Xenophon’s Attention to Detail and Relationship Building Comes Through in Our Media Relations
Curating a list of journalists, reporters and influencers who would be interested in your story seems easy enough. Look for, find, and add media that cover the same topics as your brand or communications goals to a list – bingo.
Not so fast. There’s a bit more attention to detail required to create an effective media list – one that sees true results – and before you even attempt to create your media list, it’s important to have a clear focus for your topic, and that you know the audience(s) you want to reach.
This is why Xenophon’s media lists and media outreach efforts are successful for our clients. We look closely at journalists and their beat and history, their readership or audience demographic looks, as well as how they like to receive a pitch.
All of this will determine which journalists we add to a client’s media list, but here are 6 ways in which our attention to detail stands out:
- Research the Reporter: To find out if the journalist is a good match for a media list, we research at least their last 3 published articles – if not more. Xenophon also notes if they have covered the topic before, and if so, is it their main beat. We will look at how they like to be pitched – by phone, by email, in the mornings or in the afternoon, or only on certain days.
- Build a Relationship: Keeping in touch with media contacts helps foster strong ties. We don’t always need to be pitching a story to connect with a reporter. It’s useful to make journalists aware of an upcoming event, or a new executive or subject matter expert you would like to introduce.
- Keep Your List Current: Consistently update media lists – journalists move between publications frequently and tools that house their information are not always current. We do our own research on Google, Twitter, and the outlet’s website.
- Make Your List Realistic: Mainstream outlets are goals to strive for, but that’s not always a realistic opportunity depending on the news. We have open and frank conversations about the story and where it is likely to succeed.
- Target Niche Outlets: It’s important for us to think about the unique outlets we can place a story. We may add journalists to a list that are tangentially related to the topic – some examples may be golf and sunscreen, aviation and technology, national security and pop culture. This is a unique way to reach a broader audience and increase our chances of getting a client’s story picked up.
- Look for Audience Engagement: If we are adding influencers, it is also important to know how their followers interact with them. We ask: are they a trusted source on the issue and Do followers engage with them on social media? This can help add authentic discussion or even third-party endorsement.
For more information on our media relations practice and how we can best serve your communications goals, please visit us at: https://xenophonstrategies.com/services/media-relations/.