How Do You Prioritize Media Outreach When Dealing With Multiple Campaigns?
MediaRelations.io
How Do You Prioritize Media Outreach When Dealing With Multiple Campaigns?
In the fast-paced world of media, it's crucial to effectively juggle multiple stories and campaigns. We've gathered insights from VPs and Directors, focusing on the strategic angles of prioritization and management. From considering deadline, impact, and cost, to targeting journalists with AI analysis, discover six methods these professionals use to streamline their media outreach efforts.
- Consider Deadline, Impact, and Cost
- Align Outreach with Strategic Goals
- Use Data-Driven Insights for Strategy
- Strategize Delegation and Audience Alignment
- Create a Strategic Outreach Calendar
- Target Journalists with AI Analysis
Consider Deadline, Impact, and Cost
The three factors we consider are deadline, consequences, and cost. All else being equal, we'll tackle the story with the shorter deadline first, but if one campaign has the potential to be considerably more impactful, we'll put our efforts there, perhaps even pausing the other campaign temporarily. Cost is also a factor. If we can fire off one press release and get good results, we'll find time to do that even if it's a fairly low-impact story.
Align Outreach with Strategic Goals
Prioritizing media outreach when juggling multiple stories or campaigns comes down to strategic alignment and timing. We constantly have articles, webinars, and e-books in the pipeline, each catering to different segments of the eLearning community. To manage this effectively, I focus on aligning our outreach efforts with our broader goals and audience needs.
Recently, we were simultaneously launching a new e-book series while promoting a major webinar. I prioritized the e-book launch first because it aligned with a trending topic in our community, generating immediate interest and engagement. For the webinar, we scheduled outreach closer to the event date, leveraging the buzz from the e-book launch. This staggered approach ensured each campaign received the deserved attention without overwhelming our audience. The key is understanding your audience's appetite and pacing your outreach accordingly so every story gets its moment in the spotlight.
Use Data-Driven Insights for Strategy
Leverage data-driven insights to guide your media outreach strategy. Use a proprietary scoring system that weighs factors like story urgency, potential impact, and media interest to prioritize our campaigns. For instance, when juggling outreach for a high-profile mesothelioma case and a community awareness initiative, we analyzed engagement metrics from previous campaigns. This approach led us to focus our resources on the case, resulting in an increase in media coverage compared to similar past cases. Implementing a 'media rotation' system ensures each campaign gets dedicated attention in cycles. One unconventional tactic we've found effective is the 'story swap' sessions with other law firms, where we exchange non-competing story ideas to diversify our media relationships. This collaborative approach has opened doors to new media outlets. For me, effective media outreach isn't about quantity, but quality and timing. By using data to inform your decisions and thinking creatively about partnerships, you can maximize the impact of each campaign, even when resources are stretched thin.
Strategize Delegation and Audience Alignment
When managing multiple media outreach efforts, I focus on aligning each campaign with our business objectives and the specific needs of our audience. For instance, when we launched a feature update at RecurPost, I prioritized media contacts who specialize in SaaS innovation, ensuring the story reached the right eyes. Simultaneously, I delegated other campaigns to trusted team members, maintaining oversight but allowing for specialized focus.
Effective media outreach isn't just about juggling tasks—it's about strategic delegation and knowing when to step in. I maintain direct communication with key journalists for high-impact stories while automating or delegating less critical tasks. This ensures that every campaign receives the attention it needs, without diluting our overall media presence.
Create a Strategic Outreach Calendar
Although we have a huge company, when we manage multiple stories or campaigns simultaneously, it becomes hectic to manage media outreach efforts. To handle it, I usually create a strategic calendar. I start by mapping out all the stories and campaigns on a single calendar to visualize deadlines, key dates, and potential overlaps. Later, this can help in identifying any conflicts or synergies between campaigns, allowing for better planning and resource allocation.
In addition, I also evaluate the urgency or relevance of each task, story, or campaign based on deadline, relevance, and impact. Often, trending topics or time-sensitive stories have to take precedence as they have a limited window of opportunity. Besides, I consider the strategic significance of each campaign for my organization's overall goals, so I can focus first on pieces that align better with our priorities.
For each story, I use a mix of outreach tactics depending on its nature and target audience. For example, a major announcement might involve a press release and media briefing, while a niche story could benefit from personalized pitches or exclusive interviews with key journalists.
Target Journalists with AI Analysis
We use AI to analyze the beats that journalists cover so that all of our outreach campaigns are more targeted. When you have multiple stories to cover, it only makes sense to send your pitches to the most relevant journalists.
