Media relations remains one of the most important skills in the PR and corporate communications worlds.Â
But in a world where press releases are sent at next to zero cost by non-professionals, and journalists are bombarded with them every day, how do we cut through the dross and deliver the highest quality stories in the most effective way?
Simple. We know the journalists we are working with intimately and we know exactly what they want from us.
In fact, we would go as far as to say that our relationship with the national, regional and trade press across the UK is second to none.
This is because most of our staff are former journalists themselves and between us, we have worked in every national newspaper newsroom in the country.
From the Daily Mail to the Telegraph, The Times to The Sun, The Guardian to The Mirror, Express to Independent, FT to Observer and the Evening Standard to the Metro, we have been there, done that, got the t-shirt, so-to-speak.
What’s more, we have dabbled in many of the biggest regional publications too not to mention some of the largest consumer magazines in the country and our network means we have a friendly contact in the majority of trade press outlets too.
Excellent working relationships with news editors and reporters is what gives us an edge in PR.Â
Not only does it allow us access to news agendas, forward-planning lists, and editorial opportunities as soon as they arise, but it also places us front of mind for thought-leadership and comment opportunities – which is excellent news for you!
After all, media relations is all about gaining third party validation.
A company can tell a client that it’s reliable and valuable for decades, and that message still won’t hit home until another, credible figure confirms it.Â
Media relations done properly can help businesses to prove themselves through endorsement. In other words, getting your story published through reputable platform is what gives you that instant boost in credibility.Â
This isn’t the only benefit either.
You can also spread your brand reach through media relations.Â
Posting a news story about your business on your website allows you to provide your existing customers with more information – but the only people who find your story will be the people who already know about you.Â
If you publish a story through a media outlet however, you expand your brand reach to include everyone in that publication’s audience too.Â
Another perk is traffic to your website and a boost to your SEO rankings.
Why? Well, press coverage usually results in an increase in the branded search term on Google as people look up your company online after watching or reading about it in the press. Similarly, you may notice an increase in likes and shares on your social media.
If the media house has linked back to your website, you gain a backlink from a high authority website that may help you get referral traffic plus improve your domain authority.
