With thousands of businesses all vying for media attention, both in print and online, standing out from the crowd has never been more important. As PR and marketing agencies jostle to project their respective clients into the limelight, those that succeed will be those with a strategic, targeted approach.
“Writing tailored press releases is the best tactic for securing consistent, hard-hitting press coverage in the right publications,” explains Christine Joyce, Managing Director, CJAM Group. “It’s important to know your audience, establish exactly what types of publications they read and then scour those publications to understand precisely what editorial opportunities exist and how news stories are typically presented.”
Adopting the right style and tone for the audience is paramount. Top journalists write with a detailed character in mind – someone who typifies their audience – they know where he/she shops, what kind of car they drive, where they go on holiday, and crucially, they understand how to hold their readers’ interest. Absorbing all of this is the holy grail of many a PR professional. The more we understand how a publication speaks to its audience, the better we can mould our clients’ news to fit its editorial agenda, driving positive coverage in all the right places.
“Different mediums also require a tailored approach,” continues Joyce. “It’s important to know how to strike up a positive relationship with print, broadcast and online media channels and to know what makes them tick. Every journalist will want to understand the benefits or relevance of your client’s news to their audiences, however, each will be under different pressures, so understanding this and delivering exactly what they need is vital to ensuring success.”
Newspaper editors are more likely to be interested in trends and timely, topical stories. They like meaty stories with solid supporting data, and a good overview of how the news contributes to an overall theme or what it means for the future. Television of course needs to be much more visual – the tried and tested route of enlisting the support of local celebrities or dignitaries often works well here. Radio presenters need concise news stories with suggestions for topics that could form the basis of an in-depth talk show. Meanwhile, online news should be brief, punchy and create immediate impact, as online readers typically only stay on a web page for three seconds. We aim to capture their attention with a winning headline first time, every time.
CJAM Group recently generated a raft of positive coverage for a major client in just one month, hitting the mark with tens of thousands of pounds worth of coverage in key publications, as well as a series of high profile TV interviews and articles in national press. The client was over the moon, and importantly, the coverage triggered a significant increase in visitors to their website.
