Media Relations: The Art of Turning PR Pitches into Headlines
Updated August 2024
Yesterday, we might not have opened your e-mail. Tomorrow, we will open your e-mail—now that we have this relationship.
That line paraphrases what one of our contacts in the media told a Grasslands publicist who asked what journalists most want from the pitches and communications that land in their inboxes by the thousands each day.
There are plenty of best practices for proactive pitching that increase or decrease the chances of a publicist’s e-mail getting opened or sent straight to the trash folder. It turns out that one of the most effective is also the most human: building real connections.
That’s not necessarily a truth that many busy professionals in public relations want to hear. But it does go to show why media relations are one of the most powerful forces in PR.
What’s the Difference Between Public Relations and Media Relations?
The relationship between publicists and journalists is so important that media relations is considered a practice distinct within, or alongside, public relations. What’s the difference between public relations and media relations?
PR is all about defining what stories will best help an organization meet its goals and strategizing where to place those stories for maximum effect. Publicists also help prepare public-facing stakeholders to communicate that brand messaging effectively.
Media relations, on the other hand, is the practice of building strong relationships with editors, journalists, producers, freelancers, influencers, vloggers and podcasters to earn media. Media relations can also include crafting targeted pitches to those members of the media, staffing deskside meetings and coordinating with reporters at on-site events and activations.
Media Relations Helps CEOs, CMOs and Journalists Do Their Best Work
Think about it like this—public relations is all about brand recognition and the impression a brand wants to make on local, state, regional and national audiences. Media relations is all about achieving that goal by helping journalists do their challenging work.
As a Journalism-Minded™ agency, what sets Grasslands apart from other PR shops is a deep understanding of what it’s like on both sides of the newsdesk. Grasslands CEO Ricardo Baca founded Grasslands specifically to build better relationships between cannabis brands and the media.
After a decade at The Denver Post, Ricardo wanted to provide brands in cannabis and natural products a quality of public relations work he didn’t often encounter as the first-ever cannabis editor at a paper of record. Our team is full of former journalists and editors who have been on the receiving end of thousands of pitches from publicists.
We have first-hand knowledge of how frustrating it can be to wade through “spray and pray” media blasts that fail to take into account a journalist’s beat, past bylines or response rate. That’s why our Journalism-Minded approach to media relations includes:
- Picking up the phone and calling a journalist or editor
- Hosting brand activations specifically for members of the media
- Providing product samples
- Inviting a reporter out for coffee or to a happy hour
- Arranging a deskside meeting
- Tailoring news releases and pitches for specific markets and audiences
- Hosting networking events and panel discussions for Colorado journalists
That’s pretty much the same kind of care work and attention you appreciate from your friends and colleagues. Building media relations works much the same as building relationships with humans in any other context—when people feel seen, supported and respected, they tend to stay in touch.
Media Relations and Community Building
Personalizing communications to an individual journalist’s beat, voice and regular publications goes a long way to helping that person feel seen and supported. Studies show that people are more likely to provide “reciprocal altruism” to people with whom they share social proximity. In other words, we’re more likely to help someone the more time we spend with them and feel we have in common.
When a reporter receives a customized message about potential story angles and interview opportunities, it feels less like an ask and more like they have someone in their corner helping them do great work. That’s always meaningful, but especially at a time when newsroom employment has plummeted by almost 30% and a third of newspapers have experienced major layoffs, leaving remaining staff to get the news out with fewer resources.
It takes time to get to know journalists, especially if you’re also focused on other types of business networking, like seeking out potential brand partners, investors and the like. Anyone who’s been to a trade show, conference or networking event knows how challenging it is to make a consequential—and memorable—first impression.
Media Relations Takes Public Relations Strategy Further
Building the level of media relations a brand needs to take its PR strategy further and acting on that effort with well-timed, personalized communication is flat-out hard on top of all the other responsibilities an executive typically has on their plate.
That’s why it’s so important to find a proactive PR partner who has already done the hard work of forging meaningful connections with journalists at a wide range of publications. From glossy print media to broadcast producers, from editors of trade publications to freelance writers who regularly contribute to popular digital media sites, there’s still a lot of ground to cover even as local news outlets consolidate.
The key principles of expertise, authority and trust that marketing strategies are designed to foster with customers apply to media relations, too. These core qualities have particular importance in industries like cannabis and other natural products CPG brands with crossover to food, beverage, beauty and supplement sectors.
Media Relations and Thought Leadership
You never know when a programming organizer at a big-name conference will have a last-minute spot to fill. It’s up to the publicist to set a high bar for cannabis PR professionalism so their circle thinks of them first when such an opportunity crops up, and reaches out for a recommendation for a business leader who would be the best fit for that panel presentation.
Being a good community member who offers to help when they can, is pleasant to deal with, communicates clearly and promptly, and is punctual in all their appointments is as is as important, or more so, than having a catchy subject line heading for an email pitch or offering first dibs on an embargoed scoop.
That’s why two of our core values at Grasslands are to sweat the details and provide over-the-top hospitality. The golden rule is as good a foundation for cannabis public relations as Aristotelian principles like ethos, pathos and logos are for marketing. And it’s easier to treat others the way we wish to be treated when you have a team dedicated to making media connections, and making the most of those relationships. A friend in weed is a friend, indeed—in more ways than one.
If you’re ready to take your cannabis PR strategy further by leveraging Grasslands’ deep media relationships, please reach out today.