This article originally ran on PR Daily in August of 2017.
If you tune in to CNN, Fox News or MSNBC, it’s likely you’ll see one of these on-screen graphics:
BREAKING NEWS
DEVELOPING STORY
HAPPENING NOW
The big three cable networks like to package their news as “breaking,” “developing” or “happening” to attract and retain viewers.
The “breaking” label’s prevalence derives from 24-hour news coverage and a desire to keep up with social media, especially Twitter. Our diminishing attention span plays a role, too.
This immediacy creates challenges—and opportunities—for PR pros.
Pitching a story that has nothing to do with an unfolding news story is a bad idea, unless you enjoy being hung up on.
If your pitch does have a connection to the current breaking story, you can earn major coverage—but you have to do it right.
If your organization’s experts can enhance the reporting, gear up by following these tips:
1. Have information about your expert(s) ready to go. Breaking news twists and turns quickly, so it’s important to have media-friendly information (such as bullet points of qualifications/experience, links to past media coverage) about your experts and head shots available to send with your pitch.
2. Determine your target media outlets. It’s tempting to target the first outlet to break a story, but that outlet may not be the best fit for your pitch. Wire services (Associated Press, Reuters) often break news, offering key details without adding context through third-party interviews. Pursue outlets seeking to add color commentary and perspective.
3. Produce a formal media advisory. When a story is breaking, it’s tempting to jump on the phone and start calling TV and radio assignment desks; both can quickly deliver your expert’s take. We recommend developing a formal advisory with a compelling headline, explaining how your organization can provide unique commentary and linking to the information mentioned in the first tip. This helps you send targeted emails before making phone calls, affording you greater reach and better efficiency.
[RELATED: How to tell your story in the age of fractured media and distracted audiences]
4. Build in time for a pre-interview briefing. Once you land your pitch, a media outlet may ask for your expert to be available ASAP. If possible, build in at least a few minutes between ending that conversation and having your expert interviewed. Just as you would for any other media opportunity, offer the expert key details about the outlet, the interviewer and likely questions.
5. Don’t ignore your organization’s owned-content sources. Work with your social media marketing team to produce a compelling and shareable visual message—something as complex as an infographic or as simple as a quote against a background of your organization’s colors.
6. Be ready to evaluate success. Implement rapid-response communications with measurement in mind. Google Analytics can measure key elements such as visits to media expert pages, keywords used to find your website and increases in site traffic during spikes in media coverage.
Chris McMurry is the senior vice president, PR director and damage prevention accounts director at MGH. A version of this originally appeared on the agency’s blog.
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