PUSH Magazine Volume 2, Issue 2

5 Techniques to enrich your public relations outreach to the media

A successful public relations effort is challenging, judging from poorly prepared pitches we see in our space. More specifically, many pitches do not focus specifically on sports tourism in a way that speaks to one’s clientele. Whether written by a destination marketing organization’s ad agency, cliched language, essentials that are missing, or other common missteps, the rate of those that miss the boat is high.

However, there are many steps you can make to ensure your efforts are more effective.

No one knows your organization's assets better than you. But do you know how to present them?

Here are some techniques to increase your chances.

It is not all about you. A lot of folks in our industry have a hard time grasping this one. It is understandable. You are specifically working on this outreach to promote what you are accomplishing, so of course, you should be a focal point. Well, guess what? (This is going to sound mean) Your audience does not care... until the moment it relates directly to them.

Your communications turn out to be key only if what you have is something that informs the audience and fulfills their interest and expectations. Otherwise,they consider reading it a waste of time.

Publications and journalists are not all the same. Publications and journalists have numerous interests and focus on different assignments. They focus on a range of subjects and compose them differently. The notion of sending one pitch out to the masses and expecting a good response is ineffective. Work to understand better the type of pieces that will attract your target audience based on their style and focus.

Do some research. Kind of obvious this was coming, huh? Have an understanding of which publications may cover your organization’s effort and offerings, who the writers are for each publication that may respond with interest, and what viewpoint could intrigue them. Find the appropriate publications and writers, read their pieces, and begin to appreciate them.

Research can be time-consuming, but it is necessary. If you do not want to do it, your public relations effort will fail, or at least be poor. Likewise, if you contract a public relations agency that does not make this effort, your objectives will go nowhere. And you will be wasting money within your budget.

Think bigger than yourself. We have already mentioned it is not all about you, so plan your pitch thoroughly. A new facility announcement or executive personnel changes may matter to some publications and writers. They will not matter to others. Make sure to express whatever you are pitching and how it fits into a bigger context and what connects the topic to the audience, whether it be a game-changing feature to the sports tourism industry, new market segment, a geographic issue, economic or virus-related conditions, and so on. If you can reveal the more profound importance of what you are saying, you will become closer to garnering attention.

KISS - Keep it simple stupid. No one has the time or wants to read through a long setup to get to the soul of a pitch. You have five or six seconds to begin demonstrating that there is something of interest. Seriously, that short. If you cannot dial it down enough in that amount of time, you will not achieve your public relations goals. Though there is no guarantee that you will succeed even after all that effort, you will place yourself in a better position to gain coverage. The strategy in being simple is to avoid being clever. Just say things clearly. Do not use emojis or exclamation points or any other attempt to gather attention. It will come across as distasteful.

If you do see interest, be sure to respond quickly. There is a never-ending surge of communications filling the inboxes of reporters. Wait too long, and you may be swiftly forgotten. Pay special attention to requests a writer makes, specifically how to contact them, the format of files they request, and so on. These requests center on the publication’s real needs; ignoring them could instantly eliminate your chances for coverage.