If you understand how positive news stories can contribute to
positive business performance, then you should know that the
summer period offers you a unique media relations opportunity
to increase your coverage and "free ink." Here's what you
need to know to formulate a headline-generating PR strategy
in July and August.
Customers and other stakeholders like doing business with
winners and one marker of success is a positive news story
with your name in it. In stark contrast to paid advertising,
media consumers believe that news stories are objective and
that translates into greater influence, better sales and
improved public awareness.
We all know, however, that placing a story in the media can be
a challenge, depending on the "newsworthiness" of your story
pitch. Your pitch, whether it is a phone call to a reporter
or a news release distributed by wire, will succeed or fail
on your ability to offer journalists news they can use.
In the summer months, however, news stories with lesser news
value have a greater chance of success. Strong news stories
will get better play or more prominent placement in the
media. Here's why:
Newsroom Staffing Changes:
Like the rest of us, experienced reporters, editors and producers take holidays over the summer
months. Also, most newsrooms take on student interns and
replacement workers for vacationing employees.
What does this mean for placing stories? "Green" reporters,
eager for their first bylines and credits, are often more
approachable and open to story pitches than veteran beat
reporters are.
Overall News Volumes Drop:
While breaking news such as crime and accidents seem to generate a consistent stream of
articles over the year, there is generally less competition for non-breaking news such as
features, trend stories, and special reports. For instance, governments are usually not in
session, business deals tend to slow and special events are
few in summer.
A story pitch that wouldn't get any attention in the busy fall
period, therefore, may be substantially more interesting to a
journalist in the summer simply because it conveniently fills
the "news hole." But it's never an easy sell to get your
story placed, just easier in the summer.
The Pool Of Expert Commentators Shrinks:
A very successful way that executives get into the news is by providing "expert
commentary." For example, if you are an investment executive,
you may be able to explain shifts in the stock market. If you
work in the health sector, you may be able to provide context
regarding a new medical discovery. Reporters tend to rely on
a stable of quotable experts and in the summer, more than any
other time of the year, those experts are less available. If
you are an expert, you should be introducing your credentials
to the reporter covering your sector.
Make Reporters Look Good By Giving Them Real News:
In pitching the media, your general approach in the summer is not a lot
different than a media relations campaign rolled out at other
times of the year.
You need a strong media release tailored to the needs of the
specific news organization. Backgrounders, briefs or
point-form fact sheets are useful if your story is complex.
You have to be available for interviews, cooperative with
helpful information and ready to answer the easy and the hard
questions related to your story.
A specific difference, however, is finding out who should hear
your pitch. Presuming the regular reporter covering your sector
is away, you should find out who the fill-in journalist is.
Whether or not the reporter is " green," you need to cultivate
a professional relationship based on an honest exchange of news
and information. The more you understand what they need for an
article, the more likely you will find your name in the news.
There are some drawbacks to summertime news, though. There is
less news consumption - readership drops for publications and
fewer people watch the evening news. So a news story in the
summer may not reach as deeply into your target markets.
Also, while it is easier to pitch a story to a green
reporter, the chance for error is greater. New journalists
make mistakes as they learn and you might be the lesson.
But your summer news story will live on in computer archives
and searchable databases. Depending on its news merits, your
story may be followed by other media well into the busier
fall period. Also, your summer news hit cost a lot less than
display advertising and earned you a lot more credibility.
Scan your organization for news and get your PR machinery
moving to place some valuable summertime stories.
