For those working in the media industry, it’s important to react quickly to breaking news and important updates. Although nothing could prepare us for Covid-19, account executive Anastasia Smith explains how she has managed to stay on top of the latest headlines and utilise them to improve those all important media relations.
Do your research
With journalists being placed on furlough and staff levels reduced, it’s crucial that you do your research to find out who is covering what story. You may find your inbox is filled with out of office emails or you aren’t able to get in touch with a particular publication, so planning ahead and researching who you’re going to pitch to is vital.
Once you have successfully pitched your story, you may find that the journalist returns to you for further information or another story – not only is this great for gaining extra coverage but it also helps to build key relationships.
Make your story relevant
The news agenda is currently saturated with Covid-19 articles, so the best way to ensure your story attracts attention is to try and find a hook or angle that is relevant to the current situation. If your story isn’t relevant then there is a high chance it will get buried among the Covid-19 stories. Try and make your story stand out as much as possible by including ‘Coronavirus’ in the subject line – this is what journalists will be searching for when looking for a story.
Read as often as you can
Keeping up to date with public announcements and changes to Coronavirus government guidance will really help with writing stories for your clients. A great way to do this is to set up google alerts for particular key words or set notifications for specific publications – that way you won’t miss any opportunities.
Keep an eye out for journalist requests. Publications have started to create new pages where they will only publish non-Coronavirus related stories so this is a great opportunity to pitch in those lovely, uplifting news stories.
Think about future opportunities
Coronavirus is likely to appear in headlines and dominate the media for the foreseeable, so now is the time to start thinking ahead and creating future opportunities for clients.
For example, if your client is looking to open shared office space within the next quarter, you should be planning for what journalists will be looking for. As people begin to return to work, there will be more discussions on working environments and shared spaces.
The Cartwright Communications team is still – and will remain – open for business. To find out how we can use our media relations to support your business, get in touch with us today.
