PR News

And The Survey Says...

by Kristi

According to the results of a Bennett & Company Media Survey, the gap between public relations professionals and the media at large continues to widen. The survey reports 62 percent of all sources come from public relations firms as opposed to the news release and newswires.

Technology Take-Over:
Although, the survey seems a little surprising to me, it makes a valuable point. As we continue to rely heavily on technology to get the word out about everything, some PR professionals find it hard to rely on the unpredictable nature of the media. When one submits a news release or article to an on-line source, it is tangible evidence of your work. There are immediate, measurable results for your client.

The question is, does posting to online sources really help your client? Will anyone see the news release on this random site you posted to or would you have better results pitching and getting it into the Sunday paper?

Building Relationships:
When pitching story ideas, it can feel like its out of your hands, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Spending more time developing relationships will help close the gap between PR professionals and journalists, giving PR representatives the opportunity to become the source for the majority of media content.

In The End:
Familiarity and reliability are identified as key factors for a journalist’s consideration of your content. The study states that 38 percent of journalists said they would open an e-mail primarily because they personally knew the sender.

PR professional should take a few minutes each week to make personal contact with reporters in client related areas. The survey says if you put in the leg work now to form relationships, it will help your success in the future.

Permalink |  Save on del.ico.us

Commenting is closed for this article.