Press release, media pitch or both? Choose the right media strategy

The newsletter is a safe haven for many communicators. Some corporate communicators are even measured by the number of bulletins they send out per month. Without taking anything away from this basic tool of communication, there is often a much more effective way to gain media visibility.

Numerous press releases sent out do not necessarily lead to any visibility. Sure, they generate content for the company's website and possibly other SEO-friendly channels, and fulfil the disclosure obligations of listed companies, but in the end they result in a fraction of the media visibility.

There is still a place for communications, but you can't rely on sending them alone. A media pitch, i.e. a story proposal sent to an individual journalist or editor, is often a more effective way of attracting media attention. By offering a tailored angle and an interview, it is possible to better open up why the proposed topic would be relevant to the readers of that media outlet.

Pitching to open up more corners

If you have a news story that has genuine public interest - and can be condensed into an attention-grabbing headline - you can still get very wide coverage. Similarly, news about a deal or joint venture involving your own company, for example, rarely attracts media attention unless it is a really big deal or involves giants like Nokia or Amazon.

If you want to open up a new angle for the media, tie the news into a broader context or provide background on an important topic for your company, pitching is a better way to arouse curiosity. A story proposal may require more time and thought than a press release, but the results are usually worth it. Especially when you choose the right editor for the topic, build the pitch from interesting pieces and personalise the right approach.

Even an interesting release can often lead to "just" short column headlines, where your own message doesn't get properly unpacked. A media pitch, on the other hand, often results in a bigger story that a potential customer or other stakeholder will spend more time on.

Whatever the nature of the news, there is rarely any harm in pitching in advance. A press release can also be sent to a single media outlet in advance with an introduction. Whether there is interest or not, wider distribution is possible afterwards.

In the end, it's the content of both the press release and the media pitch that counts

Whether you're pitching or informing the media, it's good to ask yourself a few questions before posting:

Would I click on this headline?

Would I pay toread a story like this in online media?

Is this newsworthy?

After even one no answer, it's worth taking a moment to think about how to make the content more interesting.