19 Sep 2012
By Wright Communications
The number of traditional media channels is decreasing, online media is increasing and seems to be evolving at a rapid pace, editorial opportunities are now becoming more dependent on ad spend and media organisations are operating with reduced resources.
Over the past few years the number of magazines has diminished
limiting the number of publications to pitch more in-depth feature
stories to. The magazines that do exist are often heavily
advertising dependent, favouring those companies who advertise with
them, or only offering paid for editorial.
Even television is taking a more commercial approach, for example
TVNZ Breakfast weather slots generally come at a cost. Radio
stations now even offer paid for interviews and it is harder to
secure 'editorial'.
This begs the question - how investigative, robust and unbiased
are the articles in these magazines and news stories and features
on television and radio? There is less genuine editorial space
available and the line between advertising and editorial is
becoming increasingly blurred.
Media organisations are running a tight ship with less
journalists, photographers and camera crews available to cover as
many news stories. This limits the opportunities available to get
the media to cover a news story - they sometimes simply don't have
the resource to cover it. There used to be editors and
reporters for every news round imaginable - there were more people
to cover more pages, which resulted in more editorial
opportunities.
This is where our role as PR practitioners is invaluable. We can
provide media with all the information, photos and material they
need to run a news story when they can't make it to an event or
cover a story themselves.
The format or way we receive information is also changing with the
print editions of newspapers and magazines increasingly turning to
the web. Most publications have an online equivalent e.g.
onenews.co.nz, nzherald.co.nz, stuff.co.nz and their own Facebook
pages. This provides opportunities for instant and up-to-date news
stories and opinion pieces through blogs. Many online sites often
use media releases word for word or publish stories from local and
international news agencies.
As a result of the digital era and the increasing
commercialisation of media, companies are taking advantage of the
social media space as a cost effective way of getting their news
out to the world. This can also work against companies, for example
people posting bad customer experiences on organisations' Facebook
pages. It is vital organisations ensure they have resource to
manage their social media sites and respond to public posts in a
timely manner.
So, what are some ways companies can cut through the clutter and
get themselves in the media? Here are a few tips to keep in
mind:
• Proactively monitor for industry issues which
your company can give an insightful opinion on and pitch opinion
pieces to relevant publications in a timely manner.
• Reporters get inundated with news pitches from
PR practitioners every day. Pitch smarter- look at what they have
written and how you can offer something new to a topic they are
interested in.
• Become familiar with regular columns and
features in publications which could be relevant to your
company.
• When framing stories for reporters think
beyond those in the company such as the CEO who could add something
to the angle e.g. a niche blogger, customer, industry expert or
third-party endorser. Bring a complete package. Provide as much
useful information as possible including images.
• If you are thinking of setting up a company
Facebook page ensure you have the resource to manage and monitor
the content and respond to posts and queries promptly and with the
right message and tone.
Give us a call, send us a message or call in and see us. We’d love to hear from you.