What it meant to be a public relations professional ten years ago is not the same as it is today. Even before a year of “unprecedented times,” PR was shifting from being solely focused on press releases and announcements. Now, these teams are also overseeing social media, influencer marketing, donor and investor messaging, and all other aspects of marketing and communications.

With this shift, the quintessential task of pitching has also evolved. Gone are the days where professionals would mass email a press release to an unfiltered list with hundreds of reporters. Modern public relations professionals need to be nimble and adjusting, with an emphasis on what they’re offering, who they’re pitching to, and why it matters after the pandemic. That’s why we asked some of our members about how their media pitching has changed during the pandemic.

Show, Don’t Tell.

“So many of the best practices we’ve always employed became more important than ever during the pandemic,  for instance— building relationships, tailoring narratives, customizing pitches, and serving as a resource – but where we’re seeing the greatest shift and growing level of importance, is around the concept of “show, don’t tell.” It’s no longer just about smart and strategic storytelling, but rather illustrating the narrative in creative ways that capture attention and efficiently deliver the information. This can be done through data and metrics, showcasing results, using strong visuals with an emphasis on video and mixed multimedia, and putting people at the forefront of stories.”

⁠— Allie Seifert, Director of Public Relations at Cashman & Associates

Re-Focusing on the Relations in Media Relations

“Amid a time in which so many were physically isolated or feeling adrift in the uncertainty of the pandemic, I re-prioritized the relations aspect of media relations. I reminded myself the reporter on the receiving end of a pitch also was going through extraordinary circumstances. We all were doing the best we could in our professions and our personal situations despite the chaos of the moment. In normal times we all aim to be a helpful source of stories to reporters, but in 2020 the importance of tailoring pitches and ensuring information was relevant and digestible was reinforced. We recalibrated; not only is this key for achieving business goals, but also it is critical in developing to be a trusted, reliable partner to media contacts.”

⁠— Angelica Flynn, Senior Account Executive at AKCG – Public Relations Counselors

What Do Reporters Really Want?

The pandemic has opened our eyes to the things that work in our society and the extensive list of things that don’t. The same holds true for communicators, we are now seeing that the authentic and relevant pitches are the ones that get responses over the generalized and irrelevant submissions. My biggest change is that I take the time to truly consider what myself and my client care about and what the media professional and their audience will resonate with. We have to really sit back and think about what people want to see and hear as they transition through a pandemic that has changed our lives, in some ways, permanently. As communicators we need to focus our pitches on how this brand/service will help solve a relevant problem and how it will make the media professionals’ audience feel when it comes across their timeline, desk, etc.”

⁠— Jade A. Daniels, M.S., Founder & Owner of Clara Communications Public Relations Agency

Be A Human

“Be a human. Of course this was important pre covid but with everything we have all gone through during the pandemic it is more important than ever to not just reach out to media or a client with a pitch. Reach out just to see how people are doing. Think about those in your own life who have reached out during covid and how that made you feel. That’s memorable. And that’s what builds relationships long term.” 

⁠— Jennifer Lynn Robinson, Esquire, CEO of Purposeful Networking

About #PPRAsk

In this new series, we’re asking PPRA’s own pros the questions that matter most. Interested in being included in a roundup? Email Leo at lmanning@slicecommunications.com for more information!

Ike Richman is the President of Ike Richman Communications. He has been a PPRA member for 27 years and was inducted into the PPRA Hall of Fame in 2005.

Twitter: @ike_richman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikerichman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ike.richman.9

Ike Richman Communications is a firm that specializes in Public Relations, Media Relations, and Crisis Communications for the Live Sports and Entertainment industry. 

Prior to opening his own communications firm, Richman spent nearly 29 years with Comcast-Spectacor, specializing in Public Relations, Media Relations and Crisis Communications. During his nearly three-decade career, he managed all external communications for the company’s three businesses – the Philadelphia Flyers, the Wells Fargo Center and Spectra. He is well established in creating and delivering important and impactful business messages locally, regionally, nationally, and throughout the sports and entertainment industry.

PPRA: Who are your clients and what projects are you working on right now?

IR: My current clients include Live Nation Philadelphia, Oak View Group Facilities, ABC-TV’s hit comedy, The Goldbergs, Healthy Kids Running Series, Still Strong Foundation, National Night Out and the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.

PPRA: What is your favorite part of your job?

IR: Helping tell stories for my clients; particularly ones that help them grow their business or brand.

PPRA: What was your latest and greatest accomplishment at your job?

IR: Working closely with Live Nation Philadelphia in helping open The Met Philadelphia.

PPRA: What one piece of advice would you give to your fellow PR pros?

IR: No job is too small and no job is too big. 

PPRA: What book or movie could you read or watch again and again?

IR: Shawshank Redemption

PPRA: What’s your favorite spot in Philly?

IR: There are so many great spots around our city. I love being on Kelly Drive or in a Wawa.

PPRA: If you weren’t in PR, what profession do you see yourself in and why?

IR: Game show host!

PPRA: Favorite Philly Food?

IR: Seitan Wings at Adobe Cafe 

Temple’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is celebrating 50 years of dedication to mentorship, leadership and networking. To commemorate this occasion, the members of PRSSA implemented several projects throughout the semester, the largest and most extensive being the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, “Being A Full Service PRo.”

On March 22 and 23, students and communications professionals from up and down the East Coast came to network, listen to industry experts and celebrate Temple PRSSA’s 50th. Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia, opened the conference and spoke on the importance of public relations. The lunchtime keynote panel, PR the Age of the #MeToo Movement, was a powerful discussion about public relations practioners’ role in the #MeToo Movement. During the conference, attendees donated more than 150 children’s books to Mighty Writers, a local Philadelphia non-profit supporting children’s literacy. The conference received media coverage from 6ABC, PR trade publication Bulldog Reporter and other notable outlets.

Outside of the regional conference, Temple PRSSA celebrated the 50th anniversary through mentorship and networking events aligning with PRSSA’s mission. Temple PRSSA’s mentorship program pairs mentors and mentees together to help students learn from each other. This semester, mentorship pairs took parts in several events such as a game night where mentorship pairs were able to learn more about each other.

Throughout the semester, students have networked with Temple PRSSA and PRowl PR alums by reaching out to them and writing a spotlight blog on their career path. Alumni have also participated in alumni takeovers on PRSSA’s Instagram account.

The organization also hosted several social events such as a behind-the-scenes session with the Philadelphia Union’s communications team followed by the game at Talen Energy Stadium; agency tours at SEER Interactive, Maven Communications, Tierney, Sage Communications and Garfield Group; and a speed networking event.

All Temple PRSSA members have the opportunity to join committees as part of their experience with Temple PRSSA and supporting the overall mission and efforts of the chapter. The fundraising committee planned several successful campaigns including a chocolate covered strawberry sale for Valentine’s Day and a t-shirt sale. The community service committee volunteered with the Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission and partnered with Cradles to Crayons, a local non-profit, while the digital and public relations committees helped support the chapter’s efforts in celebrating the 50^th anniversary. Each committee enhances member’s skills and develop their leadership knowledge.

By Adam Dvorin, Winning Strategies

You could say the tone of the day was set in the very first 10 minutes.

Here we were — a collection of communications professionals sitting in a conference room at CBS as part of a daylong tour of national media outlets organized by the Philadelphia Public Relations Association.

We were listening to Adam Sechrist, a booker at CBSN, describing his target market as young, technologically-savvy, news consumers.

“There were 3.8 million cord cutters in 2018 — and we want to be their national news provider of choice,” Sechrist said. “Our audience tends to skew a little younger — under 34. And they want their news a little more direct, without as much opinion as cable news stations.”

If you didn’t know — and many of us did not — CBSN is a streaming news channel that one can watch without needing a cable subscription. The news presentation is a bit more traditional — information without the bombastic tone that caused one Philadelphia TV anchor to remark that cable news had become a “Hollywood Squares of Hate” during a recent panel on which I served.

Mostly, CBSN isn’t trying to win audience share from a competitor. The network saw a whole new market — in this case, cord cutters — and raced to create a product that catered to this community.

Listening to Sechrist talk, I was struck by how much he sounded like a marketer — or at least a journalist with strong marketing sensibilities. And, as our group snapped photos and prepared to travel to our next stop, I couldn’t help but think that we, as as media relations professionals, need to strategize in a similar manner if we want our clients to earn as much coverage as possible.

Audience targeting increasingly matters in this post-mass media world. If you want to secure earned media coverage, then pitches need to be more customized and individualized than ever before. That much is crystal clear.

For example, later in the day, we paid a visit to Bloomberg and heard New York bureau chief Lauren Berry explain that she considers “business leaders in New York” to be her target reader. If a story resonates at Goldman Sachs, it likely has a home on one of Bloomberg’s platforms — TV, radio, traditional wire or the professional-based wire that few outside the financial industry ever get to see.

Usually when PPRA members come to New York, we hear advice that doesn’t sound that much different than what we might hear at our regular media panels. Spell the contact’s name correctly. Know about the outlet you’re pitching — don’t offer a cooking segment to NBC Nightly News, for instance. Journalists venting a set of time-tested PR pet peeves.

But this time, I saw a noticeable shift in the tenor of our talks with media decision makers. We were going to a higher level! We heard about journalists making editorial decisions more strategically considering their outlet’s target reader, listener or viewer much more than before.

One of our hosts — The New York Times — even strategized an entire array of audio products to meet this shifting consumer demand.

Samantha Henig, the editorial director of audio at The Times, transitioned from printed word editorial positions to start a division that now boasts one of the most popular shows in all of podcasting, The Daily.

Henig wrote the business plan, hired a 25-person production team and began overseeing the team that puts out The Daily and other Times podcasts.

Indeed, in a world where new podcasts pop up seemingly overnight, The Daily stands apart because of its intricate production, concise show length of 25 minutes or less (“the time of most people’s commutes,” says Henig) and involvement of Times reporters.

The Daily, explained New York Times Chief Marketing Officer David Rubin, fits into the Times’ overall branding premise of “Truth.”

The “Truth” campaign, says the Medium, has helped the New York Times surpass two million digital subscriptions (and inspired a clothing products that have been worn by celebrities such as Justin Timberlake).

Rubin, who previously worked for Unilever and joked about “being the man who unleashed Axe body spray on the world,” felt an image-centric campaign would work effectively for a media company in a way that a price-based campaign would not (example: 12 weeks of news for $25!).

So far, of course, he is correct — something that underscores the irony of a marketer positioning journalism as a consumer commodity. Meanwhile, journalists themselves are analyzing their audiences and using marketing sensibilities to develop news products that resonate with their targets.

Journalists often speak of the division between church and state. And, while that still exists, PPRA’s day in New York might suggest that marketing pros and journalists are thinking more similarly these days — something that is not likely to change anytime soon.

Adam Dvorin is Media Relations Director of New Jersey-based Winning Strategies Communications and the immediate past president of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association.

David Griffith’s opinion article introduces Mindset, a highly-anticipated workforce development program.

By SPRYTE Communications

Doesn’t it seem like everyone has a Blog these days? If not, we should because by now we know that content rules. Content is also what drives thought leadership earned media strategies.

Many Blogs are well-written and present provocative, timely ideas. These Blogs can be repurposed as OpEds and placed in print media including newspapers, online
e-publications and trade magazines.

SPRYTE client David Griffith, Executive Director of Episcopal Community Services, regularly blogs on his LinkedIn Blog Site Muddy Boots.

A blog Griffith posted in January was repurposed and placed in a recent edition of the Philadelphia Business Journal.

It is the first OpEd in an ongoing series, “Poverty: Finding Solutions in The Business Community.” Griffith’s opinion article also introduces a highly-anticipated brand new Episcopal Community Services workforce development program, MindSet, “based on the most current brain science available that provides coaching and financial assistance to help individuals navigate the system and access opportunity that many of us take for granted.”

As the first cohort of MindSet reaches the mid-point of the first phase of the program, Griffith will continue to use his voice as a blogger and social services thought leader to encourage the business community to create the jobs that pull individuals out of poverty. The readers of the Philadelphia Business Journal are an excellent audience for his platform.

Note: PPRA is composed of many distinct organizations and individuals, each with different perspectives and specializations in diverse areas of public relations. Many of these members’ websites feature blogs with valuable insights and advice, and we would like to make this content available to you. Periodically, we will repost content from member blogs. If you would like to see your company’s blog considered, email Stephen Krasowski at skrasowski@rmahq.org.