Media relations plays a major role in my PR work for clients. It’s always evolving, but recently, I’ve noticed a new trend.
Reporters are having a harder time finding sources.
I see posts on the regular from reporters who are just about ready to tear their hair out because they’re struggling to find experts to interview for articles – or maybe they’ve found a source, but there’s no contact information listed. 😕
Then came the topper.
A reporter I haven’t worked with but am connected to on LinkedIn PROACTIVELY ASKED ME if I had any clients who would be a fit for a story she’s working on. 🤯
Usually, it’s PR pros who are asking reporters if they need a source – not the other way around (unless perhaps you have an established relationship on behalf of a client).
So, what gives?
Journalists are saying that not only are sources tougher to find but that they’re often hard to pin down – and sometimes even end up ghosting after scheduling an interview.
What does this mean for you? If you’re looking for press coverage, you have an opportunity.
The Media Relations Game Is Changing
I often hear from other PR professionals who pitch stories on behalf of clients that it’s gotten more challenging to earn media coverage. But, I wonder if it may be more the case that media relations has changed. And if it has, is that a bad thing?
For years, I’ve run into what Rand Fishkin, founder of SparkToro, calls The Wall Street Journal problem. I wrote about it in my book. This happens when you ask a prospective client what their PR goals are, and they say something like, “We want to be featured in The Wall Street Journal (or on The Today Show – or in Fast Company – or <popular mainstream media outlet du jour> – you get the picture 😬).”
Now, it’s all well and good to have a media outlet like this on your wish list. But – let’s think about WHY.
WHY do you want to be featured there? If your goal is to reach more of your target audience, you have to ask yourself – is that really where they’re spending time? Or is it more likely that they’re reading a trade journal?
Add to this the fact that media is splintering. Niche audiences are the future. We see more mainstream media outlets laying journalists off, while the number of niche and trade publications continues to grow.
“The reason niche publications are becoming so popular in 2024 is because people are increasingly looking for content that truly matches their interests,” says this article by Woodwing. “Instead of scrolling through endless general news articles, they want in-depth information and insights about the things that really excite them. Niche publications offer…specialized knowledge and a community of like-minded people.”
Don’t Forget About Media Outlets That Fall Outside the Mainstream
So, how does this relate to reporters struggling to find sources? If sources are looking for media coverage – and reporters at trade publications are looking for sources – it makes a lot of sense for sources to be aiming to be featured there.
Working with B2B clients, trade publications have always been a mainstay, because that’s where their customers are looking for information about what’s happening in the industry.
Taking this even further, there’s now a case to be made for companies appearing in as many publications as possible, regardless of whether or not they’re considered “top tier” media.
Christopher Penn, co-founder and chief data scientist at Trust Insights, says in this LinkedIn post that it behooves companies who want to maximize their appearance in AI-driven search to be covered in media outlets like trade publications.
“The new strategy in the age of generative AI is to be everywhere, not just top-tier publications,” says Penn. “From an AI model’s perspective, an article in the East Podunk Evening Circular is just as valuable as an article in the New York Times. (Actually, it’s more valuable because the NYT tries to restrict AI companies from crawling their content.)”
“My advice to companies who want to do well in generative AI models is to realign their PR strategy to focus on volume and then pour as much budget as they can spare into it, to be in as many places as possible from guest articles on the local news to every relevant post’s comments on LinkedIn,” Penn continued. “Every piece of text counts.”
Hear more from Penn in my interview here on PR Explored.
Journalists NEED Sources – and You NEED Media Coverage
So not only is it an ideal time for those looking for media coverage to capitalize on journalists’ need for sources, but it’s also the perfect time for public relations professionals to steer clients toward more niche trade publications and media that might not always be top of mind.
For example, newsletters offer another opportunity to earn coverage. Lots of media outlets publish them (and many journalists are launching their own). Publishers like Axios, Eater, The Guardian, theSkimm and Snopes are either growing or revamping their newsletter offerings (Digiday).
In another study, publishers say they’ll focus more on email newsletters (69%). Investment in digital video formats (67%) is also up.
Professional organizations and associations that publish member news are also an option. One of my B2B manufacturing clients tells me that getting their news published there is as valuable as a trade publication, as it gets them LOTS of attention from their target audience.
5 Tips to Endear Yourself to Reporters
If you’re ready to help reporters out by being an expert source, here are some tips to help you earn more press coverage:
1) Make it easy to reach you: Post your contact information on social media. Make sure it’s a current email address (or phone number, if you wish) that you monitor frequently.
It’s also wise to feature a dedicated press/news area on your site. Here, you can post contact information, press releases, previous press coverage, visuals like logos and executive headshots, and background information.
2) Make yourself available: If a reporter contacts you, be sure to prioritize your response. Reporters are often on deadline and can’t wait days for you to reply.
They may move on to another source if you’re unresponsive.
3) Don’t use generative AI to come up with answers: If a reporter sends you questions to answer via email, they KNOW when you’ve used ChatGPT to formulate your responses. Just don’t do it. You want to share your unique expert perspective.
Some reporters will only conduct interviews via phone or Zoom now to ensure sources provide original responses to their questions.
4) Be responsive to follow-up questions: When a reporter asks for more from you, get back to them as soon as possible. If you need time to put together the information they’re requesting, communicate that.
Deadlines are everything to a reporter, so be sure to let them know if you think you’ll miss the timing you originally committed to.
5) Provide visuals: Publications are also in need of imagery. If you can provide high-quality images to accompany a story, you’ll have an even better shot at being prominently featured.
I try to offer visuals EVERY time a client has the opportunity to be included in a story, whether or not the reporter requested them. Nine times out of 10, at least one photo I send appears. I also send along captions, as that provides yet another branding opportunity.
If you can send video content along, I’d suggest including that, too: “Developing video content is another key focus for publishers this year, with just under half of those surveyed (47%) saying video would be more important to them in 2023, underscoring broader industry-wide efforts to attract Gen Z and younger age groups,” per a 2023 report.
It’s a Good Time to Increase Your Focus on Media Relations
So, yes, media relations can prove to be challenging at times, but when you’re willing to consider media outlets beyond The Wall Street Journal, more opportunities may open up.
And when you make yourself accessible to journalists who are searching for reliable sources to interview (and consider working with a PR consultant to help you find opportunities), who knows what might happen?
Need help making yourself a media darling and earning more media coverage?
Learn more about my PR consulting services here. Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here.
About the author: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant and author of B2B PR That Gets Results. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals.
100% of this blog post was written by me, the human.
Featured image is courtesy of Adobe Express.
