What do you do if your media relationships are stagnant?

If your media relationships are stagnant, it's time to refresh your tactics. Start by revisiting your pitch strategy—ensure it's tailored, relevant, and newsworthy. Reach out to journalists with personalized messages and story angles that align with their interests. Offer exclusive content or interviews to add value and intrigue. Engage with journalists on social media platforms to stay top of mind and foster rapport. By embracing fresh approaches and adapting to evolving media landscapes, you can revitalize your media relationships and secure impactful coverage for your brand. Let's stay dynamic and proactive in our media outreach efforts!

- Identify newsworthy angles within your expertise - Pitch these angles to relevant journalists - Offer value through exclusive insights, expert commentary, or unique story angles - Build genuine connections by engaging with journalists on social media - Attend industry events to foster relationships - Stay proactive, consistent, and persistent in your outreach efforts

If your media relationships are stagnant, it's time to revitalise them by taking proactive steps. Start by evaluating your current approach and identifying areas for improvement. Reach out to media contacts with personalised pitches that are relevant to their interests and audiences. Offer exclusive content, expert insights, or compelling stories to capture their attention. Attend industry events, network with journalists, and engage with media professionals on social media to build rapport and strengthen relationships. Be responsive, reliable, and transparent in your communications to foster trust and encourage ongoing collaboration.

- Refresh your pitch and angle - Network with new journalists - Offer unique perspectives - Foster genuine connections - Be responsive to media inquiries - Stay consistent and adaptable

Don’t forget that reporters receive many press releases or interview requests on a daily basis. What makes your press releases or pitch stand out is the quality of your contents. As a PR professional, you should never allow your media relations to reach a point where it becomes stagnant. If this happens, take time to evaluate your strategy in terms of contents and format. Has your share of voice decreased drastically over a period of time? Are your stories repetitive and not newsworthy? Do not hesitate to talk to the reporters, ask them which format or tone they prefer. Use industry benchmarking or analyse the best practices or latest trends.

To rebuild dormant media relationships, personalising your outreach is indispensable. Try and go beyond emails by leveraging settings like in-person briefings or industry events, as these can provide a direct line to engagement. For instance, taking a moment during an International Broadcasting Trust (IBT) briefing to commend a journalist on their recent work not only breaks the ice but demonstrates sincere interest. Such gestures signal that you're not merely chasing coverage, but you respect and appreciate the rigorous effort behind their storytelling. Personal connections like these are rare and can transform a stagnant contact into a dynamic partnership for a very long time.

Engaging regularly with media folks means staying in touch often. When you consistently provide them with interesting stuff and respond quickly when they reach out, they're more likely to trust and respect you. This helps keep you on their radar and makes it easier to get your message out there. Plus, it shows that you're serious about building a good relationship. So, keep at it!

If your media relationships are stagnant, engage regularly to breathe new life into them. Stay proactive by reaching out with relevant news, story ideas, and updates about your brand. Show genuine interest in journalists' work and offer to be a valuable resource for their future stories. Attend industry events, webinars, and virtual meet-ups to network and strengthen connections. By fostering consistent and meaningful engagement, you can revitalize media relationships and unlock exciting opportunities for coverage. Let's keep the conversation flowing!

It's time to shake things up. Start by reviewing your current strategies and identifying areas for improvement. Engage regularly with journalists by providing them with timely and relevant content. Show them that you understand their audience and can offer stories that align with their interests. Be proactive in pitching ideas and be open to feedback. Building strong relationships takes time, so be patient and consistent in your efforts. And don't forget to leverage social media platforms to connect with journalists and stay updated on industry trends.

The number one thing you can do is get in person with journalists. I’ve done this since the start of my career and it’s lead to relationships with the WSJ, Business of Fashion, Forbes, Bloomberg and more. Make sure you’re adding this to your PR budgets so you can carve out the investment properly as well. Some ways I’ve done this in the past below but the main thing, keep it personal to them as best you can! 1. I’ve taken editors and reporters that are hard to get in with by going to the coolest, new spots in my cities. Hard invite to turn down! 2. Coffee or a drink does wonders. No more than an hour together, low investment, and huge ROI. 3. Get your nails done together! Did this with beauty editors 4. Workout class at a studio!

Sometimes, due to the late payment of the salaries of the journalists you are in contact with, the relationship with them may be in trouble. Therefore, it is important for the public relations manager to establish a deeper relationship with them apart from work relationships

Remember that quality is so much more important than quantity. Identify top ten targets and work diligently to identify a specific reporter with whom to start a relationship at each. Figure out what they will respond positively to and don't be afraid to pick... up... the... phone. If you have found the right way in they'll be glad to hear from you.

Face-to-face engagements are the only surefire way to make a mark in someone’s mind. Attending industry events is a great way to further enhance your brand visibility in the eyes of the media. These events also serve as a platform for you to connect with the media beyond the PR-Journalist bubble. This is the opportunity to truly get to know the journalist you’ve been pitching a client story to beyond their regular 9-5 persona. Get to know their interests and build a more personal relationship with them. Industry events are your ticket to establish new connections, forge and sustain new and existing relationships with your media friends, expanding your network in the process.

If they are stagnant it could be because of two things: maybe your content isn't considering added value or outlet specifics or it might be that you're just pitching to the same people over and over again. It's important to try new things and see how can you improve constantly in public relations especially in media relations as it becomes more demanding and even saturated. Furthermore, considering the high rotation cycles in local newsrooms, it is important to keep track of media friendlies to make sure we have a higher hit rate. Don't forget that this is a constant process that requires constant effort and attention to detail to keep the ball running.