Here are some tips for how to make that happen:

Get to the point 

Long-winded PR pitches will lose a journalist’s interest almost immediately. It all starts with the subject line – your pitch might be great, but a poorly written or dull subject line can send it to the Trash folder. Write a snappy email subject line that will grab attention, but stay away from clickbait. Now, as far as the actual pitch goes, Shakespeare said “brevity is the soul of wit”, and that holds for PR as well; it’s critical to offer journalists a unique point of view without taking up too much of their time. 

Instead of including a full press release, consider writing just a paragraph or two about why this story is right for their publication or website, and then offering an interesting spokesperson for an interview or invite the journalist to your event. If you have a specific publication in mind that you want coverage in, consider offering them an exclusive.

If you are sending a press release, make sure it includes all the relevant information and a couple of jargon-free quotes that talk about why this is important for consumers or a wider community – not for the company or organization.

Personalize your PR pitches 

Are you still writing bland, generic press releases and sending them to every journalist in the entire country who has ever written about this sector? Stop. You’ve probably already noticed that you’re getting very few responses, and for good reason. In this article on the Hustle, a journalist actually breaks it down for you.

Only large, international organizations who are making announcements that are of interest to many different audiences across different geographies should be distributing mass emails - and even then, sparingly. 

Instead, do your homework and let it show. Spend an hour researching and shortlisting the most relevant journalists for your story (if you’ve got more than a couple of hours, you can also conduct more extensive media research). Read some of their past articles, and reach out to them explaining why your story is right for them. You can reference articles they have written in the past on this topic, and why your story is one that will be relevant to their readers. Isn’t this more time-consuming? Perhaps. But chances are it pays off.

Think about the journalist’s audience

As a PR professional, your number one priority is to get positive coverage. You know what the goal is and perhaps you’ve even got KPIs you know you need to hit for the quarter. With all this in mind, it can be easy to forget that journalists don’t care about any of that. Journalism faces enough challenges as it is – all you want is an engaging story for their audience. Your PR pitches should keep the journalist’s goals in mind rather than your own.

Read our post on securing earned media in a digital world.

Include high-quality images and video

Images bring your story to life, so they are crucial to your PR pitches. Avoid generic ones and instead include high-quality, vibrant images, showing off the people involved. Don’t send anything blurry, low-resolution or just plain boring. If the image is to go into print, it needs to be at least 1MB. If you’ve got engaging and professional video footage, include that too. 

Rather than clogging up a journalist's inbox with huge file sizes, include one image on your email, and then a link to somewhere they can download more if they need to – your media library or a Dropbox folder, for instance.

See how other brands have used the media library feature in their PressPage newsrooms.

Don’t look for free advertising

Unless you’ve got a wide reach and strong brand recognition, the launch of a new product probably isn’t going to make the news. Media companies rely on advertising revenue to survive; they’re not going to give you space to advertise your products for free. Sometimes it takes some time for a brand to come to terms with this, and your role here is to manage their expectations and educate them on what makes a real story. 

Journalists will determine whether your story is newsworthy or not and cover it based on criteria like timing, significance or prominence. But if it’s a bog-standard product launch, don’t be surprised if you’re redirected to the advertising department.

Build relationships with journalists 

When a journalist agrees to run your story, be responsive. Answer any follow-up questions promptly, and facilitate them in as much as you can. You’ll need them again in the future. Consider asking them to go to coffee or a business lunch where they can discuss big stories they’re working on over the coming months, and you can identify potential opportunities for your brand or your clients’ brands. Once you’ve established a mutually beneficial relationship with a journalist, sending PR pitches to them becomes a lot easier.

Our goal is to make communication as simple and well-integrated as possible for our customers. The PressPage platform already supports the PR workflow from pitching to publishing to analytics, and this updated functionality means you can save more time while doing more.

What can you expect?

The new email editor, just like the newsroom and cases editor, works with drag-and-drop functionality and provides more choices for improved email layouts. Rich media can easily be added so you can share engaging content directly with your readers. 

For existing PressPage Mail users, you’ll continue to have flexibility in who you’re contacting, ensuring your outreach stays as straightforward as ever. Upload your own media contacts, let your newsroom visitors subscribe to your newsletters, or browse our integrated media database of over 860,000 unique journalists worldwide. 

A new feature in the mail editor saves you time by allowing you to add content from your newsroom cases - including featured image, title, description, and a live link - directly into the email with just a click of the button. 

Knowing how your newsletters and pitches are performing is a key part of PR measurement, so we’ve also recently updated the analytics dashboard to ensure you get the insights that are important to you.

Are you already a PressPage Mail user? Just reach out to your account manager to activate your new email editor. If you’re new to PressPage and interested to see how you can improve your PR workflow with our platform, you can request your demo today.

In today’s busy brand centers, the role of the communications editor has greatly evolved. They now exist as a sort of gatekeeper between a brand’s story and the intended consumer, ensuring not only that the copy is correct and well-written, but that the narrative of the brand is being used strategically, appropriately and effectively. Here are some of the ways the communications editor role has changed in recent years.

1. Beyond the grammar police

We all enjoy occasionally correcting a stranger’s spelling on Facebook. But for editors, mastery of their language is the key to success. The best editors are whizzes when it comes to knowing AP Style, understanding proper citations, and making spelling bee champs envious of their dictionary-like knowledge. Spelling and grammar will always be the cornerstone of a communications editor’s work, but that foundation also gives them the opportunity to build something even greater: an amazing story.

As narrative becomes ever more important to a brand’s success, editors have to be experts not only in language but in storytelling. Rather than checking a press release for errors, they must also check to make sure it is written in the proper tone and voice and conveys the kind of message they want the audience to hear.

2. Know the audience

When you’re editing a traditional press release, it’s easy to figure out who’s going to be reading it. Media outlets, journalists and editors will all be on the receiving end of your releases, determining if they’re interested in covering the news. Beyond that, how they tell the story is up to them. Thankfully, this tired old model has finally shifted. Because shouldn’t you be telling your brand’s story the way it ought to be told? The key to telling it correctly is understanding your audience.

Communications editors are helping to craft brand assets that are more effective and more engaging because they are creating them based on the backgrounds, desires, and interests of the audience. For instance, let’s say your brand storyteller puts together a digital release written in a youthful voice, containing images pre-sized for social media platforms. Who’s going to respond more favorably: the Instagram influencer or the newspaper editor? As communications editor, it’s your job to understand who’s receiving, so you can make sure you’re giving what they need.

3. Fake news? What fake news?

We are living in a tumultuous time for national and even global media. With cries of “fake news” and allegations of bias, spin and unethical reporting on the rise, the communications editor must now step into the role of fact-checker extraordinaire. And while no communications editor worth his or her salt would knowingly disperse incorrect information, utilizing reputable sources and citing verifiable facts is more important than ever. Beyond telling your brand’s story, you must also consider your brand’s reputation—ensuring accuracy and avoiding mistakes goes a long way toward keeping it protected.

4. Get socially savvy

Now more than ever, nearly all brands rely on social media to share their stories. Communications editors today must have an understanding of each of the popular platforms—knowing who their users are, when they’re online, and what they’re posting. Editing content for Instagram is going to look, sound and feel a lot different than content for LinkedIn (even within the same brand).

5. Bolster the brand

Ultimately, the communications editor will contribute to reinforce the brand’s credibility and authenticity among its audience. In order to do this, the editor must wear many hats. Storyteller, proofreader, marketing analyst, social guru, and wordsmith, just to name a few. They may be responsible for everything from creating a strategy to generating content to writing brand guidelines. No matter what the task, their singular goal is to distribute content that supports the brand’s mission and upholds its values through the story it tells.

The times are certainly changing inside the brand newsroom, especially for the communications editor. Once seen as word nerds with red pens gleefully marking up press releases, these multipurpose, multitasking wizards are now integral and meaningful voices adding to the chorus of your brand’s story.

Enter brand journalism, the darling of content creators and savvy PR specialists. Brand journalism is a strategy to generate content that is relevant and meaningful to an audience and provide them with information on an industry or related topics without selling them anything. Paired with a smart social media strategy, brand journalism can build relationships with a customer base, increase loyalty and, eventually, lead to a greater conversion rate.

Here are a few of the connections between social strategy and brand journalism and some methods to implement these tactics to start making headlines… of your own.

Answer the “why,” not the “what”

Think about your industry and the challenges it faces. Your business likely offers products or services that solve these challenges. That’s the “what.” Now, think about the “why.” Why do these challenges exist within your industry? Why is your business in a position to offer a unique perspective on these issues? The key to brand journalism is taking a step back from selling your products and services, and a step toward journalistic reporting on the industry subjects that impact your audience.

For instance, Disney, discovered its audience – not the children watching their programming, but their moms – was looking for resources on parenting and a place to connect, so the company made the decision to purchase the online magazine and blog Babble, where it could control the content without making it a direct sales opportunity. Disney backed off on pitching its “what” (kid-friendly content) and instead focused on the “why” (why parenting is such a difficult job) and then gave readers content they could use.

Watch your language

Every industry has its own jargon or lingo, and as we know, the realm of marketing also has a very distinct lexicon. To be an effective brand journalist, you’re going to have to rethink your vocabulary. If you’re managing your brand’s social media accounts, you might have already done this to a certain extent. Perhaps you’ve adjusted to the more casual language of Instagram and Facebook or the micro-content of Twitter. That’s a great start. But if you’ve been using your social platforms to pitch products and run promotions, you’re going to have to rethink the language and the tone you use. Brand journalism, in its truest form, operates much like traditional journalism – think unbiased opinions and fact-based reporting. And while there’s certainly room to incorporate your brand’s personality, the goal is to create relationships, not create conversions.

Tell a story

To make content memorable to audience members, the narrative is key. When Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti, FedEx sent a team to participate in relief efforts, and embedded a brand journalist in the crew. The journalist shared photos, videos, and other content via FedEx’s social media platforms, which were picked up by news outlets across the country. FedEx built a story around what they were doing and used the narrative to engage with their audience outside of their typical sales and marketing efforts.

Social media allows brands to share their stories in a variety of ways – through video, images, infographics and more. As a bonus, followers can engage with and become a part of that story through reactions, comments, and shares. Provide a story your audience will get lost in, and create a relationship built on trust and respect.

Rally the troops

You may not have the budget for a team of brand journalists, but there are sure to be untapped resources within your company. Seek out employees who are active on social media and have strong followings. They may not necessarily be considered “influencers,” but their voice is loud, and it is heard. Recruit these employees to act as your brand ambassadors. Leverage their reach to engage with new audiences and push your content out to new channels. Consider creating pre-written brand journalism content they can easily share, through social posts, landing pages and blogs.

If the word “journalism” scares you…

It’s tough to be fair and unbiased when reporting on your own industry. And if you’re in a field where humor or personality is slim, it can feel like the content you’re creating is dry and dull. Consider thinking of your brand journalism efforts as “edu-tainment” instead – the combination of educational material and entertaining storytelling. This is a strategy that lends itself naturally to social media, where it’s important to engage with your audience on a human, emotional level. At the same time, be sure to balance that humanity with content that educates and informs on issues that matter.

Make no mistake: a strong social media strategy is no replacement for brand journalism. This is a unique form of marketing that requires careful thought and planning. However, the combination of brand journalism’s meaningful content and social media’s reach and unique storytelling style can create a powerful marketing tool that lends credibility and relatability to your brand.

As earned content becomes more difficult to acquire, brand journalism, shared via social media, is a useful avenue to getting your brand, its mission, and achievements in front of a broader audience.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of enhancing your online content to improve visibility in search engine rankings. As more and more people turn to “googling” to find products and information, SEO is more crucial than ever: the top five search results per Google search get up to 70% of all clicks.

Looking for a more in-depth guide? download our free ebook on the role of SEO in PR.

The core elements of SEO

There are some key phrases you’ll need to understand as you begin your SEO approach:

Search rankings determine where your content appears in the search results for specific keywords. This, in turn, suggests how many people will click to visit your page. SEO experts usually focus on three areas to boost rankings: relevance, trust, and user signals.

Selecting the right keywords is where all SEO efforts begin, and they can often inspire your entire PR strategy. Consider your brand identity and market placement, then identify the keywords you want to be ranked for. Your SEO efforts will aim at bringing you up to the top of the search results for that keyword.

There are three types of keywords to consider: head, body and long tail. 

Backlinks are hyperlinks leading back to your site when your brand or your product is mentioned on another website. Backlinks are a critical factor determining your authority and trustworthiness, both key elements for climbing the search rankings.

SEO and owned media

Branded content in your online newsroom or corporate blog can have a positive impact on SEO. PR can work alongside content marketing to use keywords strategically and earn backlinks. Even when optimizing for search engines, real readers should remain the target for your content. This means creating newsworthy, engaging stories for your audience, on a regularly updated platform.

SEO and earned media

Building relationships with journalists remains essential for PR professionals. Once you’ve found the right story, maximize your possibilities for coverage - and valuable backlinks - by pitching it to the right people. PressPage has a media and influencer database of over 820,000 contacts that you can use as a reference to get your story out effectively. The circular nature of the relationship between SEO and earned media becomes apparent as soon as you begin optimizing; by talking with the right people, your owned media channels become increasingly visible - and valuable.

Take the next steps and boost your PR efforts with SEO

Every small step you take in SEO is worthwhile: SEO is crucial for business success in today’s digital landscape and it will likely only grow in importance. Start with the most basic elements of SEO and make sure your online presence, newsroom, and websites are SEO-friendly. More than just another PR tactic, SEO is rapidly becoming an important business goal in its own right. As a PR professional, now is the time to embrace SEO and the value it will add to your PR strategies.

Get started with your SEO efforts right now: download our free guide "The Role of SEO in PR" today.

What is a PR strategy?

A PR strategy is used to help your business organize its public relations (or media relations) activities and make strategic decisions about the best way to communicate with its target audience. The development and implementation of a PR strategy can assist brands in not only generating interest from the press in their products or services but also help to organize the many stories brands have that resonate with their diverse audiences. If a strategy is implemented well, it will serve as a tool to help manage the public perception of an organization. 

Why is it important?

PR or “earned media” can be used to drive website traffic, engage and connect with target audiences, make connections within the community, and promote brands in a more organic way that people trust. Utilizing media outlets in this way is important for attracting more potential customers or clients while creating brand awareness.

And, with a solid PR strategy in place, business goals and activities are easier to share with target audiences. The strategy directs [an often multichannel] approach to communicating the main message, which assists in maximizing efforts and generating awareness. This influences branding and marketing as well as an organization’s perception during a crisis because brands that succeed in sharing their goals and wins on a regular basis are more likely to be seen in a positive light even when experiencing a setback.

So, how do you create a strategy?

Ultimately, a PR strategy is created through storytelling. This is your chance to tell your audience about who you are, what you do, and why you should matter to them. Every story should lead back to the “why” of your business. Why are you doing what you’re doing? Why should people care? After considering your “why”, the most important thing to do is to set your end goal.

1. Start with a goal

Initiating a PR strategy without the end game in mind can be problematic, especially for sales-driven companies with very tangible quarterly and annual revenue goals. These goals can be quantitative or qualitative in nature, depending on what is the most reasonable way to measure your success.

Regardless of the nature of the goal, keep in mind it should be specific, measurable and assign a deadline for evaluation. A popular goal-setting equation to consider is “To get from ________ to ________ by ________ (date).”

2. Confirm audiences

Different audiences tend to spend time in different places. Consider the target audience for Brand A, a popular coffee shop predominantly found in college towns across the United States. Brand A focuses their PR efforts with online media like BuzzFeed because it is targeting college-age men and women who spend the majority of their free time on their mobile device. By confirming the audience, PR pros can better identify targeted media outlets, which will pave the way for more targeted pitches and interesting stories to share.

3. Tell a compelling story

With the audience and targeted media outlets defined, communicators can more easily determine [and share!] the brand’s story. The story should include key messages that are tied back to the brand’s values and mission as well as to the reputation the brand either already has or aspires to achieve through the PR strategy. Consider building a newsroom that incorporates each of the key messages for the target audience into bite-sized or easy to skim articles with the intention of capturing website visitors and encouraging longer website visits and multiple page views.

Remember, it’s not enough to say who or what the brand is, but the brand must act on its assertions and live out its values outside of articles and news releases. When the sentiment of an article is mirrored on ratings and reviews or social updates, it begins to become truth in the eyes of the consumer. In general, consumers can tell when brands are not authentic or do not live up to their brand values. So, put your money where your mouth is and be who you say you are — or expect to be outed on social media faster than you can tweet an apology.

4. Get creative

Today’s consumer receives their news and content from a multitude of sources including social media, blogs, and podcasts. A good PR strategy extends beyond the reach of traditional journalism and courts target audiences where they are already going to get their information.

But, at its heart, a solid PR strategy still relies on the development of relationships between the PR pro (brand voice) and the media contact (amplifier). Whether working with a small market fashion blogger or a reporter from The New York Times, a good relationship can make the difference between reading an email or clicking delete.