It’s still early enough in 2020 to make resolutions. How about this? Earned media isn’t dead. It’s not easy, though. Fewer than 10 percent of respondents in our February snap survey of 150 media relations executives said gaining coverage is easier or far easier than it used to be (see chart 5).
Still, respondents confirmed their belief in earned media’s value. They also seem to be practicing media relations well. They’re tailoring pitches and more thoroughly researching the content creators they pitch. On the other hand, few are devoting signficant time to what they see as a difficult part of PR.
Our first question (chart 1), where respondents could check multiple answers, found a fairly even distribution of pain points. It seems significant that just 7 percent agreed with the statement, “My bosses believe earned media is not important, so we don’t pitch much.” In addition, earned media’s worth was bolstered when just 10 percent said they don’t trust content creators “to tell our story accurately.”
Spray and Pray Lives
Senior Director
APCO Worldwide
A less-positive finding on the state of PR was that nearly 20 percent of respondents said, “We use the spray-and-pray approach to pitching, and it yields few results.” Far more executives, though, told us they research before they pitch (63 percent, see chart 7). And 57 percent said they tailor pitches to reporters (chart 7). These were encouraging findings for APCO Worldwide senior director Suzanne Lyons.
“Customization and personalization are critical when pitching – the days of blast email pitches are long gone,” she said. “The more research you do, the more you understand their tone, tenor and coverage/beats, the better your pitches will be and the more traction you will get.” Referring to a journalist’s recent work, or posts on social media, “go a long way to showing you’ve done your homework and are not spamming” the content creator’s inbox, she said.
A Vendor Opportunity
Another pain point was that nearly 20 percent of respondents said they find it difficult to keep track of what content creators want and need (chart 1). Yet 26 percent told us there are too many communicators chasing too few writers.
With communicators outnumbering content creators 6:1, it seems logical that keeping track of beats should not be an issue. Yet one respondent, in a written response, said reporters change jobs so often it’s difficult to keep track of what they’re covering. Vendors take note: PR pros need help in this area.
Time Passages
Principal
Smart PR
Perhaps a clue about keeping track of beats is found in chart 2, where 40 percent of respondents said they spend five percent or less of their time on media relations. Spending so little time could explain why it’s difficult to keep track of content creators. 26 percent of respondents said they spend 20 percent or more of their average day on media relations.
These findings signal opportunities, according to media relations guru Michael Smart, principal, Michael Smart PR.
“The biggest surprise...also is the most encouraging for media relations pros who are fully committed to their craft,” Smart said. He’s buoyed that 89 percent admitted they spend less than 25 percent of their day on media relations, and half of those spend less than 5 percent (chart 2). “It’s no wonder they’re struggling to maintain results – they aren’t putting in the time.”
Indeed, Smart points out that the most frequently cited pain point (30 percent), “We’re too busy to build deep relationships with content creators,” is a symptom of the lack of time invested in media relations.
Similarly, Lyons of APCO was “shocked” that more than 30 percent said they are too busy to build relationships with content creators/journalists.
“This is the core component to all storytelling in earned media. It should be as important as building a trusted relationship with a client. Without those deeper, more meaningful relationships, how can a media pro learn the nuances of a journalist’s approach and be a trusted resource?”
Lyons added that simple efforts such as following journalists on social and engaging them in circumstances other than a push pitch, can build relationships that last for years.
“Building relationships early, and often, becomes the bread and butter of your media portfolio and anchors your ability to tell stories,” Lyons said.
No Politics No Problem
Another pain point deserves scrutiny. With an election approaching, it’s not surprising that 25 percent of respondents said it’s “very hard” to interest journalists in stories that lack national politics content.
Certainly, we’ve heard many voice this issue. Still, instead of aiming solely at mainstream media, which likely prefers national political stories, there is a bevy of smaller outlets to pitch. An Onclusive study from the summer showed growth in both the number of smaller media outlets, such as trades, websites and blogs, and content creators working at them (PRNEWS, June 2019).
In addition, last month, in an article about measurement, we noted that media placements in relatively small-circulation outlets might be more effective for certain brands. Similarly, in our April 2019 edition, Zeno Group EVP Michael Brito used data to make a convincing argument for this strategy.
As Lyons noted, “While traditional print journalism has shrunk newsrooms across the country, content creators and the freelance community are dominating across many sectors.”
Email and a Note
The largest response to the survey is seen in chart 3, where nearly 9 in 10 respondents said the most effective pitching tactic is an email with a brief note or press release.
Slightly surprising in this digital age was that 35 percent said old-fashioned “phoning” content creators was effective.
Summing up her takeaways about the survey, Lyons said, “Earned media is hard, [but] it is always a skill worth investing in. PR pros need to get back to the basics of building relationships with media – the benefits far outweigh the challenges of an overbooked calendar.”
Smart added, “The survey does a great job validating the factors that make media relations difficult. But it’s pretty empowering to know that if you simply spend half your time actually doing media relations, you’ll be outpacing virtually all your competitors.”
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