Tailoring Press Releases for Different Media Outlets

(A note to all my overwhelmed comms managers who are doing it all!!) If you’re in a comms role and suddenly expected to “do PR,” you're definitely not alone. Press isn’t just an extension of marketing, it’s a completely different discipline with its own rules, rhythms and relationships. Over the years, I’ve worked with lots of comms managers who were expected to “just send a press release” and instantly generate coverage. Often, they're given KPIs that simply don’t work in press, because media coverage doesn’t follow the same logic as campaign impressions or email open rates. Below are a few common mistakes I see (as a former journo), usually driven by pressure to deliver arbitrary amounts of coverage, that can actually backfire (and what to do instead.) ❌  𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 I know your internal stakeholders think it’s a big deal, but unless it’s a senior appointment, a substantial survey (2k+ sample) that has something new to say, or a genuinely new product/service, a press release is overkill. Focus on the story, not the format. 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Sending a generic release to 200 journalists isn’t outreach, it’s a lot of unnecessary noise. Offer an exclusive where you can. Build fewer, stronger relationships. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗞𝗣𝗜 Press releases aren’t monthly deliverables. Only send one when there’s actual news. It’s better to pitch strategically than tick a box. Focus on outcomes, not output. ✅ 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵) I rarely pitch to more than 10 target titles. And each one gets a slightly different version - based on what that journalist actually covers. Spend the crafting your pitches, instead of pushing out hundreds of emails. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 Open with: why this matters and why now. Then add three concise bullet points max. You’re aiming to save the journalist time, not take more of it. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 - 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 If the story isn’t strong, even the best contact can’t place it. The story always comes first. Showing that you care about a journalist's time and respect their craft, also leads to better relationships in the long run anyway! 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 Polite persistence is fine. Pestering is not. If it’s a “no,” consider reworking the angle or holding it for a better moment. Or if they do respond with a no, ask them what they are working on and how you can actually help. This has led to me securing whole op-eds for my clients as a result! Personally, I prefer the little and often method. Pitch one smart idea a month - a comment, insight or news reaction. If it’s not picked up = save it, repurpose it as a newsletter or post, or pitch it later when there’s a relevant hook. Would love to know how other comms managers have managed to strike this balance!

When I was a journalist, the most annoying part of my work was answering calls from excited PR managers, asking if we would cover the story they pitched earlier. Most of these stories never made it to the bulletin because they were very only important for the company (like a new investment into a new production plant), self-serving (like celebrating an anniversary), and boring (like boring). Too many corporate communicators do not understand that a story first has to be interesting and relevant to the audience of a media to secure coverage. Why do journalists think the way they do? → It's all about the audience. Journalists are trained to think in terms of what will resonate with their readers, listeners, or viewers. A new production plant might be huge news inside your company, but unless it has a broader impact, it won't cut. Here’s a breakdown of how journalists decide what stories to run: Relevance: Is this story important to their audience? Does it affect their daily lives, their community, or their industry? Timeliness: Is it happening now? News is called 'news' for a reason. Old news is no news. Impact: How many people does this story affect? The larger the impact, the more likely it will be covered. Proximity: Is it happening close to the audience? Local stories often get priority because they are more relatable. Conflict: Stories involving conflict, whether political, social, or personal, often grab attention. Human Interest: People love stories about people. Stories that tug at the heartstrings or make people laugh are always in demand. Novelty: Is it unusual or surprising? Unique stories that haven’t been heard before are journalist gold. Understanding these criteria can help professionals get their stories heard by the media. Here are some actionable tips: → Align your pitch: Tailor your story to fit the media outlet’s audience. Don’t pitch a tech story to a lifestyle magazine. → Make it timely: Connect your story to current events or trends to make it more relevant. → Highlight the impact: Show how your story affects a large group of people or addresses a significant issue. → Localise your story: If possible, connect it to the local community or region. → Find the conflict: If a challenge or problem is being solved, highlight that. → Add a human angle: Include real people and their experiences to bring your story to life. → Be unique: Offer a fresh perspective or new information that hasn’t been covered before. Remember, the goal is to make your story as compelling as possible. Journalists are gatekeepers, but they are also storytellers looking for the next great story to share. #communication #storytelling #mediatraining

Years ago, an investor let it slip to a wire journalist that they had invested in our client. Problem was — we hadn’t yet announced the funding round. That leak nearly killed our press launch. That the startup leads the funding announcement (not the investor) is one of many unspoken rules in African tech media. Here are 7 more that will help you build productive media relationships, get better stories written about you (not paying), and avoid gaffes that sabotage building your media presence: 1. Don’t give an exclusive to TechCrunch and then share the release with the trades a few hours later. Do a multi-outlet embargo instead. Share the release with all the tech media - TechCrunch, TechCabal, Techpoint, Condia - at the same time. That way you don’t alienate your local journalists who are equally important media contacts. 2. Send a release in a Word doc, not PDF. I also put it in the email body. Journalists are time crunched. You want to show empathy and make their life easier. Send a version that lets them cut and paste the relevant parts into their story. 3. Don’t ask for the questions in advance. It’s not a paid opportunity. Journalists don’t want rehearsed talking points. If you ask nicely, the journalist might share the topics to be discussed before the interview. 4. Don’t ask to change the headline. It’s not a paid opportunity. 5. Don’t ask to make any changes to the published story unless there are factual inaccuracies. You might not like the story framing. But that’s the tradeoff you make for the credibility that only earned media gives. The only time you can request a correction is if they got something objectively wrong, like a fact. If you still have a beef, put it in the reader comments below. 6. Share a media kit with professional, landscape photos. They should include photos of the co-founders, the team, and some product shots. Photos with customers are even better. 7. Send in-house reports in advance. Media houses like industry reports (think Moniepoint’s informal economy) but they can't compete with breaking news. They tend to be published a few days later when it's a slow news day. Editors appreciate it when you send a heads-up saying ‘hey we’re publishing this on XX date. Here’s the report in advance so you have time to write your story.’ A formal embargo isn’t necessary. Was there anything I missed? ✨Over and out ✨

Over the past few years, with over 500+ earned media publications (relevant tier 1 and tier 2 media outlets only) secured fully organically — no paid placements, no inflated PR retainers, I look back on my TOP advices for the companies. Media coverage without extra cost is possible, but only if you treat it as a system, not as a one-off email blast. Here’s what actually works: • Know the market. Understand which outlets shape opinion in your niche, what topics they prioritize, and how they frame stories. Read them consistently. Map journalists by beat and tone. Relevance beats volume. • Pitch an angle, not a feature. Media doesn’t care that you launched something. They care about trends, shifts, tension, and implications. Frame your story as “what this means for the industry,” not “what we released.” • Do the journalist’s homework. Provide clean data, ready-to-use quotes, short background context, fact-checked numbers, and strong visuals. The easier you make publication, the higher your conversion. • Attach high-quality visuals. Professional photos, product screenshots, data charts. Visual readiness increases the probability of coverage dramatically. • Add a personal layer from the speaker. A thoughtful note, context, or point of view from the founder/CCO/CEO makes the pitch human — not automated. • Talk about what readers care about. Tie your story to market anxiety, opportunity, or curiosity. Editorial logic > internal roadmap logic. • Amplify the media back. Tag the outlet on LinkedIn, drive traffic to their article, thank them publicly. Media teams are measured on reach too. If you help them, they remember. • Think partnerships, not transactions. Long-term relationships with journalists compound. One strong collaboration can turn into multiple features over years. Earned media is not about shouting. It’s about credibility architecture. When done right, it builds trust, strengthens positioning across markets, and creates visibility that paid campaigns alone cannot replicate. If you’re leading PR internally, which of these levers are you currently underusing?

PR is one of the most powerful ways to gain traction for your startup – and best of all, it’s free (if you do it right). But it only works if you know how to tailor the outreach to the right type of media. 1️⃣ Mass Media  2️⃣ Founder Media 3️⃣ Product Media Here’s how I approach each: 1️⃣ Mass Media 🎥 Think of outlets like 20Minuten or Blick in Switzerland. Their goal is to engage a broad audience with eye-catching stories – not to spotlight your startup. Here’s what I did for Amorana: - Created a study showing which canton buys the most s*x toys. - Looked for journalists who’d covered similar topics. - Sent a tailored pitch: “Hey, we did a study on which canton buys the most s*x toys. I noticed you’ve written about this topic before. Would you like an exclusive story? Please let me know in the next 1–2 days.” Offering 24-48 hours exclusivity is crucial – journalists don’t want “exclusive” stories shared with other outlets. If I didn’t get a response, I moved on to another journalist. Once one outlet picked it up, I used that momentum to get smaller outlets interested. 📈 2️⃣ Founder Media 🚀 These are platforms like Startup-Ticker, Handelszeitung, or Bilanz that focus on startups and entrepreneurs. Pro tip: Don’t pitch yourself. Instead, get someone in your network to introduce you or pitch on your behalf. It’s more credible and increases your chances of getting featured. 🤝 3️⃣ Product Media 🎁 Magazines like Annabelle or GQ, as well as influencers and bloggers, focus on products. They’re great for exposure, but the lead times can be long – sometimes up to 3 months.  So plan ahead! 🗓️ PR is a long-term game, but it’s worth it if your stories stay fresh and engaging. PS: Sometimes PR surprises you. One headline once claimed I wanted to win a medal – I never said that, but I will take it. 😄 PPS. For more practical insights and strategies for starting your own idea get my startup guide for free. Link in the comments. 👇

I'm back with another PR rant, but this one is especially for startup PR, or the clients, cofounders, CMO/CCOs, and VPs of marketing that might be stuck leading a PR team: DO NOT PUT YOUR PRESS RELEASE TO THE WIRE. It doesn't get you authentic coverage. And it definitely doesn't improve your media relationships. Sure, there's SEO value. But not as much SEO (or GEO) value as reputable 3rd party publications picking up your news. The algorithm doesn't typically prioritize wire distribution syndication coverage. Press releases over the wire are THOUSANDS of dollars depending on which distribution options you select. What do you do instead? 👉 ID the top 10 publications for each media bucket you're pitching - top 10 trades, top 10 mainstream, top 10 niche newsletters, etc. That's 30 publications. 👉 IID your top 2 targets from each publication based on your news story's relevancy to their coverage area. That's 60 targets. 👉 Pitch them ONE by ONE via email. 👉 Use custom pitches. Catered to the time of week and day they are most likely to read your pitch. 👉 If needed, keep searching for relevant reporters if your current list doesn't express initial interest. But at that point (60 pitches out the door), is it disinterest or does your news just suck? 👉 Stop asking your PR team to boil the ocean with pitching. Ok, end rant. What say you, fellow PR pros?