In recent years, the way PR and communications pros communicate with the media has undergone rapid evolution. That change has been sped up even more by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving a landscape that may look unfamiliar to many longtime industry veterans. 

In some cases, principles that were always true have simply taken on even greater importance. For instance, before reaching out with a story idea, PR professionals should understand the preferred platform and target audience of the journalist or influencer they are pitching, to enhance the chances of a placement or mention. This was always important but it has become even more crucial in an era of fractured, niche media. Pitching relevant topics also helps build rapport with media members as they understand that you are doing research in an effort not to waste their time. 

Building relationships is the same…it’s the media itself that’s different

Several of the core values of how to build good relationships with journalists haven’t changed through the years. For instance, it’s always been important to set a good first impression. Before sending a story pitch, introduce yourself and your organization or client to provide some context. This allows your pitch to stand out from the mass blasts that reporters receive all the time. In fact, numerous studies have found that lack of personalization is the number one reason why pitches are ignored or rejected.

The issue today is that the “media” itself is much larger and more fractured than it was in the past. The rise of bloggers, citizen journalists and influencers has opened up a new world to PR pros but has also made it difficult to keep track of the landscape. As a result, it’s important to be tracking online news, print, social media and broadcast sources constantly to see which journalists and influencers are most trusted and widely-read in a given subject area. 

Social Media is an invaluable Resource for Pitching

Social media is now an invaluable resource for PR and communications pros looking to make targeted pitches for their organization or client. Social media monitoring is a great way to track hashtags and topics…

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Thanks a lot, Salesforce Pardot … I hope your thoughts, your geniuses can have as much resonance as possible.