Wouldn’t it be great to know what journalists want from your organisation and what you can give them to boost your chances of securing great coverage?
Well, a new report does just that.
Cision’s 2023 Global State of the Media Report pulls together the thoughts and insights of more than 3,000 journalists worldwide.
Now in its 14th annual edition, it looks at the challenges reporters face and how comms professionals can help them.
Here’s what you need to know:
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The growing value of data
Journalists seek data.
And they want you to provide it and have spokespeople who can talk about it.
When asked what type of content they wanted to receive from comms professionals, 68 per cent said they wanted data in the form of original research and trends.
And in response to the question of what communication professionals can do to make their jobs easier, 66 per cent of journalists replied with “provide data and expert sources”.
The report says: “The more communications professionals understand how and why journalists are using data elements in their stories – and can provide access to the data they desire – the more they will be able to position themselves as indispensable and in-demand partners.”
Additionally, 37 per cent of respondents said they would not consider covering a product unless there is data “showing trends and problems the product is solving for my readers”.
This fits in with the Trouble element of TRUTH we discuss during our media training courses to describe what makes something newsworthy. How does what you are discussing make life easier for people?
The enduring appeal of press releases
We’ve written before about the enduring appeal of press releases, despite reports of their death and fading importance.
And this survey backs that up.
It shows they top the lists of useful sources for generating content or ideas, followed by industry experts.
And they are in the top two trusted sources of information, alongside major newswires.
But they need a revamp to meet the growing demand for journalists for multimedia content to enrich their stories.
The survey shows 30 per cent of journalists use multimedia more than they were 12 months ago.
And 27 per cent said providing multimedia in pitches and press releases is one of the main ways comms professionals can “make their lives easier.”
Additionally, Cision says press releases including multimedia assets get up to six times more engagement than those with just text.
So, consider what images, video, infographics and data visualisation you can include in your press releases.
Tread carefully on social media
It can be tempting to pitch stories to journalists through social media.
But it seems this will not generate the response you want.
The report reveals that only four per cent of journalists want to receive pitches through social media, and 19 per cent will block a comms person for an unsolicited approach.
Interestingly, while Twitter remains popular with journalists for content promotion and audience interaction, habits are changing. Reporters aim to reduce their use of the platform and use LinkedIn and Instagram more often.
Media relations
The survey paints a mixed picture on media relations.
Almost the same number of journalists who said their relationships with communications professionals in the past year had improved reported it had got worse (16 per cent compared to 14 per cent).
Biggest gripes include irrelevant pitches – only seven per cent of journalists say the majority of pitches they receive are relevant to their audience.
The use of jargon and clickbait phrases was another concern, something we highlight during our media training courses and in these blogs.
Reporters said that ‘urgent’, ‘industry-leading’, ’breaking news (when it isn’t)’, ‘groundbreaking’ and ‘innovative’ are words that “immediately make them hit delete”.
Email remains the preferred way to receive pitches (91 per cent). But don’t spam them with follow-ups. More than 50 per cent said comms professionals should restrict follow-up to just one attempt. And 24 per cent said they should ‘never’ follow up.
Understanding the audiences of journalists is crucial to developing better relationships. Three-quarters of journalists said comms professionals could make their job easier by ‘understanding my target audience’.
And 66 per cent, as we highlighted earlier, said the answer was by providing data and expert sources.
So, what does this all mean?
Well, it shows that tweaks to your media relations approach can make it more effective and improve your chances of securing great coverage.
Rather than just using your press releases to tell your news, consider what else you can include to show the story.
Do you have a great infographic that could help people visualise the story? What images or video could you include?
What data can you include? What other stories can you find in your data?
And remember that one size does not fit all. Understand the different audiences journalists have and tweak your press releases and pitches accordingly.
The survey is also a reminder of the value of having media-trained spokespeople available to tell your story – expert sources remain in demand and are trusted.
We’ve spoken a lot about the importance of empathy recently, particularly in some of the masterclasses for members of The Media Team Academy.
This survey is a reminder journalists are human and face challenges and fears about the future, particularly around smaller newsrooms, falling circulation, credibility and the rise of social media and AI.
So, maybe what journalists want is for you spend a little more time trying to understand those issues and help them overcome them.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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