When conducting PR activities for your business it’s important to watch the news and to be aware of current newsworthy topics.
By doing this you will discover media opportunities for your business and yourself.
For example, if you are an insurance company and you notice a lot of stories in the media about rising insurance premiums, you can pitch yourself to a relevant journalist as an expert to comment on this issue.
This is an effective PR tactic which allows you to take advantage of current topics in the news to get a media interview or media coverage.
PR Daily has provided some tips on how you can prepare yourself to take advantage of a current story in the media.
Create a media list
Make a list of all of the media publications your target audience reads and find the contact details of the journalists who work for each publication. In this list, document the journalist’s name, email address, position and phone number. When a story you can comment on breaks, this list will help you to decide which publications to pitch to.
Find the topics you can talk about
Think about your area of expertise and determine the main topics you can discuss in this area. You can then think about possible news events related to these topics. By paying attention to the media you can be aware of when these topics occur in the news and you can pitch yourself in as a possible expert to discuss them. For example if you are an accountant you could discuss topics such as the end of financial year.
Write an article
Writing articles which demonstrate your knowledge and publishing them on your blog or website is a great way to get noticed as an expert in your industry. You can write articles about your area of expertise and the topics you thought about in the above point. Useful and informative articles can help you to get noticed by journalists who often browse online resources when researching stories. If they are interested in your article they may consider you for an expert interview for a story.
Articles are also useful when preparing for a media interview as you can use key sentences or phrases from them to help you plan what you want to say during the interview.
Prepare
You can prepare for any upcoming media interviews by practising your key messages. Think about the main points you want to convey about your business and the topics in your area of expertise.
You can formulate specific messages or phrases related to each of your topics. You can then adapt these messages to suit each media interview and make sure you are prepared when a news story breaks.
For example, if you are a personal trainer you can prepare for an upcoming news story about health and fitness by preparing your five best tips for staying healthy.
Start listening to the news and reading publications in your industry to find media opportunities for your business. If you don’t know what’s happening in the media you may miss out on an opportunity to promote your business or gain media coverage.
Have you gained a media interview from a current newsworthy topic in the media?
Read the full article here.
Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.
