In our first edition of The Spark newsletter for 2025, we shared our thoughts on participating in new year prediction articles and our thoughts on what’s to come for PR this year. Don’t miss Principal Meggan Manson’s “My Two Cents” on why it’s important to start PR sooner rather than later.
As a communications professional working on behalf of technology companies for nearly 30 years, I have witnessed the incredible impact technology has had on our craft. But technology is not without limitations and that very issue is front and center with generative AI.
Over the past year, more PR, communications and marketing leaders are turning to AI to create and push out content. And it’s not good for our industry, the company or the intended audience. In the end, we just look bad – and cannibalize our value. In fact, Google is now penalizing AI-generated content with it’s core algorithm update.
If AI is doing all of the writing, messaging, storytelling and narrating, why are we needed? We are creative strategists that are tapped for our ability to connect with different audiences often in very crowded markets with nuanced messaging. AI cannot replicate those skills and marketing and communications professionals shouldn’t fall into that trap. Can it help to get the creative juices following? Sure. But it is a jumpstart. Make no mistake, AI is here to stay and will shape the role of every profession but it can never replace creativity, relationship building and intuition.
Whether you’re just starting out with a proactive PR program or trying to connect with a new reporter, scheduling intro or briefing meetings with target publications is valuable. While the ultimate goal is to secure media coverage, intro briefing meetings are about playing the long game to create lasting reporter relationships.
Establish a Rapport
Taking the time to connect with reporters separately from sharing news helps them put a face to the names. And, they are always looking for those who can provide intelligent well-thought-out viewpoints on a variety of topics.
Preview Upcoming News
Intro meetings are a great opportunity to share what’s coming next for the company or what’s in the new product pipeline. A preview or heads-up can be helpful to generating interest in future news.
Learn Their Key Topics
Knowing a reporter’s interests and specific industry focus is instrumental to pitching relevant stories and framing them in a unique way. While connecting, it is useful to ask questions about their focus and understand the specifics of the content they want to receive.
Winning industry awards is an excellent way to bolster company credibility, but knowing which awards to spend the time and money submitting applications for is just as important.
When evaluating opportunities, review your company goals and whether the awards you’re considering will help you meet them. Who were the past winners? How time-intensive is the submission? What’s the cost and turnaround time? These factors help identify impactful industry awards from quick cash grabs that may not be worth the time and money.
Terra Dotta:
Announcing the Winners of the 2024 Tech Edvocate Awards
Statara:
Statara Solutions Wins 2024 Product of the Year ‘Sammys’ Award
Verisk Marketing Solutions:
MarTech Breakthrough Names Verisk Marketing Solutions Best Contact Database Company
Last week, the Y&A team met in San Antonio for the annual EDUCAUSE conference.
We had an amazing time meeting the Pathify team in person, further immersing ourselves in the technology and coordinating meetings with the attending press. We also connected with past and present edtech clients and prospects and spoke with leaders in education technology on what’s next for the industry.
Fortunately, we had some downtime to take a tour of the beautiful River Walk and the Alamo, and of course – enjoying amazing food!
If you didn’t get a chance to connect with us at the event and you’re looking for edtech PR support, please reach out to megganm@yapr.com.
In the latest edition of our newsletter, The Spark, we welcomed our newest client, Pathify, and shared insights on evaluating award opportunities and the importance of intro briefings with reporters. Check out Principal Jennifer MacLeid Qotb’s “My Two Cents” for her thoughts on overhyping in PR (and politics).
Press releases are a valuable tool for announcing important company news and provide credibility when trying to generate media interest. However, not all company announcements warrant a press release. Here are three alternatives to consider:
A blog may be better
Is your announcement newsworthy? If the news is really a story you want to tell or is tied to an industry point of view, use the topic in a blog or thought leadership article. Blogs are also a great place to include quick product, client and award updates.
Consider a momentum release
Regular press releases on small award or client wins can clog up the PR pipeline. If you have several announcements in a short amount of time, combine them into one momentum-focused release.
Hold for third-party support
Including a client or partner quote to help corroborate your news adds more value to a potential news story. Consider holding the press release until you can include key supporting content.
As summer is often a slower time of the year, it’s a perfect opportunity to revisit evergreen topics or other media initiatives that take a backburner to breaking news.
Social Media
Resharing key company coverage on social media can be a great way to strategically highlight successes and stay on reporters’ radars, especially in anticipation of upcoming announcements. Re-evaluate your social media strategy including the events calendar and messaging and product priorities.
Contributed Content
Thought leadership is an essential part of a thriving media relations campaign but contributed articles can be pushed for time-sensitive announcements. In addition to queuing up thought leadership content for media, you can also publish relevant insights on executives’ LinkedIn pages.
Blogs and Podcasts
Other marketing materials, like blogs and podcasts, drive social media posting and inspire evergreen pitch and thought leadership ideas. Focus on creating a catalog of content when you have the time and revisit existing content for potential media interest.
It’s officially midsummer. The MLB All-Star break is over and my beloved Orioles ended the first half of a long season with one of the top records in the league.
Baseball is a numbers game and it is a grind. The best players in the game only get a hit one-third of the time (and that’s if they are REALLY good). PR is like that too. We don’t bat 1.000 when it comes to securing media coverage. We connect with many members of the media but not all of the conversations generate news coverage.
But, much like baseball, PR is about commitment to the process and showing up everyday. Persistence pays. Teamwork matters. Pick your favorite baseball idiom and it likely fits. PR success takes a team and the journey is long so an amazing win in the media is awesome but it is the day in and day out that matters.
An All-Star-worthy PR team requires clients who collaborate and are transparent, media who respond and are open to conversations, and PR pros that put in the work to bring it together.
Our latest edition of The Spark Newsletter showcased our Hermes Creative and Bulldog PR award wins, when and how to implement paid content opportunities and content plans for slower times of year. Principal Meggan Manson’s “My Two Cents” combines her love for baseball and PR to share what it takes to have an All-Star-worthy PR team.
