PR advice: Don’t forget the basics in a bid to try something new

There are times when every communicator’s to-do list looks more like a shopping basket of new tricks and tools to get to grips with. 

There’s pressure to understand new channels, do more with less and be an expert on an industry which is rapidly changing.

So is there anything to be gained by going back to the basics which have served us so well in the past?

In more than a decade in PR and media relations, and a career before that as a journalist, I’ve found that there are some fundamentals which have always helped me. I still regularly use these and encourage my team to do the same.

Here are five of the ‘basics’ I learned as an agency account executive and which I still return to:

1. Never miss the opportunity for a follow-up

These are free ideas, and if something is newsworthy once, there’s a chance it’ll be picked up again. It’s just about being organised. I like to keep a simple list at the back of my diary (yes, I have a paper diary which never leaves my side). Or you could mark things like ‘one year on’ reminders in your calendar. Facts and figures highlighting how something has changed, or the impact it has had, can give journalists a new and timely reason to cover a story, even if they have written about it before. 

2. Do your research

Buy, subscribe to and read the publications you want to be featured in. Look for the writers who are covering your topics, or who are writing about your competitors. Are there new reporters who may be looking for contacts and story ideas? Have they launched a newsletter or podcast which might be a useful channel for your news? Email to introduce yourself and pitch them an idea. If you take time regularly to do this, it will eventually pay off. It’s also the best way to make sure that your distribution lists are up to date so that you know you’re not contacting the wrong people.

3. Don’t give up on a good story 

Trust your instinct and if something didn’t get picked up at the first attempt, look at ways you could tweak it. Are there upcoming news agenda topics which you could link it to or calendar awareness days? You could look for new facts and figures or even add a comment from a partner organisation to broaden it out. Don’t be afraid to send it again – if you really think it’s a good story, there’s every chance that the right journalist at the right time will think so to. You’ve just got to do your research and be patient, not pushy. This goes back to 1) is there an opportunity to turn it into a follow-up? And 2) can you identify someone different to pitch it to?

4. Get together with colleagues to share ideas.

Whether online or in person, I believe there’s huge value in creating ‘thinking space’ with others to talk through ideas. Creativity can be underrated in PR but talking through an idea out loud can often turn ‘someone emailed me about this but I’m not sure’ into a great idea. It is a fantastic way for more junior team members to learn and I find that bouncing ideas of others often helps to generate proactive opportunities.

5. Include a mobile number

This is one of the easiest tips – include a mobile number in your messages/press releases/email signatures. It will save you, and journalists, time and prevent some unnecessary emails. Like all of us, journalists are often swamped by emails so a phone call can be a useful tool. Building relationships where you speak to journalists on the phone, or face-to-face if possible, creates an understanding of how both parties work, generates trust and I believe means you’re more likely to be the ones they come to with a new opportunity for coverage.

There are many more thoughts that I could have covered, but I think all of these are easy to implement, don’t require budget and will help to create a culture of creativity in even the smallest of communications teams. 

I would bet that if anyone looks back through coverage for their organisation or clients from the past year, they could identify a handful of follow-ups and be reminded of journalists they’ve not spoken to in a while. Why not set it as a challenge in your team?

Hayley Mace is a CIPR Chartered Practitioner and head of communications and advocacy at the University of East Anglia.