How do you identify and leverage your media opportunities?

Know your journalists, bloggers and other media. Package your story to make their life easy. Write in plain English with short sentences (no jargon). Support written content with creatives with professional photography and graphics. Make life easy for under-resourced and under pressure newsrooms and outlets by offering them a ready made packaged story, not just text. Then pick the media which your target audience use and engage with - abandon your own personal favourites, a temptation and bias we all fall into from time to time.

Knowing your audience is key. Spend time on monitoring and researching. The majority of journalists/reporters are active on Twitter (X) or LinkedIn. By following them on these platforms you can get a pretty good idea on what stories they write about and what kind of data would be useful for them.

When you reach out to local news assignment desks, turn on the TV to their channel first. Is there a newscast on? Do not call or email them then. Check their website. If you see a big red banner with the words BREAKING NEWS across the screen, do not call or email them then. Day to day, the best times to keep in mind are 8am (before their 9am meeting), 2pm (before their nightside team comes in) and 7pm (after their evening newscast/during their dinner break). It's not enough to understand their audience. You need to understand their schedule and bandwidth to take in any new information.

Media opportunities can be identified by stepping into the shoes of your audience. All of us are surrounded by information. We usually read newspapers or watch TV news as PR professionals but if we do it as a member of the target audience, we can identify the gaps or scope for more information. Once we have identified the gaps, we have to figure out how our clients can fill those gaps. Is there a product or service they offer? Or, can the CEO share her experience in a guest article to help the audience make sense of an upcoming trend? After identifying such opportunities, we have to read out to relevant journalists and pitch. Respecting their time and honouring our commitment should be the prime focus to leverage these opportunities.

You must define your own goals. Why do you need media coverage? There can be several goals: 1) Increasing brand awareness 2) Developing the personal brand of the company CEO or his employees 3) Reach new markets 4) To spread the word about the company's products and attract new consumers It would not be unreasonable to analyze your competitors: What media are they using? What do they write about? After that, make a list of relevant media for you and start researching their audience, reach, and the topics they cover.

As a professional, I ensure effective media engagement to enhance brand visibility and reputation. Understanding my target audience, or 'publics' in PR, involves staying attuned to trends and strategically positioning messages. Leveraging the media demands compelling content that goes beyond information delivery, evoking emotions and leaving a lasting impression. my approach emphasizes continual refinement through metrics analysis for a dynamic and impactful strategy, ultimately enhancing brand visibility and leaving a lasting legacy

In my experience, this is the most important step to getting the most out of media relations. There is no point being somewhere your target doesn't frequent. Understanding your target demographic allows you to tailor your pitches to their interests and values when reaching out to media outlets. This raises the likelihood that your story will be regarded as relevant and newsworthy. Journalists already receive a large number of proposals, and they will be more likely to pay attention to a story that resonates with their target audience.

D'abord il faut comprendre la différence entre les opportunités réactives et les opportunités proactives. Pour les opportunités réactives, il faut faire beaucoup de veille, suivre les tendances et proposer des sujets rapidement. Ce n'est pas fait pour tout le monde. J'encourage plutôt mes clients à être proactifs. Donc, créer et planifier leurs propres opportunités médiatiques à l'avance. Comment? En s'inspirant du comportement de leur clientèle cible, de ce qui se passe dans leur industrie, des journées et mois thématiques tout comme les fêtes.

Identifying and leveraging media opportunities is like Elsa recognizing the potential of her ice powers in "Frozen." As Elsa understands her abilities and their impact, please know your audience when seeking media opportunities. It's like tailoring your message to resonate with their interests and needs. By aligning your opportunities with your audience, your media strategy becomes as powerful and resonant as Elsa harnessing her ice magic, ensuring that your message captivates and connects with your target audience.

Ideally you will have an opinion. It's not always possible to share your opinion, especially if the topic is divisive. If that's the case you need to offer some kind of value in the form of insight. Facts and figures are great especially if they're generated by your own research.

Be sure to research the requirements of the media for which you are going to write an article. If the article is already ready, optimize it according to the media requirements. I recommend preparing a useful article: a guide, a case study, or a collection of useful resources. Also, the audience is always interested in stories: success stories, stories of failure and subsequent victories, stories of business formation or product development.

Crafting your story for media is like Buzz Lightyear creating a captivating space adventure in "Toy Story." Just as Buzz weaves a tale of cosmic excitement, shape your narrative to capture attention. It's like ensuring your story has all the elements for a stellar journey. Incorporate key messages, unique angles, and relatable aspects. By crafting a compelling story, your media strategy becomes as engaging and memorable as Buzz's tales of intergalactic heroism, leaving a lasting impression on your audience.

The pitch should always be personalized: whether you're writing to an editorial board or to a specific journalist. Please do not use common platforms for a single mailing of emails or a database with journalists' contacts! These databases may contain outdated contacts, and you will easily be blacklisted or put in the spam folder if you use them on a regular basis. In your pitch, include the necessary facts and statistics, if available. Also, write about how the audience will benefit from your article.

An example is Alignment of PR activities with with the media agenda per time. From special world observance days to public service media campaigns, alignment is always a sure way to to identify and leverage media opportunities. Simply tailor your media relations objectives of the organisation you represent to align with the media’s agenda, interests, and expectations. A good approach is for the organisation's media manager to research the media outlets, journalists, and influencers that are relevant to its industry, sector, or niche, and tailor its pitches and stories in that direction.

Pitching your story to the media is like Moana persuading Maui to join her quest in "Moana." As Moana presents her case passionately, pitch your story enthusiastically and relevantly. It's like convincing Maui to embark on an adventure. Could you highlight the uniqueness, importance, and appeal of your narrative? By pitching your story effectively, your media strategy becomes as persuasive and impactful as Moana's ability to inspire others to join her in sailing beyond the reef, ensuring media interest and coverage for your tale.

It is very easy for your story to be buried in the stream of emails that journalists and reporters receive on a daily basis, but sending them a polite reminder is a fantastic approach to bring it back under their scope. However, keep in mind they are under no need to utilise your stories, and you should not take it personally if they choose not to. Having a friendly relationship outside of work is the best approach to follow up and follow through, especially in Nigeria. Make the small effort to comment on their Instagram photo or WhatsApp status so they are reminded of who you are all the time. I've had success with this. Making sure you are pitching to the appropriate media outlet is another underrated tip.

📌 No amount of politeness or charm will generate media coverage. Media outlets exact relevant information such as timely trends or breaking news. Intentionally scrutinize your #mediatelations offering before following up. Focus on the pitch. If it’s up to snuff, you will be contacted to verify and coordinate.

Following up and following through is like Woody making sure every toy reaches its destination in "Toy Story." Just as Woody ensures the completion of each mission, he consistently checks in and delivers on promises. It's like being a reliable friend. Please keep the communication alive, answer questions promptly, and provide additional information. Following up and following through, your media strategy becomes as dependable and trustworthy as Woody's dedication to his toy companions, ensuring a continued and positive relationship with the media.

Your connection with journalists is essential to media placement. Establishing connections with media beyond traditional pitching is crucial for outreach. Take a different approach to media pitching, instead of adding to the countless emails a reporter receives daily, inquire how you can support their work. Reporters receive 20-30 pitch emails daily and have to choose what's most relevant to reply to. Stand out among the rest.

Journalists are people too. Like everyone, they have a professional and personal side. Professionally, they appreciate if you come to them with a solid story. One that is well researched, doesn’t read like a PR piece and actually shares details & impact to make it ‘newsworthy’. The lesser time the journalist needs to spend spiffing it up, the more likely they are to pick up your next call. Personally, be amiable and don’t just call when you need them for work. Putting in the effort of getting to know them, their views, their family, finding that common connect goes a long way in building a personal relation. You don’t need both, but if you can connect at a personal and professional level, solid will be your middle name.

Because the media is a crucial stakeholder in any public relations campaign, your connection with them must be mutually beneficial. As a general rule, I try to connect with people on a personal level outside of work as much as feasible. It can sometimes be as simple as celebrating their special occasions with them (birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, children's birthdays). Kindness is also vital when it comes to developing a relationship with an editor, reporter, or journalist. This is mostly underrated, however, I have come to realize that they do return the energy that they receive. So it's crucial to be considerate and not just reach out when you need something from them.

By consistently pitching good stories, you will be able to build your credibility as someone who knows the value of a story. When those stories publish, thanking and tagging them in posts are certainly welcome.

Building relationships in media is like Cinderella forming connections with her animal friends in "Cinderella." Just as Cinderella fosters bonds with kindness and understanding, nurture relationships with journalists and influencers. It's like creating a network of reliable allies. Share valuable information, engage genuinely, and be supportive. Building relationships makes your media strategy as heartwarming and enduring as Cinderella's connections with her animal companions, ensuring a strong and positive rapport with the media over time.

While it's important to connect with a journalist during an active pitch, it's vital to maintain touch outside of it. As PR professionals, we must read the stories covered by relevant journalists and have a dialogue. It could be as small as complimenting them or sharing your thoughts on their latest pieces. Help them in connecting with their desired POCs, if possible. Relationship-building is not situational.