5 Ways to Drive Results when the Media Landscape Feels Uncertain
By: Esther
The PR and media landscape has evolved immensely over the 15+ years I’ve been working in the industry. Stories I worked on with reporters just five years ago would have a very slim chance of being published today. And in many cases, the same outlets I was pitching no longer exist! Newsrooms are shrinking — 3,087 jobs were cut in the "digital, print, and broadcast" news category of the media sector in 2023 alone — and reporters are busier than ever. As a result, the threshold for landing media coverage seems to get higher and higher every day.
As a PR person, it’s natural to feel some unease about this; after all, our clients entrust us to drive results. However, in the midst of uncertainty, there are a few strategies that help me approach these challenges with more confidence.
1. Be a student of what makes a good story
When I see a profile or story on another company that represents the type of coverage we’re trying to get for our clients, I try to reverse-engineer it: what is the news hook? What access did the reporter have? Is there data included in the story, or third-party voices? Studying the elements of the story makes me feel more confident when brainstorming media strategies or planning with clients, because I have a stronger sense of what might interest reporters.
I often work with clients on thought leadership content, so I also like to carefully review bylines or op-eds I see to gauge what made them a good fit for that publication. Then, I apply any learnings. For instance, I noticed that Fortune Commentary had run a piece from a real estate expert about the housing market, which was a bit outside the norm of their normal commentary topics. That served as a springboard for identifying an opportunity for our client in real estate to share their perspective with a byline.
2. Stay plugged into reporter trends and sentiment
Understanding reporters is an ongoing, proactive effort. Many reporters have their own newsletters where they’ll share tips for PR professionals, dive into industry trends (such as media layoffs), and talk about the stories they’re working on. Another great resource is the Coffee with a Journalist podcast. The team at OnePitch interviews journalists about trends they’re following, how they want to be pitched, and what types of stories they’re writing about. Threads, X, and LinkedIn are all excellent resources too.
At Cutline, we also host AMAs for our team with reporters we work with, and we regularly set up 1:1s. We’re always grateful when a reporter is kind enough to lend their time, whether in person or virtually.
3. Conduct an audit
Knowledge is power, and I’m a big fan of a competitive audit to get a better sense of what stories are resonating with the media. Pick a few of your clients’ competitors, and do a deep dive into the media coverage they’ve received over the past year. You can also look at a brand’s newsroom, and go deep on specific announcements by researching the coverage they got on their news.
I find this is an especially helpful approach when coming up with strategies for executive communications programs. What are other CEOs and leaders talking about? This can help you determine where the white space is for your client to tell their story.
4. Storm those brains
At Cutline, we have a fantastic Media & Influencer team that holds office hours where we can brainstorm and workshop pitches for media. Getting an outside perspective on how attention-grabbing your pitch is or what might be missing from the story can be so helpful. We also regularly invite our entire agency to join brainstorming sessions to come up with creative campaigns for clients. I also use ChatGPT to get ideas when I’m feeling especially stuck or need a spark of inspiration!
5. Think beyond earned coverage
Sometimes, you have a great story, but it’s just not a story a reporter will write. Rather than nixing it all together, consider other mediums to get the story visibility.
For example, one of our clients had an incredible customer story, but reporters weren’t interested. We decided to turn the story into a blog post and publish it in their newsroom. Now, it’s a story we can link to in pitches, our client can share it on their social channels, and the story provides great validation for our client when customers read it. We’ve also worked with executives to publish bylines to their LinkedIn profile pages, helping drive engagement within their industry and social circles. Pitching newsletters, podcasts and editorial social media channels can also be a creative way to get your story out there, helping integrate social media storytelling into broader campaigns.
If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past decade working in PR and media, it’s that change is constant. Keeping a fresh perspective, staying up-to-date on what’s resonating with the media, and finding fresh sources of inspiration all help me more confidently navigate an ever-evolving media landscape.