.

While Trump’s remarks have raised eyebrows, Harris is spending crucial time highlighting what Trump doesn’t offer rather than presenting what she offers.

Opinions on Trump are mostly set. The New York Times reported that Trump’s advisers are urging him to focus on key issues and avoid personal attacks against Harris because they feel it could hurt him among female voters. However, his aggressive style and boldness seem intentional and resonate with some voters. His communication approach focuses on projecting strength and confidence, and it’s helped him gain ground among Black and Hispanic voters.

While Harris is trying to lure back some of that support by highlighting Trump’s negatives, she also needs to commit time to present more about her vision for the future. Harris did some of that during her recent interview on Republican-friendly Fox News, but she doesn’t have many remaining opportunities to generate support among could-be voters.

From a branding perspective, it’s crucial to focus on a product’s strengths, rather than just the drawbacks of the competition. People often prefer to buy into – or vote for – something they genuinely believe in and want. It’s hard to get excited about something presented as the little more than the best available option.

Editor’s Top Reads

• The NFL is taking a long game approach to developing markets around the world before rushing into true global expansion. The approach involves a heavy dose of relationship building and a development of brand loyalty. The league is doing so through a number of in person events, such as watch parties, athletic clinics and working with local business leaders. In Germany, for instance, the league has developed an alliance with Bayern Munich, a powerhouse in other football. The NFL hosts a handful of games around the world every year, in places like England, Germany, Brazil and next year, Spain. But the goal is “not to be the traveling circus and turn up and then go away again,” Henry Hodgson, who oversees the NFL’s operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland, said during an 800-person watch party for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland. Instead, the league makes sure it has strong, proven relationships with sponsors, media partners and a large number of fans before deciding where it plans to host a game. Ireland, which last hosted an NFL preseason game in 1997, has an estimated 350,000 fans out of roughly 7 million residents. “It’s about putting roots down,” Hodgson said. The NFL’s approach to growing its global brand is worth considering, even though it’s a unique product. When introducing a product or campaign, it’s essential to think about long-term growth, as you can’t relaunch it twice. Rather than pushing a product quickly and hoping it works, taking the time to understand your audience can lead to better results in the long run.
• Chick-fil-A plans to launch a new app featuring original, family-friendly media content, including animated shows, scripted podcasts, games, recipes and e-books. This content, designed for kids under 12 and their parents, will focus on themes like generosity, friendship, problem-solving, creativity and entrepreneurship. By taking control of its brand and storytelling, Chick-fil-A is working to forge emotional relationships with their customers that they hope will lead to increased sales. The app aims to keep the brand top of mind, even when customers aren’t visiting the restaurant, by providing engaging content that families can enjoy together. This push toward branded storytelling and content allows organizations to own brand perception from end-to-end in a way that feels organic and embeds the brand into daily life.
• The producers of “Alien: Romulus” are planning to release the sci-fi film on VHS. Yes, you read that correctly. Gizmodo reported that the video will feature the film only and come with no special bells and whistles. But the release will surely inspire film buffs and collectors of a certain age to consider purchasing it. The decision is an homage to the original “Alien” movie that came out more than 40 years ago. Beyond inspiring nostalgia, the approach aims to renew interest in the overall film franchise, which is set to have at least two more films in future years. It’s a unique throwback idea that piggybacks on nostalgia for watching grainy videos on a small screen – and it’s garnering plenty of earned media too for the quirky stunt.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post The Scoop: Harris’ finishing strategy is using Trump’s words against him appeared first on PR Daily.

In the last month, more high-profile media personalities have announced they’re taking their talents to Substack.

From creator economy journalist Taylor Lorenz to bestselling media mogul James Patterson to magazine legend Tina Brown, these disparate professionals have all cited creative freedom as a reason for striking out on the email platform.

“I write about the attention economy, and I write about the content creator industry, and I just want complete autonomy to write and do and say whatever I want, and engage a little bit more directly with my readers, with the public, when it comes to my work,” Lorenz, a former Washington Post columnist, told The Hollywood Reporter. Other factors leading to the rush to Substack include continuing layoffs and the rise of young, Gen-Z journalists ready to make a splash on their own terms.

Substack now boasts a cumulative 35 million readers of its diverse slate of newsletters, 3 million of whom pay for content (Substack takes a 10% cut of any subscription fees creators receive). And those millions of readers are engaged and activated around thousands of newsletters on topics ranging from politics to beauty, from religion to movies.

“The engagement is higher because people have opted in, they’re welcoming it in their inbox and they’re getting it pushed to them,” said Meredith Klein, former Pinterest and Walmart communications executive who has successfully pitched Substackers.

Here’s what you need to know about this platform, successful pitches and the road ahead.

Convincing clients of Substack’s importance

One of the biggest issues Klein has found when it comes to pitching Substacks is convincing her clients that this is worth their time. After all, even big Substacks don’t have the cache of The New York Times or TechCrunch. But it does include many journalists who used to work at those outlets.

That resistance can be overcome by simply pointing to the many prominent people who have been interviewed by Substack journalists. Patterson, for instance, already has Bill Clinton lined up as an interviewee on his new Substack. So, if it’s good enough for the likes of a former president, it’s probably good enough for your principal.

Sharing metrics can also help overcome wariness — though nailing those down can be tricky. It used to be easy to share viewership data or newspaper circulation, but getting that information is harder in a digital world. Substacks are no exception.

Some newsletters do share media kits, Klein said, that include their circulation figures, open and clickthrough rates and more. But even absent those concrete numbers, there are a few ways you can reverse engineer data points. Looking at social shares and the engagement there, for instance, can help give you an idea of how the content spreads beyond its core platform. She also finds that frequently, Substack will create its own ecosystem, with creators sharing content from one to the next.

“I think that Substacks are somewhat akin to a syndicate,” she said, likening it to Yahoo and even the old days of Scripps-Howard.

The risks of a Substack

While Substacks have many benefits, they also have some drawbacks from a PR perspective. The same freedom that writers crave from the platform can mean a lack of checks and balances, without the traditional editorial heft to rein them back in. It also means that each Substack can be very personality-driven, relying on the personal brand of each journalist to get readers. That might mean a looser tone than you could expect from traditional media.

“You might get some of those one-line zingers … because they’re able to do that where (before) that might have get gotten edited out,” Klein said.

Because of that, Substacks might be a better fit for pitching more B2C or less regulated industries. It might be worth a pause before going all-in with your pharmaceutical or financial services client, Klein said. But it all comes back to researching and knowing the outlet you’re pitching.

“You might test and learn with a smaller announcement, not a C-suite executive, just to start,” Klein said.”

Good media relations is good media relations

Substack is essentially a platform, like TikTok or Instagram, that is home to thousands of individual newsrooms. There is no “pitching Substack,” but rather pitching the many publications that call the platform home.

And the same principles that apply to pitching Substack authors also apply to pitching most other media sources.

Just like traditional journalism, Klein said, Substackers cover different topics in different ways. Some might lean toward reported features, while others might do more Skimm-esque roundups that link out without doing an interview. Some might be open to being pitched while others are not.

“Do your research,” Klein urged. “Identify the Substacks, understand their format, flow, cadence. Are they analysis versus feature versus commentary versus roundup? Then reach out.”

Then, it’s a matter of nurturing that relationship into the future.

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The post What you need to know about the rise of Substack appeared first on PR Daily.

The lines between marketing, advertising and public relations have become increasingly blurred. As a result, PR professionals can’t rely solely on metrics like media impressions to prove their value – the C-suite wants hard numbers that directly impact the bottom line.

Greg Swan, senior partner and Midwest digital lead for FINN Partners, believes it’s time for PR professionals to think with a marketing mindset. Swan suggests finding ways to own the customer journey from “awareness to action” to help quantify the impact of PR activities.

“If you can own the journey of how your customer hears about something, how they learn about it, and then how they get to the website or social, and then where the website or social will take them, you own the results,” said Swan. “If you own the journey, you own the results.”

Getting customers to self-volunteer data

PR often gets a bad rap for reporting results based on digital impressions, news clippings or qualitative impact, which don’t hold as much weight as conversions or sales lift, Swan said. But those social media shares, likes, website views, do matter – if they’re packaged with customer data.

During his 20-year career, Swan has found success harvesting information about would-be customers using clear calls-to-action to a specific link, typically to the brand’s website or social channels, in all PR efforts. These direct, actionable requests can come in the form of a custom URL, a QR code or a news story mentioning a specific website.

These allow a potential customer to self-identify their interest in the message or product while allowing the company to “cookie them” and gain valuable first-party data, Swan said.

Approaches could include creating a landing page with a lead capture form for consumers who see a brand featured on the morning news or ensuring a viral social media post directs viewers to a product page.

Swan recalled creating a PR campaign at a previous company that aimed to generate web traffic and increase email signups for a travel industry company. A focal point of the approach was a shareable contest widget that required an email address. Swan’s team matched the collected emails with new and current customers, expanding the audience databases.

To capture traffic from consumers who saw the earned media hit on TV news or a print outlet, the team adapted their search engine marketing terms to direct to the company’s website when they searched for more information on Google.

“We had now quantified earned media coverage,” Swan said.

Finding ways to integrate

Earned media isn’t always going to produce easily trackable data. Swan has worked on many campaigns where news stories in publications and on broadcast didn’t have custom links. Yet, even without embedded URLs, his teams managed to calculate their sales successes because they tethered their data to marketing figures.

For instance, PR pros can look at the timing of when a story ran on TV or online and compare it to search results and look for spikes in traffic on their website. Teams pitching a story or launching a campaign should tailor their search engine marketing keywords to match, Swan said. This way, when someone reads about it in a trade publication, sees it on TV, or hears about it from a friend and searches online, they’ll end up in a targeted search pool. Swan also suggests social listening tools should always be running and up to date.

After securing that data, cross-reference it against the marketing figures. Sales numbers are pretty straightforward. But there’s also “consideration and engagement phase” data – signing up for a loyalty program or visiting a website’s store locator – that can show a customer’s purchase intent. From a B2B perspective, that could be signing up to learn more or downloading a white paper.

Combined, that information offers a numerical snapshot of PR’s role in the sales process.

Swan gave the example of one of his campaigns that got featured on ABC News and was later syndicated to markets across the United States.

“You don’t have a link for it, but you have your social marketing and search engine marketing programs on,” Swan said. “When (the audience) saw it on the news, they picked up their phone and searched for your brand name or the promotion they just heard of, and then, bam, you’ve got them. Now we’re going to send social ads all around wherever they are, try to get their email address and maybe later they’ll find their way to your social pages.”

In these situations, marketing will target the same audience at the same time with similar messages to see if those people will engage with that content or share it.

“Sometimes, because there are lots of things that are measurable, it seems like the things that aren’t measurable in a similar way are broken or less than,” Swan said. “What I’d say is, those mediums haven’t changed, but how we measure does need to change.”

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Own the customer journey to help prove PR’s role in driving sales appeared first on PR Daily.

Gina Preoteasa, is VP, Client Services, at Kite Hill PR.

Breaking through the noise during a major industry moment can be challenging. The attention of target audiences is split in many directions. Having a headline news story can go a long way in helping to break through the onslaught of social media, emails and meetings. So how does a PR pro secure top-tier coverage for clients and/or their brand, especially during tentpole industry events like AWNewYork 2024 or Communications Week? While difficult, it’s not impossible.

There are many tips for breaking through during an event news cycle but two in particular are foundational:

1. Start planning earlier than you’d think. Major industry moments require a lot of planning, which often involve many stakeholders at an organization. For example, a product announcement at an industry event can have a big impact. Product teams need to work alongside marketing teams to develop roadmaps and launch dates that correlate to opportune industry moments – all well in advance. This approach helps their products stand out and resonate more than they would otherwise without the reinforcement of an in-person element.
2. Consider the event itself. Every event comes with its own flavor and understanding the nuances can be key to helping a brand or story stand out. For example, Advertising Week is known for its dynamic and fun activations, which offer attendees fun experiences and oftentimes tasty treats. Thinking creatively about how to bring a brand to life through an activation can be an excellent way to generate press coverage and social media buzz. Pairing the activation with an announcement can add to the excitement and news value. Such a strategic approach can help to lengthen the announcement’s news cycle and extend the story beyond a mention in a daily news roundup.

Advanced planning and strategic announcement development must happen first. Then, there are three supporting strategies to implement once a plan is in place:

1. Tap into key themes and trends early. It’s no longer enough to reach out to reporters a few weeks before an event, vaguely ask their plans for attendance and expect a response. PR professionals must anticipate the key themes and trends that will dominate the event early and act swiftly. This means staying close to event organizers, monitoring industry publications to draw connections between industry trends and the show’s planned thematic tracks and engaging with likely-to-attend media to offer strong insights that complement the most pressing topics on the docket to address. By aligning messaging with emerging narratives, PR pros have a greater opportunity to ensure their clients’ or brand’s stories not only resonate with journalists but offer something unique to the main themes of the show.
2. Think smart about thought leadership. Thought leadership content is a powerful tool as it positions leaders as industry experts on specific topics helping to establish their credibility. In the lead-up to any large industry event, prepare your experts by contributing thought-provoking articles, op-eds and blog posts to relevant industry publications. Doing so will help guarantee your spokesperson extra airtime with attending reports during the conference itself, as those media will be familiar with your spokesperson’s POV and how their insights can help aid good, quality journalism.
3. Consider all your channels. As a PR pro, it’s important to think beyond the earned media wins — ask yourself, how can you amplify them to extend their reach and potential to as wide a relevant audience as possible? Start with shared and owned channels. What could social content look like? Blog or website content? Beyond those mediums, would it make sense to take a portion of the remaining budget to further amplify that content via paid channels? Extend the life of your hard-earned media wins by maximizing their exposure.

Finally, it’s always important to have an agile mindset. Leveraging strategic communication tactics and having a deep understanding of the media landscape is a necessary tool, and PR pros must stay on their feet to adjust and tackle roadblocks head-on. With an agile-first mindset, PR pros can effectively navigate the complexities of the upcoming event cycle and get closer to achieving their, and their clients’ or brand’s, objectives.

Industry events can be exciting and fun. While nothing can guarantee earned media coverage, leveraging these tools to elevate your clients and/or brand can certainly aid in breaking through the noise. With these strategic communication tactics in play, PR professionals are one step closer to navigating the complexities of industry events and securing top-tier outcomes that move the needle forward.

The post Tips for earning attention during major industry events appeared first on PR Daily.

PR isn’t always about reaching the public in a broad sense. Often, it’s about reaching just a few of the most influential of all people – like a Fortune 500 CEO.

“On any given brand, on any given topic, it’s relatively small groups of people that are influencing public opinion,” explained Collin Berglund, managing director at Rational 360. “And one of the major groups that we see influencing public opinion the most right now are executives of big companies. Part of the reason for that is they are amplifying their voices directly to different audiences in their own way. A lot of them have their own podcasts. They are more active on social media than they’ve ever been, and executive voices are performing better online than (brand) voices typically. So that makes them more able to influence online reputation on a number of different issues.”

That trend inspired Rational 360 to take a deep dive into who influences the most powerful executives in the country. After all, if you can identify who these leaders listen to, you can better refine your own pitching and get targeted messages in front of precisely the right audience.

“This list provides one input into a prioritization strategy for clients,” Berglund said. “If you want to be reaching a group of executives, these are the reporters that are worth your time to be building relationships with, because their audience includes a lot of key executives.”

To accomplish this, Rational 360 scraped social data from X, where 100 Fortune 500 CEOs have an account. They then identified the accounts of media personalities they follow most, using the concept of “could someone pitch a story to this figure?” to determine who should make the list. For instance, even if every account followed @whitehouse, they can’ t be pitched, and thus wouldn’t make the cut.

Here’s what they found:

1. Jim Cramer, CNBC: Followed by 36% of CEOs
2. Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times and CNBC: Followed by 24% of CEOs
3. Kara Swisher, Vox Media: Followed by 22% of CEOs
4. David Faber, CNBC: Followed by 19% of CEOs
5. Emily Chang, Bloomberg: Followed by 18% of CEOs
6. Brian Sozzi, Yahoo Finance: Followed by 17% of CEOs
7. Julia Chatterley, CNN, followed by 15% of CEOs
8. Becky Quick, CNBC, followed by 14% of CEOs
9. TIE: Jon Fortt and Sara Eisen, both CNBC, followed by 13% of CEOs
10. TIE: Carl Quintanilla, CNBC, and Stephanie Ruhle, MSNBC, followed by 12% of CEOs
11. Thomas Friedman, The New York Times, followed by 11% of CEOs
12. TIE: Dan Primack (Axios) and Maria Bartiromo (Fox Business), followed by 10% of CEOs

Download the full report and see all 70 names here.

The most popular news sources followed by executives were CNBC (15 mentions), The New York Times (11), Bloomberg (7) and CNN (6).

It’s unsurprising, of course, that many of these personalities are focused on business news. But what did stand out to Berglund about the list was how many of the personalities have invested heavily in building their own media brands.

“They are often working on supplemental products that are online products that reach different discrete audiences,” he explained. “Andrew Ross Sorkin is the second person on the list, he’s obviously at the New York Times, but also writes DealBook, an actual online newsletter. Our suspicion is that’s really the primary reason he’s on here is because of the online newsletter more so than his traditional role at the New York Times. We think that really a lot of the folks on here have kind of built themselves into brands that are reaching these CEOs directly.”

The other surprise for Berglund was how U.S.-centric most of the journalists were – 90% of the figures on the list primarily create content about the United States. But as business continues to globalize, he anticipates a shift toward executives following more international figures rather than only consuming news from an American perspective.

Berglund noted that this approach could be applied to other key audiences besides executives to better understand and target their media influences.

“Others are looking for, who are the media figures influencing this key committee in Congress. Others are looking at who’s influencing a broader set of influencers around their brand. So, this type of approach can be leveraged, not just for CEOs, but for a number of different objectives that different organizations have.”

The post By the Numbers: These are the media personalities that Fortune 500 CEOs follow most appeared first on PR Daily.

A PR nightmare ignited in Springfield, Ohio, in early September when baseless claims about a surge of Haitian migrants into the community started spreading on social media. A few days later, Donald Trump added fuel to the growing crisis by repeating the already disproven rumors during a live presidential debate.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump falsely said of the legal immigrants in the small community outside Dayton. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country.”

Although the Springfield Police Department had already debunked Trump’s message, the quote and the sentiment around it persisted in the political discourse as well as through widely shared memes and social chatter.

Following comments, the area experienced more than 30 bomb threats at state and local government buildings and schools, prompting closures and heightened security measures. Many local Haitians also voiced fear for their safety.

The Springfield team did a solid job of responding to the situation with correct information and positive talking points after the fact, said Kathryn Metcalfe, a former CCO of CVS Health and Deloitte, but said it felt like the city was caught off guard. She didn’t fault them. In fact, she said most organizations would be these days.

“Companies are not ready for misinformation and disinformation, and the American public isn’t really ready for how to determine if something is real or not,” she added.

The Springfield incident was a perfect storm of circumstances – a presidential election, a small town caught off guard, and a sensational narrative to share online. The speed and volume of misinformation should have been an “alarm bell for all communicators,” Metcalfe said.

For Springfield, the ordeal began after a lengthy Facebook post from local resident Erika Lee. End Wokeness, a politically conservative account on X, shared the post, which contained almost entirely bad information about a neighbor’s missing cat, things spiraled from there.

“Springfield is a small town in Ohio.\4 years ago, they had 60k residents.\Under Harris and Biden, 20,000 Haitian immigrants were shipped to the town.\Now ducks and pets are disappearing.”

These situations are difficult to handle for any organization. But Metcalfe said there are best practices that can help address them before they do real damage to their reputation or bottom line.

Establish a proactive narrative

Metcalfe, currently a professor at NYU, said the situation in southwest Ohio showed how quickly misinformation can spread, even when faced with factual refutation.

The falsehoods had been debunked before the debate, yet Trump shared them anyway. Debate moderated David Muir immediately corrected Trump on-stage. Yet the false information continued to spread.

This highlights the importance of having a “proactive narrative” in place to combat misinformation or bad headlines with the story you want to convey, Metcalfe said. That involves delving deep into an organization’s inner workings to identify potential vulnerabilities. Understanding those will allow you to come up with responses to questions or maybe even reframe the story. But that’s difficult when the organization in question is a town of 60,000 most had never heard of with a small communications staff.

Springfield did have a proactive narrative, to some extent. Days before the lies about immigrants hit critical mass, a major story ran in The New York Times that highlighted the immigrants – both the challenges and the successes. “By most accounts, the Haitians have helped revitalize Springfield,” the story noted.

After being thrust into the national spotlight, Springfield created a frequently asked questions page specifically focused on immigration. It sits prominently on its homepage. The page plainly dispels the unfounded rumors about eating geese as well as those about

Haitians committing crimes. It also provides a counter-narrative of why the city experienced an increase in migration, noting that it was primarily due to an influx of legal immigrants looking for a great place to live and find a job. Immigrants are working factory and warehouse jobs, according to the FAQ, and they’ve also started 10 businesses, including restaurants and grocery stores.

“Springfield is an appealing place for many reasons including lower cost of living and available work. These conditions are thought to be the primary reasons for immigrants to choose Springfield. Now that there are numerous immigrant families residing in our community, word of mouth is adding to our population, as this communal culture is sharing their positive experiences about living in our community with family and friends who are also seeking to leave the impoverished and dangerous living conditions of their home country.”

“Having your thoughts, story and data ready at a moment’s notice is crucial, because these situations move fast, as we saw,” Metcalfe said.

Leverage third-party messengers

Part of recovering from a reputational challenge like the one in Springfield is setting the record straight and advancing a different narrative. One way to do that is to identify key messengers and influencers who can help share your story with targeted communities.

In Springfield, those messengers included Lee, responsible for the original Facebook post about her neighbor’s missing cat. She went on national TV and stated on the record that she had no firsthand knowledge of an immigrant’s involvement in the disappearance.

“It just exploded into something I didn’t mean to happen,” she told NBC News.

The city also received public support from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Springfield native. He wrote a more than 1,200-word guest column for The New York Times entitled “I’m the Republican Governor of Ohio. Here Is the Truth About Springfield.” The piece outlines that the city has faced challenges, but it remains a great community largely because of the residents, including the new Haitian arrivals.

“The Springfield I know is not the one you hear about in social media rumors. It is a city made up of good, decent, welcoming people. They are hard workers — both those who were born in this country and those who settled here because, back in their birthplace, Haiti, innocent people can be killed just for cheering on the wrong team in a soccer match.”

For a company facing a similar situation, Metcalfe emphasized working to identify the most important influencers, whether it’s through on-camera appearances, community meetings or social media, to help share your message in the New York Times.

“The mission disinformation problem is so big, it’s going to easily overwhelm any one company, organization or municipality,” Metcalfe said. “You can’t go it alone.”

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post PR lessons from falsehoods about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio appeared first on PR Daily.

There are times when your organization will have to turn down a media request.

Michael Perry, a vice president of external communications for the E.W. Scripps Company, noted that reporters typically understand that companies or individuals have to do what’s best for them. But the way an organization chooses to decline a request for comment or an interview can have an effect on not only that story but future stories down the road.

“Every organization has to do what’s best for them and their situation,” said Perry, who began his career in journalism. “But there is also a way to not comment that can show respect and professionalism and not damage relationships with media outlets.”

Deciding whether or not to respond

When possible, it’s best to offer a response to a reporter, Perry said. But there are times when that just can’t happen, especially when it comes to sensitive topics. In those situations, it’s important to consider two major questions:

• Is there value in sharing your side of a story or adding information that might not be known?
• Could an interview or comment hurt you or your company and how?

Perry noted that it’s vital the entire organization – investor relations, the legal department, human resources and the executive team – works in sync when deciding whether to respond.

“Thinking about how everything plays out later, including on social media, is important,” he said.

Another factor to consider is the organization’s past experiences with the media outlet and reporter. If the company has provided access to sources and information for years and there’s one time they can’t comment, that shouldn’t be an issue.

“I would have equity with you,” Perry said. “If we have never worked together, you might be more frustrated because you don’t know me.”

The dos and don’ts of saying ‘no’

Perry described responding to all media inquiries as “a must” – even if you can’t provide a comment.

His team always responds to calls and emails from reporters as soon as they can – whether they’re planning to issue an on-the-record response or not. If they can’t provide an answer, they let them know and, if possible, explain why.

“It’s a personnel matter, a personal matter, pending litigation, a privacy matter – those are legit reasons for not responding,” Perry said. “But at least offer an explanation as to why you’re not commenting.”

If you’re on the fence about taking part in a media request, it’s possible to respond to questions without really answering the question directly. Perry isn’t an advocate for that approach because he doesn’t think it’s particularly effective.  It happens though, and there’s an art to it.

“Listen to every Sunday morning news program and every coach’s press conference,” Perry said. He noted that good reporters will likely continue to try to ask that question or word it differently.

A simple “no comment” is sometimes unavoidable, Perry said. But he would “rather have an article say I responded and couldn’t comment versus did not return calls or refused to respond to emails.”

Perry said doing that is never ideal, though, regardless of the circumstances. Reporters and the public may interpret that as the organization being dismissive or evasive, or both.

Success measured in relationship strength

Of course, there are times when a PR professional has to turn down a request for an interview or comment even if they want to respond, perhaps due to a deadline issue.

If that happens, it’s always nice to at least email the reporter and let them know why they can’t take part in the story, Perry said. It’s about treating them like professionals with a job to do – and that includes being respectful and accessible, within reason.

“A reporter wants to be treated respectfully and with the understanding they have a job to do that sometimes conflicts with what you would like,” Perry said.

Journalists and PR practitioners often have a collaborative relationship, but sometimes there is a fork in the road where each needs something different.

Perry emphasized that the most obvious gauge of whether or not to decline comment or an interview request is the quality of coverage and whether there was fair treatment. But he also stressed that another important barometer is how the situation affects working with a reporter or an entire newsroom down the road.

“I know it’s easier said than done, but reporters and media relations teams should have tremendous respect for each other’s roles and understand what’s in the best interest of one might not be in the best interest of the other at any given time. And that’s OK.

“Everyone has a job to do,” he added. “Communicate with respect and know that a long-term relationship has value.”

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post The art of saying ‘no’ to media requests appeared first on PR Daily.

Paywalls seem to be cropping up on every news site, cutting off stories that once would have been freely available to the public. Just this week, CNN announced it will charge users who read an unspecified number of articles $3.99 per month for all access. Reuters announced a similar plan, with its plans starting at $1 per week.

Pay-to-read content can be a double-edged sword for PR professionals. The journalism industry needs steady, reliable income in order to pay journalists and survive. But a paywall will almost definitionally reduce the reach and readability of content — including that which may feature your client. The type of paywall can also affect the repercussions of a paywall: under the CNN and Reuters scheme, any article can be read by the public so long as they aren’t a power user. Under other plans, such as USA Today and regional newspaper owner Gannett, certain articles are marked for subscribers only, restricting readership across the board.

But how does the general public feel about paying for news?

A new report from Morning Consult sheds some light on what may impact your media strategy when paywalls are involved.

How Americans value news

Many consumers are just plain tired of the news. This is especially true as we look at younger audiences.

Only a slim majority of adults say they actively seek out news. But that stat is massively skewed by news-loving Baby Boomers, 69% of which proactively hunt for news — or perhaps still even receive a print product. In contrast, only 38% of Gen Z actively looks for news, while 17% go out of their way to avoid getting information about the world around them.

The presidential election may be one reason for this fatigue: Millennial survey respondents who actively seek out news decreased from 53% at the end of 2023 to just 44% now.

Who pays for news

For those outlets looking to solve their financial woes with a paywall, there’s bad news.

Only 16% of Americans currently pay for a subscription to a news outlet. By way of comparison, about 22% of Americans and Canadians subscribe to Netflix.

Among those who don’t subscribe, the primary reasons are that they feel they can get the information somewhere else (74%), and that news is not worth paying for (66%). While some might think bias is a primary driver, Morning Consult reported it fell right in the middle of the reasons for not subscribing.

This section reveals two key problems in the news industry. The first is that news outlets mostly gave information away for free for the first several decades of the internet. In the early days, it was easier to earn money through digital ads, though the consolidation of on-site advertising to Google Ads has severely limited income in recent years. So, entire generations of consumers were trained that news wasn’t something worth paying for. It’s little wonder that 66% still hold that view. As for being able to get that information elsewhere, let’s look at where consumers do get their news today.

As we can see, Americans turn to “social media” more than any other news source. But what does this actually mean? It could mean content directly from news outlets’ official accounts or the journalists who work for them. Or it could be information shared (often without attribution) from other accounts. And while one might hit a paywall if they click on a link included with a post, many might be satisfied with the tidbits they get from an Instagram story or a TikTok. So indeed, their news is free, even if it’s powered behind the scenes by work performed by news outlets that feature paywalls.

Paywalls would most likely come into play on news websites, which are a weekly stop for just 45% of Americans. And as we’ve noted, many outlets are only paywalling power users — and only 26% of respondents visit news sites daily, which might tip them into that heavy user category.

Consumers of video streaming services and cable news are paying for the privilege as well — but in a more oblique, bundled way that might not even register with most people.

Most consumers indicate they believe most kinds of news content should be available free of charge. They indicated the most willingness to pay for special interest (31%), entertainment (27%) and op-eds (26%), but even those numbers never broached a third of consumers. They felt most strongly that weather news (15%), safety (16%) and local news (16%) should be free and available for the public.

What it means for PR professionals

So, should you turn away outlets that feature a paywall?

Sure, go ahead and tell your CEO that you rejected the Wall Street Journal because of it. See how that goes over.

Obviously, that’s an overreaction. But it is an item you need to consider in your media strategy. Those who subscribe to publications can often be decision-makers, especially in the B2B space. Or those subscribing to niche, trade or special interest publications may be more knowledgeable and ready to buy your product.

But you also need to have a plan for reaching the most passive news consumers who may consider social media the only news source they need. Whether that’s working with a journalist to provide their social media team with shareable assets or footage to be used in a short video or handling your own in-house social, many people expect the algorithm to deliver their news directly to them.

Have a plan for reaching both high-intent and low-intent consumers.

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The post By the Numbers: What consumers think about paying for news appeared first on PR Daily.

The modern media landscape presents  opportunities for organizations to take control over their image and messaging.

The longstanding struggles of the traditional news media have presented challenges to those accustomed to working with reporters as a way to get their stories out to customers. However, the evolution of owned channels – such as websites, blogs and social media – allows organizations to share stories directly with their audience, fostering a sense of community and engagement.

“There’s indeed more emphasis on using owned channels, as it provides brands with greater control over their narratives and messaging,” said Aubry Jackson, corporate communications manager for United Airlines. “Those platforms… allow organizations to share stories directly with their audience, creating a greater sense of community and engagement.”

Securing coverage in legacy news outlets remains important, Jackson said. But by blending social media, influencer partnerships, brand newsrooms and earned media content in a thoughtful way, organizations can “share the type of stories they want to tell directly with their audience,” Jackson said.

“It’s no longer just about getting a story placed in a top-tier outlet,” she added.

Adopting a homegrown approach to storytelling

Jackson stressed the importance of prioritizing social media as a channel for storytelling and engagement, not just promotion. United, for instance, is tapping into Instagram and X for real-time customer service and travel updates, allowing for direct interaction with travelers. The goal is to give current and future customers more immediate, usable content, Jackson said.

A recent example Jackson gave was the major CrowdStrike outage that crippled airlines, hospitals and other customer-centric industries.

“It just vanished,” Jackson recalled of the use of much of United’s technology during the outage. “Everyone woke up to find we had to go back to checking folks in with pen and paper.”

In that situation, the team funneled all the operations information passengers through the company’s website, app and social media to create a hub for updates that United controlled. Jackson said the airline has recently improved its app to use generative AI, making it easier for customers to track their flight status.

“This has given us a huge amount of transparency and allows people more control over their travel plans,” she said.

The value of a brand hub

The airline is also turning to influencers to create what Jackson called “authentic narratives” that are more relatable to targeted audiences than a piece that might run in a newspaper or in a local newscast. She gave the example of a series of behind-the-scenes videos that showcase the dedication of its staff or highlight unique travel experiences.

Interactive features like polls or Q&A sessions are great ways to encourage audience participation and feedback as well, Jackson said.

“This not only engages followers but also humanizes the brand, creating a stronger emotional connection,” she added.

Many organizations have established their own brand newsrooms,  featuring high-quality photos, videos and news items that tell their stories directly from the brand’s point of view. United has a dedicated section on its website for news and the latest updates, essentially turning it into a hyper-specific media outlet of its own. It has a variety of multimedia assets, fact sheets and fully produced stories. One of the most recent was about the San Francisco 49ers being the first NFL team to purchase sustainable aviation fuel as a step to address emission concerns.

Jackson stressed that having these tools allows brands to position themselves as thought leaders and not just resources for a reporter’s story.

“This involves not only sharing updates during key moments but also finding opportunities to tell stories that reflect brand values and missions throughout the year,” she said.

Maximizing earned media

There’s still great value in earned media, but it’s essential to integrate it into an overall strategy, Jackson said. Brands can amplify their messages by promoting earned coverage through social media and paid campaigns, driving traffic back to their owned properties.

“This holistic approach not only enhances the effectiveness of communication strategies but also reinforces the overall narrative, making earned media a critical component in a brand’s marketing mix,” Jackson said.

The value of a multi-channel approach lies in its ability to reach diverse audiences through various touchpoints, maximizing engagement and impact. By leveraging different channels brands can tailor their messages to fit the unique characteristics of each medium.

This strategy not only broadens the reach but also allows for more targeted messaging, ensuring that the right audience receives the right information in the most effective format, Jackson said.

Tracking the success of the blended approach also comes down to using the right metrics to calculate engagement. She advocated for drilling into available audience data for traffic to the various platforms on which content gets shared to develop a truly tailored approach.

“It allows companies to not only earn attention but also foster a deeper connection that transcends traditional media relations,” Jackson said.

Aubrey Jackson will be one of the all-star speakers at the 2024 Future of Communications Conference. It will take place Nov. 13-15 in Austin, Texas.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post The benefits of a brand newsroom as part of an overall media strategy appeared first on PR Daily.

Grace Williams is VP of client relations at PANBlast. 

For most, the pumpkin spice latte is synonymous with fall, but for those of us in public relations, the latte’s return marks the start of a different season — predictions season. Each year, brands and publications alike publish perspectives on what’s to come in the year (or years) ahead. From macro topics like healthcare to niche subjects like forensic accounting, there’s no shortage of opportunities to contribute. 

I could see how predictions might feel tired or overdone, but it’s a great time to reset for the year ahead, have meaningful and interesting conversations with your subject matter experts and get on the radar of a few of your favorite journalists (because you can bet the topic is on their ed cals). 

Planning your predictions campaign 

There’s a variety of places your well-earned predictions quotes could live. You should use them as the thesis for customer newsletters, blog content, LinkedIn content and short-form videos. Consider campaign elements like webinars, ebooks featuring outside SMEs and customer/market surveys about the future of the industry. Pitching predictions to media is only one part of a larger initiative. 

I generally advise clients to start planning annual predictions campaigns in September. Years of data shows related pieces publish as early as October and run as late as April. Factor in the time it will take to get approved predictions from your SMEs and you better get going! 

So you’re drafting predictions… but whose? 

Once you have buy-in on the idea of a predictions campaign, the next step is to choose the thought leaders you’ll tap and schedule sessions to discuss their insights for the year ahead. Choosing thought leaders can come down to a few things: 

• Willingness — Some thought leaders are more excited by the idea of predictions than others. That’s totally fine. We need bold predictions to garner coverage, so there’s no need to spend time convincing the CFO she has to publish a prediction if she isn’t interested. 
• Title — Consider what types of predictions you might like to make and who maps to that topic. What makes the SME unique or a good fit for a specific trend? If climate change is a hot topic in your space and you have a director of sustainability, they’re likely a great person to use (and it doesn’t need to be your CEO). 
• Availability — Predictions can be a heavy lift. Story-mining calls, quote approvals, blog and/or byline approvals and interview availability. If your SME has a big initiative they’re working on to close out the year, they might not be the best pick. 
• Diversity — You’ve already considered the diversity of the SME bench you’re pitching, and the same principles apply to predictions. Readers don’t only want to know what white men have to say about 2025. 

Important note: Resist the urge to include everyone! You really only need predictions from two or three people. Anything more and you’ll likely get overwhelmed with approvals and organization. Keep the initiative simple and focused. 

Writing predictions that are *actually* good

The number one killer of predictions initiative is a bland, repetitive quote that doesn’t say much. Unfortunately, odds are your SMEs aren’t going to come to the call having just visited their favorite psychic. That’s totally okay, and it’s where you come in. 

The majority of a PR person’s work on a predictions campaign happens in the prep stage, coaxing interesting insights out of SMEs and putting together predictions that don’t suck. Here’s how to do it: 

• Provide thought starters — It’s way easier to react to someone else’s statement than it is to come up with your own. Structure your predictions calls in this format, bringing in research for your SMEs to weigh in on. Some places I like to pull from include industry predictions from the previous year (check in on them and see if they actually came to fruition), analyst reports, competitor thought leadership and conversations from sales calls and/or your customer advisory board.
• Consider major events — ICYMI, there’s a pretty big election coming up! Consider the outcomes of that along with other macro trends that might be relevant to your industry (like holiday shopping for retail companies).
• Use AI to tell you what’s tired — The average 8th grader can type “What are some predictions for the HR tech space in 2025” into ChatGPT. So be better than that. If you want to use AI to get started, that’s fine, but if your SMEs are predicting the same as Claude or Gemini, don’t be shocked when you don’t see much success.

Be firm and confident in your follow-up questions during these sessions. You are the expert on media, and you know what will resonate and what won’t. Don’t be satisfied with the expected “AI is going to be big in 2025” response, and counsel your SMEs on the importance of vendor neutrality. No one is “checking” to make sure these predictions come true, so bolder is better. Your pushback now will result in more wins down the road. 

Most of all, make sure what you’re getting is actually a prediction. I can’t tell you how many quotes I read that are statements of fact, or the general discussion of a trend. Predictions should predict something specific. 

You’ve got the predictions, now what? 

Before you post any predictions all to an owned channel, reserve a few specifically for media. The importance of exclusivity here cannot be overstated. If media coverage is a goal of your predictions campaign, do not first publish the same predictions verbatim on your site. 

Coverage can take a variety of forms. Some reporters publish an annual roundup of quotes from go-to sources, others will use predictions as a timely topic for a Q&A or integrate the theme into ongoing coverage. Certain trades publish an entire series, with multiple articles segmented by trend. Predictions can also take the form of contributed content, where your SMEs write an entire piece either expanding on their own predictions or collaborating with others in the space on a joint piece. 

A few things to keep in mind as you’re shopping prediction quotes: 

• Do your research — It’s fairly easy to look back at coverage from this time last year and see if a reporter typically writes a predictions piece. Get a feel for their style, how they put their pieces together and offer them something they’ll respond well to. On the flip side, if they typically write in-depth features and haven’t ever run a roundup of quotes, an offer to send over a prediction is unlikely to land. 
• Review past wins — Look back at where your predictions (or your competitors’ predictions) were covered last year and soft-sound those reporters to see if they’re working on an updated piece before going broad with your offer. It’s fun to offer a retrospective on your insights from last year and follow up with refreshed perspective for the next. 
• Respect the process — I have to imagine that during predictions season the emails in journalists’ inboxes increase significantly. Due to this fact, many have developed very specific guidelines for submitting quotes. Sometimes they ask for submissions via a Google Form, others will proactively send an email to the PR people they regularly work with outlining specific guidelines (subject line, what to include, topics, etc.). This might differ from how you normally pitch, but it’s imperative to follow their guidelines. Failing to do so will lead to frustration from both sides. 
• Streamline outreach — If you work at an agency, develop some sort of system for not inundating reporters. Collaborate in a spreadsheet, or assign point people to pubs you know will run a piece. One email detailing everyone at the agency’s predictions for the supply chain in 2025 is better than 8 disparate emails.
• Original quotes — Don’t give the same quote to two different reporters. Similar topics or themes are probably okay, but the exact same quote is a no-no. 

I have always enjoyed predictions season. The opportunity to get fresh insights from our clients, inject some excitement into our campaigns and generate coverage a bit outside of the norm. It’s something we can rally around as an agency and alongside our clients, and it’s a great reminder that we work with some incredibly intelligent people who are energized by the changes we face, not intimidated by them.

Approach your predictions campaigns with genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for what the future could bring — I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. 

The post Pitching 2025 predictions? Read this first. appeared first on PR Daily.

Linda Zebian  is senior director of communications at Muck Rack.

Pitching gift guides can be a good strategy for PR pros to secure those last few earned media hits of the year. But don’t wait until the halls are decked to reach out to journalists. Experts agree: Labor Day is the best time to start pitching products for holiday roundups. That means there’s still time to make this year’s lists.

According to Jill Schildhouse, freelance writer for publications like Business Insider and USA Today, writers can receive upwards of 500 pitches for a gift guide that has 25 product slots, so your goal should be to stand out from the crowd. Here are a few top tips:

1. Think SEO and affiliate marketing.

Modern gift guides require something extra: products must be available on affiliate marketing networks, meaning the publication or media outlet can earn commission when readers click links and make purchases. Highlight this detail prominently in your original pitch.

“Gift guides have surged in popularity, primarily due to their impact on commerce and search engine optimization (SEO),” explains Amber Masciorini, senior public relations manager at ChicExecs. “…Consumers actively search for gift ideas during peak seasons, prompting publishers to capitalize on this high search volume to boost their visibility and engagement.”

2. Share all the details upfront.

Alesandra “Alice” Dubin, a freelance writer for publications like Travel + Leisure and Good Housekeeping, likes to see a bulleted list of key details: what the product is, price, affiliate information and a live link. Make sure reporters have everything they need without having to follow up.

3. Review last year’s picks.

Many publications update existing gift guides rather than creating new ones — this means researching last year’s roundups is increasingly important.

Here’s an insider PR tip from Masciorini: “By analyzing competitors and conducting keyword searches, I create a targeted media list to pitch my clients for consideration in these gift guides.”

5. Confirm your product is gift-worthy

Not every product is going to be a natural fit for gift guides, and it’s important to be realistic with yourself and your client before pitching. Instead of forcing a fit, consider other strategic ways to gain press coverage for non-gift items.

Your product may be a fit for evergreen roundups at other times of the year — plus, target writers are receiving far fewer pitches outside the holiday rush so your product is more likely to stand out.

6. Follow-up (with new information)

Use pitch follow-ups as opportunities to share a detail not included in the original pitch, for example, tout the product’s virality with a bevy of 5-star reviews.

Dos and Don’ts

• Don’t include too many products—especially from different categories—all in one pitch.
• Do offer samples when it makes sense.
• Don’t include attachments, share links.
• Do use a clear and concise subject line.
• Do include bullet points on why your product is better than competitors.

A final piece of advice for the (holiday) road?

“Never reach out to a writer of a recently published gift guide and ask for your client to be added to it,” Schildhouse says. “That article is done, we’ve been paid and we’re onto other assignments.”

The post Dos and don’ts of pitching holiday gift guides appeared first on PR Daily.

Being able to deliver proactive, transparent and timely updates during a crisis is a PR pro’s most important tool.

At times, communications professionals may nitpick every word and phrase to make sure it’s just right. But in those truly critical moments, every second counts. Even if the details are still unfolding, it’s important to let people know something; otherwise, someone else will.

“If you’re not telling your story, they’re just going to tell it for you or let someone else tell it for you,” said Linda Barnhart, director of crisis communications at APCO Worldwide. She delivered her comments during a recent workshop on crisis and reputation communication at PR Daily’s Media Relations Conference.

Having a comprehensive crisis communications plan is important, Barnhart said. It provides a framework for who to speak to, key talking points and building organizational confidence. Yet, it shouldn’t be a playbook so much as a guide that is adjustable to the given situation.

She emphasized the need to “rely on your instincts and work with the environment with the information you have” at the time to help get ahead of a potential public relations threat.

Joe Buccino, communications director of Spirit AeroSystems, stressed that being honest and expedient with messages is better than silence, even if all those updates aren’t perfect. He called that vital to helping maintain some control over the storyline in a supercharged “information environment” that’s “thriving, surging” all around us.

“It’s in our phones. It’s in our earbuds. It’s in our cars. It’s on our TV. It’s on Instagram,” Buccino said.

During the presentation, Buccino, a former colonel in the U.S. Army, recalled the disappearance and murder of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2020. In that situation, the Army stuck to its tradition of “shutting down communication” because it involved a missing soldier, Buccino said.

The Army should have communicated with the family and the local community about its investigation and what they were trying to do to find her, Buccino said. Military leaders could have led with “empathy.”

Their media strategy didn’t do any of that, though.

As a result, the attorney representing Guillen’s family told local and later national media that she believed the Army was keeping them “in the dark” about the investigation into her disappearance.

The military should have allowed their communication team’s instincts to kick in, Buccino said. He said PR pros understand the media landscape, and they know their audience and what potential negative storylines could do to a reputation.

PR pros must feel confident in leaning into their skills and training in those big situations. Just as important, they need to feel support from leadership to use them.

“In a situation like this, if you’ve got a crisis playbook, you’ve got to think about throwing it out, dumping it, and just leaning on those instincts,” Buccino said. “You’ve got instincts.”

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Trusting your gut in crisis comms appeared first on PR Daily.

The NFL has grown beyond a sports league. Now, it’s a news outlet, a social media hub, and a key influencer for a range of social trends, including fashion and music.

“It’s a cultural phenomenon,” said Holden Hill, media relations supervisor for Taylor, a leader in the sports and entertainment PR industry that had worked with the NFL on various promotions.

Hill admitted that the NFL, and sports marketing in general, is unique. “That level of emotional investment is just really hard for most brands to cultivate, and it’s exceptionally rare to be able to leverage it as a PR professional.”

But there are still valuable lessons to learn from its approach, Hill said, namely its “relentless mission to reach, attract and engage with new audiences,” whether it’s through a social media campaign or an American football game played overseas.

Control the message

Despite its immense popularity, the NFL, like any brand, has faced challenges and controversies.

Ahead of the start of the season, the Washington Commanders fired its vice president of content following the release of footage of him calling players “dumb as all hell” and referring to fans as “high-school-educated alcoholics.” And this week, a woman came forward to allege that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson sexually assaulted her in the past.

To tackle these difficult PR situations, the NFL has developed a careful strategy that not only aims to alleviate fears of advertisers but to keep and attract fans.

Dan Lobring, whose past experience includes serving as senior director of the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer, highlighted the NFL’s shift towards a more modern, proactive approach to addressing controversies, while still maintaining its reputation as a tightly controlled, message-aligned organization.

In the Watson situation, the league directed Browns coaches and players to refer reporters to general, factual statements about Watson’s status that the league and team released. No more, no less.

“We will respect the due process our legal system affords regarding the recently filed civil suit and follow the NFL’s guidelines on this matter,” the Browns statement reads.

When faced with negative headlines, PR pros should focus on quick, decisive action coupled with clear communication to establish or rebuild trust.

“Clearly, this is something that the NFL is really good at, and I would argue that it’s also true of the stronger performing teams, both in and out of sports,” said Lobring, currently senior vice president at Chicago-based Stretch PR.

There is no offseason

The NFL is always on.

At one time, the league primarily focused on promoting its on-field product. But over the years, its strategy has evolved to be year-round, according to Jackie Reau, CEO of Game Day Communications, a sports and event-centric PR firm founded by former ESPN anchor Betsy Ross.

The league has adopted a multi-channel approach to PR including its own television network, social media channels and its own reporters who cover games. The league also maintains strong relationships with broadcast networks, influencers and major advertisers, ensuring constant visibility.

One of the most notable examples of that was last year when the NFL’s ability to parlay Taylor Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chief tight end Travis Kelce. Swift’s fans might not have previously been traditional football fans, but the league was able to align itself with her brand and introduce itself to a younger, largely female audience, and that strategy has paid dividends.

A regular-season matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets that Swift attended drew 27 million viewers — making it the most-watched Sunday TV show since the last Super Bowl.

PR pros can learn to build and sustain narratives that extend beyond a single event or campaign, ensuring constant engagement with their audience.

“(The NFL’s) PR success comes from a combination of controlling its narratives, leveraging star power, and owning key moments like the Super Bowl,” Reau said.

New ways to ‘protect the shield’

The heart of the NFL’s PR strategy has long been to “protect the shield” – a mantra that emphasizes the league’s brand and reputation above all else.

One way they’ve done that, Lobring said, is by making it clear who the designated spokesperson is for a given situation. In many cases, that’s Goodell, such as during the announcement of the NFL’s plans for international expansion, as well as its decision to allow private equity to take up to 10% ownership of teams.

Having clear spokespeople allows for better agreement and consistency of the messages being delivered.

“With any high-performing team, or unified team, you have clear lines of communication, as well as a clear chain of command in terms of communication,” Lobring said.

This commitment to the fundamentals of good PR – consistency and clarity of message, and consistency and clarity of who is delivering that message and to what audience – is good advice for those who work outside of the NFL, too, Lobring said.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post What PR firms can learn from the NFL’s evolving messaging playbook appeared first on PR Daily.

Ongoing legal challenges in the United States threaten TikTok’s viability as a social media platform. A ban would suspend a valuable marketing tool for companies and influencers alike.

“The truth is, short video content is incredibly valuable to brands looking to keep the attention of target users,” said Shannon Tucker, vice president of tech focused Next PR. “This type of marketing won’t be lost because audiences will continue to seek platforms that engage them.”

A big change for influencer marketing

From a PR perspective, the biggest immediate risk of a TikTok ban would be to the influencer and content creator ecosystem.

TikTok is the most popular social media channel for branded marketing content, according to The State of Influencer Marketing 2024: Benchmark Report. It found that around 66% of brands use TikTok for their influencer marketing efforts, compared to 47% on Instagram and 33% on YouTube.

In May, eight TikTok content creators sued the U.S. government to challenge the recently passed federal law that would force the sale – or enact a ban – of Chinese-owned TikTok. The creators argue it would violate their First Amendment rights and undermine their ability to earn a living. 

Bill Hildebolt, executive chairperson of gen.video, said content creators and PR firms would be wise to diversify their content channels. But he noted that finding success on a new platform isn’t always as simple as uploading an influencer’s content to a new service.

In his experience, most creators who experience breakout success – he described that as compiling 1 million-plus followers – tend to do so predominantly on one platform, not multiple. He listed several reasons for that, including the fact that reaching that popularity on any social network is difficult to do. Each platform has its own idiosyncrasies. While both Instagram and TikTok have historically focused on shorter-from video, Instagram has also emphasized photos and direct messaging. Meanwhile, TikTok has steadily tested out adding longer videos to take on YouTube.

Social networks also tend to have unique audiences so preferred content doesn’t always translate from one platform to the next. Technology, for example, remains strongest on long-form YouTube and it hasn’t translated as well to Instagram or TikTok, Hildebolt said.

PR firms looking to capitalize on influencer marketing really need to understand those nuances if they end up needing to pivot off TikTok.

“It’s definitely not as simple as taking your marbles and moving from TikTok to Instagram,” he added.  

Remain platform nimble

While court cases and new laws can hurt or even shutter platforms, those factors are only part of the equation. Changes in user preferences and trends also play a significant role.

Not that long ago Facebook was the dominant platform, but as of today, both Instagram and TikTok have surpassed it in terms of younger users.

If TikTok were to shut down, users would move on quickly, Tucker said. Her advice: Don’t rely on a single platform for brand success. Instead, explore a multichannel approach and experiment with different types of content to see what resonates most with your audience.

There’s no shortage of social media options, and tech companies are always ready to invest in the “next big thing,” Tucker said. She noted that recent years have expressed the rise and fall of various once-prominent video platforms – Vine was popular before TikTok and YouTube’s popularity fluctuates.

That shows the importance of continuing education and staying ahead of all industry trends. Brands need to stay adaptable, test new strategies and avoid panic in the face of industry change, no matter how big it might be.

It’s all about being nimble.

“By building a presence on emerging platforms before they become mainstream, you increase the chances of smoothly transitioning your audience if a current platform declines,” Tucker said.

Flipping the script from challenge to opportunity

Hildebolt doesn’t believe the current TikTok challenges are affecting client behavior just yet. And if they’re changing approaches right now, companies are leaning in to try and “get things done while the getting is good.”

“There’s possibly even an assumption that maybe other people are pulling away and so they can get good value in the meantime,” he said.

There are a lot of industry changes – AI disruption, shrinking newsrooms, perennially tightening budgets – that have created a tightrope for PR professionals. But addressing these kinds of legal and macro environmental issues is all about perspective, Hildebolt said. 

Instead of looking at them as burdens, consider them “opportunities to show your clients how good you are.” 

“(Allow them) to see that you are not only aware of the issue, but you’ve also talked it out with other professionals, you have a unique perspective on it and multiple strategies for them to navigate the situation better than their competitors,” Hildebolt said. “That makes you an indispensable advisor.”   

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn. 

The post PR strategies to address potential TikTok ban appeared first on PR Daily.

An effective communications strategy is one that reflects the overall goals and values of the organization. The best way to do that is to work closely with a range of in-house stakeholders – from the marketing team to the HR department, even IT – to craft a messaging approach that will work well to reach the full spectrum of potential audience types.

“Put (a) cadence of communication together so that you don’t either spend time stepping on each other’s activities and diluting the impact, or you don’t leave large gaps in what you’re doing,” said Brian Brockman, VP of communications for Nissan Motor Corp., U.S. and Canada.

Brockman spoke at a recent Ragan Communications panel on employee experience. While the nearly 40-minute conversation leaned into internal comms, the three panelists made a point to highlight the importance of working together to craft a cohesive cross-functional strategy that includes public relations.

Brockman stressed that communication strategies are most effective when, as an organization, there’s an understanding of how people can affect change together – whether it’s a brand initiative or product launch.

“It’s more important than ever to have marketing amplifying what we’re doing and putting some dollars behind it in meaningful ways, and (to show) that we’re creating content that they think is worthy of (that expense),” he said.

In many cases, PR professionals aren’t reporting to the same team leader as their peers in internal comms, branding or marketing. As a result, there are often tasks, such as employee experience, that don’t end up with a “natural owner,” according to panelist Gideon Pridor, Workvivo’s chief marketing officer. Instead, those types of tasks can fall into a gray area between HR, comms and marketing.

Pridor said communicators often find themselves in a situation where those other departments end up “begging for favors” – help with a campaign or crafting an email, for example – but they don’t have the proper technology to orchestrate it and they’re often operating from an institutional deficiency because they don’t always have a seat “at the table” during those operations conversations.

By establishing a workflow cadence between the other departments, communicators can position themselves as strategic collaborators rather than just “message transmitters.”

“When you have somebody steering the ship, it’s much easier to set goals and not ask for favors and run across different departments,” Pridor said. “And I think that’s the future.”

Establishing these relationships may not feel entirely natural unless there’s already operational overlap. So, one way to approach it is to look at the company’s organizational chart and company structure to find the connective tissue where you can make an impact.

Brockman also emphasized that, when possible, it’s important to make sure there’s buy-in and a direct line to the top, either the CEO or another C-suite level leader.

“It’s obviously most valuable… when you’ve got an equal seat at the table, but at the same time, you’ve got to work across all of those functions to make sure that you’re amplifying (that message).”

Watch the full video below.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post The best messaging stems from cross-company collaboration appeared first on PR Daily.

Many of the world’s largest technology and social media companies face legal or regulatory challenges that threaten to turn those industries on their head.

Google faces the possibility of being broken up. Meanwhile, the European Union charged Apple, Meta and other companies for failing to comply with its Digital Markets Act that aims to rein in the power of big tech companies. The China-based owners of TikTok are fighting to remain operational in the United States.

NVIDA, a leading computer chip manufacturer, faces an antitrust probe from the Department of Justice.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the future of these companies, it’s vital for them to have an approach that not only fuels customer confidence, but also reassures investors.

“Just as you want the best legal minds representing you in the court room, you need experienced communications professionals to help you navigate the court of public opinion,” said Erin Schmidt, a longtime PR pro who formerly worked for Google and has provided comms counsel to healthcare clients navigating legal and regulatory matters. “Winning a major legal battle requires mastery of both arenas.”

Legal matters add new wrinkles to crisis comms

All the usual crisis communications best practices still apply in legal or regulatory matters. But, when it comes to a high-profile court case, Schmidt strongly stressed the importance of having a grasp of the legal landscape, the arguments on both sides, and potential outcomes for the business or brand.

In United States v. Apple, the federal government and 20 states are suing Apple for monopolizing smartphone markets. In its initial public response, Apple said the case sets “a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology” and threatens the principles that set the company’s products apart in a competitive consumer market.

“That statement was undoubtedly shaped by a clear understanding of the legal landscape (Apple has every intent to fight; this will be a years-long battle), the arguments on both sides, and the broader implications for both iPhone and Apple’s ecosystems at large,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt, who is now founder and CEO of Lilypad Strategies, highlighted deciding when and how to respond as a company and when to lean on third-party allies and coalitions to carry the needed messaging. An example is TikTok’s decision to allow users of its platform to make the company’s case before Congress. Influencers and small businesses spent a day on Capitol Hill talking to lawmakers about what TikTok means for their livelihoods.

Have an established relationship

Beck Bamberger, founder of tech-centric PR agency Bam, said the effects of tech crises can spread like wildfire, especially among publicly traded companies. NVIDIA lost nearly 9% of its stock value in one day upon reports that it would receive a subpoena from the DOJ.

Overall, the PR team’s relationship with company leaders must “first, be superb and second, be absolutely trusting,” Bamberger said. She described the comms team as being the “in case of emergency contact.”

Bamberger emphasized that the response may come down to whether or not the company’s chief executive is in “founder mode,”  and “obsessed” with the details of their organizations and adamantly “in the weeds,” like NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang, Bamberger said. She described him as being vocal and public, but “not rash nor random.” He is precise and cautious, she added, noting him famously saying that pain and suffering is part of resilience, which he claims is a must for great companies.

In those types of situations, it’s the job of the comms team to take an “arm but allow” approach with the company’s leadership, Bamberger said. That means, give them the training, ruthless feedback and preparation needed to allow them to flourish with the media.

“You ‘allow’ them to interact with the media, if not encourage it,” Bamberger said. She noted that this may feel risky as many PR pros may want to “shelter” or “protect” a CEO from unscripted and on the record situations. But most “founder mode” CEOs want to play a key part in “defending their baby.”

“The DOJ case has just emerged, and I’m sure in timed, when strategically and legally appropriate, Jensen will be speaking out on the matter,” Bamberger added.

Transparency

Court cases can last months or even years, leading to extended periods of uncertainty about the future of the company. Typically, the communications teams are on the front lines of crafting responses from the public and investors – issuing statements, handling media inquiries and ensuring messaging aligns with legal and regulatory strategies.

“Work with your legal and regulatory teams to map out the likely scenarios and stakeholder reactions and have a response plan and messaging for each scenario,” Schmidt said.

While waiting for those decisions to come down, communication with customers, investors, personas – all the people you interact with, including employees – must be as transparent as possible.

“Transparency usually leads the day,” Bamberger said.

“And by transparency, I don’t mean, ‘Oh, we’re waiting for the court to decide.’ No, instead, it can be, ‘Hey, we’re obviously in a legal situation right now, on this date ‘X’ will be determined and after that after that happens, we’ll navigate our business accordingly.”

Messaging doesn’t have to delve into all the possible scenarios and prescribe responses to each one of them. After all, they’re not going to want to show the entire playbook to competitors.

The most important aspect of these situations is providing reassurance to your stakeholders.

“It’s about humans and relationships,” Bamberger said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the investors buying your stock or it’s the consumer buying the latte, or it’s the CTO of a Fortune 1000 buying your software, there’s still a human on the other side of that buying decision.”

Join us during Comms Week at the Future of Communications Conference in Austin, Texas, Nov. 13-15, where we’ll host discussions about navigating crises and stepping confidently into the future.  

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Comms strategies for navigating high-profile legal challenges appeared first on PR Daily.

Even the most well-intentioned public comment or social media post can land a company or brand in hot water. That can feel even more true during the intensified scrutiny of election season.

While a comms team won’t be able to predict every aspect of the election news cycle, they can still prepare for it. Election Day isn’t exactly sneaking up on anyone, after all.

“We don’t have a crystal ball. We can’t see what’s going to happen, but we do (have the ability) to understand if there are specific impacts to the outcome of those elections, on your business, on employees, on team members,” said Christina Frantom, international communications lead for Mercedes-Benz U.S. International.

Frantom spoke at a recent Ragan webinar, “Navigating the Crossroads: How to Steer Comms through Political Waters.” The 30-minute discussion focused on issues affecting both internal and external communications.

One of those topics was how and when to respond to political situations. Frantom said the approach depends completely on the goal of the company or brand. The maker of the red MAGA hats synonymous with Donald Trump may want to lean into anything related to the election, Frantom said.

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, on the other hand, tries to remain neutral in most instances. But Frantom noted the company does support causes, such as women and LGBTQ people in manufacturing, that align with company values. For instance, the company invites girls and women to its plants to teach them about the industry.  It also hosts Pride events.

Showing a year-round commitment to women and LGBTQ people allows the company to avoid having to comment on every related issue that pops up because it’s already publicly made known its support for those groups, Frantom said. She feels her company’s involvement wouldn’t add much to the broader conversation other than “noise.”

“That allows us to point to those instances… rather than responding to specific instances or things that occur,” Frantom said.

Of course, every company can attract the political spotlight, whether they want to or not. For example, Tractor Supply Company terminated its diversity programs this year, and John Deere significantly reduced its initiative following a social media campaign led by conservative activist Robby Starbuck.

Having an established, well-vetted crisis plan can help in situations like those. But Frantom stressed the need to maintain a “living document.” She said it’s important to revisit and update it often to make sure it’s relevant to the current political climate.

Frantom also advocated for investing in social listening tools. They’ll help track reactions from customers and watch for potentially controversial comments by employees and brand ambassadors.

“Social monitoring and managing these conversations are not the work of an intern. It’s just too serious for that, and it’s way too much to put on their shoulders,” she said. Instead, she suggested dedicating a small in-house team to the task or outsourcing the work to a trusted agency.

You can watch the full video below.

 Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Every brand message counts during election season appeared first on PR Daily.

Lindsey Bradshaw is a freelance PR pro working with B2B tech startups in AdTech/MarTech, cloud, data/analytics, and AI. 

If you take a scroll through LinkedIn or any other social media site for that matter, PR “bad habits” are killing our relationships with media, who aren’t shy about vocalizing their frustrations. And it’s blowing our shot at ever getting the coverage we crave for clients.

“I think most reporters view PR as spray-and-spray salespeople vs trusted resources,” said Parry Headrick, founder at Crackle PR. “And some of that bad rap is earned by tone-deaf PR people who don’t do the proper research or tailor their pitches.”

We’ve all been there at one point in our career. Doing things like:

• Using industry jargon, bad grammar, and typos – so far as including the wrong reporter’s name.
• Overpromising and underdelivering with media, such as offering a customer you can’t provide.
• Pitching news that isn’t news or pitching a reporter on something they clearly do not cover.
• Sending the same pitch to multiple recipients is just spam.
• Asking for changes to an article that are beyond fact-checking.

Why are these things happening? Who’s teaching these bad habits, or where do they come from?

Media relations is a junior PR pro’s job, plain and simple. Senior executives work with clients on strategy and when urgent projects reveal themselves, such as crisis communications. A lot of clients don’t want to hear that. And the same could be said for most journalists who, like clients, prefer to work with more strategic PR pros on the regular.

And with junior PR pros come mistakes. It’s inevitable.

“What I’ve seen, especially with agencies, is lack of training/development for newer PR pros,” said Michelle Garrett, author of B2B PR that Gets Results and owner of Garrett Public Relations.

“I think agencies (or anyone who hires a new PR pro) need to remember that these folks may not have a lot of hands-on experience,” said Garrett. “So, to plop them into a role and just expect that they know how to do it is not realistic. When I worked at an agency, I saw this happen. They had NO IDEA how to effectively pitch journalists. It was terribly stressful for them.”

In my 16-year career, I’ve learned (and had to break) my fair share of bad habits. If you follow me on LinkedIn, you know I “grew up” in PR working with B2B tech startups and in a boutique agency setting. As Garrett put it, I was “plopped” down to pitch on my first day. While I was ultimately successful after an incredibly stressful first day, it was very much a sink-or-swim culture and the turnover at our agency was bananas.

I’ve worked in mid-size and large agency settings, as well as multiple in-house environments. I’ve found that in corporate settings, bad PR practices run rampant, but office politics and culture prevent anyone from stepping in (or up) and saying anything. There are junior staffers teaching entry-level employees with zero to minimal oversight.

“Practices like mass pitching – pulling a random list of hundreds of journalists from a media database then spamming out the same pitch to ALL of them – are sometimes encouraged. Who learns anything from that?” said Garrett.

“Corporate speak is the worst PR habit I’ve seen, myself included,” said Rachel Fukaya, a communications leader at Textio. “Corporate speak makes us look totally out of touch with how people communicate and relate to each other. I see press releases from companies like Salesforce and Workday and I can’t even tell you what they’re announcing or why it matters. AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini are only going to make corporate speak worse.”

Is your company or agency responsible for training and career development?

At my first agency, lack of formalized training and mentorship led me into the role of director of continuing education – a completely new position for the company. With this hat, I introduced the agency’s first mentor/manager program, coordinated monthly journalist lunch & learns, and developed our agency’s repository of digital “how-to” assets, a collection of shared agency-approved resources that outline PR best practices for daily projects including building media lists, pitching media, press releases, crisis communications plans, planning and reporting, and more.

“Of course, employers need to give you some level of training, especially entry-level roles, but PR pros are also accountable for getting the training we feel we need, Fukaya said. “Because we all require different skills at different times. It’s important to always be learning and developing ourselves in and outside of work.”

At the end of the day, PR bad habits are plaguing our industry and journos are pissed. They’re reactive. And they’re putting PR pros on blast.

“PR pros need to call out the worst among us by consistently education folks about ‘what to do’ versus ‘what not to do.’ We need to acknowledge our faults as an industry and elevate those committed to doing our craft the right way,” said Headrick.

Just as we’d react for a client, the state of relationships with the media is a PR problem that needs solving. Outnumbering journalists 6:1, it’s our job as PR professionals to hold our colleagues accountable. To voice our concerns over jargon-full writing, inappropriate pitching techniques and other ugly PR practices. It’s also on us to educate our journalist friends on all facets of PR, beyond media relations.

“From the PR side, being better at pitching would go a long way. Do more research, be better at targeting the right journalists with the right story. And for god’s sake, just get to the point,” said Scott Merritt, founder and president at Strategic Global Media. “We all need to be more respectful of the other. We all need to recognize that we’re in this together, and that with the right amount of empathy we can help one another do our jobs better.”

The post PR bad habits – where they come from and why media is pissed appeared first on PR Daily.