At Dittoe PR, we believe that every story, insight or piece of data has the potential to be newsworthy, as long as you have the right strategy in place to position it. In this blog post, we’ll outline three tried-and-true PR tactics that you can leverage in different ways depending on your story and goals.
1. Exclusives
What is an exclusive? An exclusive typically means offering a key news item, story or interview to a single journalist or outlet with the understanding that he or she will be first to share it. It is widely understood that after the exclusive runs, your story can then be released to other media. However, it is key to determine the outlet or journalist’s definition of an exclusive because some understand an exclusive as the first to publish vs the only to publish.
What are the pros to offering an exclusive? Offering reporters or media outlets an exclusive to your story, interview or data can produce stronger interest and brand recognition than a press release announcement. It also creates excitement and a greater level of investment in your story since they have a jump on their competitors. One pro for offering an exclusive about your announcement is that it often allows for a greater level of control over and accuracy of your news. Reporting staff can also be more likely to push for your story to run.
What are the cons to offering an exclusive? The biggest con to offering an exclusive is that it limits your coverage opportunities. PR pros might also risk potential relationship or credibility damage if they offer an exclusive for a story that doesn’t warrant one – reporters can assess the weakness of an angle. Breaking news may also foil your plans, even if an exclusive is agreed upon.
When should I take an exclusive approach? Stories that are the best fit for an exclusive are ones that are in-depth breaking news stories, ones that are juicy, complicated, technical or might require more nuance, or you’re offering a big-name interview. Your announcement or story might not warrant an exclusive if you know several outlets would be interested or if the topic is relevant across multiple industries or markets.
PR pros will do their research, determine the outlet or journalist’s definition of an exclusive from the get-go, consider the longer lead time, and help you identify ways to create more buzz with your coverage through social media, blog posts and more.
2. Embargoes
What is an embargo? When pitching news to journalists using an embargo, information is shared (many times in the form of a press release) before the announcement date so reporters have time to write their story and it’s ready the moment the news is publicly announced.
What are the pros to an embargo? A successful embargo means that the news of your big announcement will be published across multiple outlets at the same date and time; essentially creating one big media “moment.” It can be beneficial for you and reporters because you have plenty of time to share information, answer questions and arrange interviews, resulting in a more in-depth and comprehensive story.
What are the cons to an embargo? Reporters might not like agreeing to an embargo if your news isn’t truly newsworthy. News leaks are also a risk if an outlet breaks the embargo, but a great PR Pro knows that if an embargo isn’t honored, you can always request that the story is removed until the specified date/time.
3. Newsjacking
What is newsjacking? Newsjacking is “the art of inserting your thoughts and ideas into a breaking news story with the goal of securing quick interviews and providing additional information for reporters as the story unfolds.”
With breaking news happening all the time, there are countless ways to insert your voice into an ongoing conversation. Reporters and analysts are looking for experts to comment on their story. It’s mutually beneficial because you earn media recognition as an industry expert and the reporter gets a credible source on a timely topic for his or her story.
Still unsure when to implement these key PR tactics? We are here to help! Schedule a conversation with our Director of Business Development to learn how we can devise the best strategy for sharing your news with media.
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