How to Stay Resilient in Media Relations and Overcome Rejections
MediaRelations.io
How to Stay Resilient in Media Relations and Overcome Rejections
In the bustling world of media relations, resilience and a positive attitude are paramount. Founder & CEO and President share their expert insights on overcoming challenges and staying motivated. The first insight encourages viewing challenges as data points, while the final takeaway is about connecting efforts to an altruistic mission. This article compiles a total of twenty invaluable insights from industry leaders.
- See Challenges as Data Points
- Focus on People Helped, Not Deals Lost
- Treat Rejections as Feedback
- Celebrate Small Wins
- Draw from Past Setbacks
- Build Genuine Relationships
- Focus on Measurable Outcomes
- Use Data-Driven Approach
- View Rejections as Feedback
- Refine Approach After Rejections
- Prioritize Innovation and Adaptability
- Embrace Setbacks as Learning Opportunities
- Have a Clear 'Why'
- Focus on Families Helped
- Treat Rejections as Market Feedback
- Celebrate 'Learning Moments'
- Keep a Journal of Wins
- See Setbacks as Learning Opportunities
- Believe in Yourself and Your Creativity
- Connect Efforts to Altruistic Mission
See Challenges as Data Points
Facing challenges and rejections in media relations is part of the journey, and I've learned to see these as data points in a larger experiment. When Rocket Alumni Solutions was just starting, I tested various SEO strategies by creating multiple landing pages, resulting in all 10 receiving first-page rankings. This approach taught me that trial and error, backed by data, can ultimately pave the path to success.
Maintaining a positive attitude comes from focusing on long-term growth. When I left a lucrative investment banking job to lead Rocket Alumni Solutions, there were uncertainties. However, driving our annual recurring revenue from $0 to over $2 million in four years proved that resilience and a willingness to learn can yield significant rewards.
What keeps me motivated is the impact on our clients. By using innovative methods like reverse selling in our B2B operations, we've not only increased lead conversion rates by 30% but also established ourselves as thought leaders. Helping institutions solve real-world problems energizes me, reninding me that every rejection is simply a redirection towards better opportunities.
Focus on People Helped, Not Deals Lost
After dealing with hundreds of properties since 1998, I've learned that resilience comes from focusing on the people we help rather than the deals we lose - like the single mom we recently helped avoid foreclosure despite several financing hurdles. I keep motivated by maintaining a wall of success stories in my office, featuring before-and-after photos of transformed properties and thank-you notes from happy homeowners, which reminds me why I started this journey.
Treat Rejections as Feedback
In media relations, staying resilient requires persistence and perspective. Early in my career, I learned to treat rejections as feedback, not failures. A pitch that doesn't land often highlights areas for improvement. Viewing challenges as lessons keeps my focus forward-looking.
When setbacks arise, I prioritise problem-solving over frustration. For instance, if a campaign fails to gain traction, I reassess the angles, refine the messaging, and re-engage with the right outlets. This approach ensures that every challenge leads to growth.
Building strong relationships with journalists also makes a difference. By being reliable, responsive, and collaborative, I've fostered partnerships that lead to future opportunities.
What keeps me motivated? Celebrating small wins. Whether it's a single feature or a simple "thank you" from a journalist, recognising progress fuels my determination.
Celebrate Small Wins
In my tech PR journey, I've learned to celebrate small wins, like when a minor blog mention led to an unexpected partnership opportunity. I keep a 'wins folder' with screenshots of successful media placements and nice feedback from journalists, which really helps on tough days when pitches get ignored. What keeps me going is remembering that even mega-companies like Apple or Google face rejection - it's just part of the game, and each 'no' gets me closer to the right 'yes.'
Draw from Past Setbacks
With over 40 years in fitness and martial arts and running the BodyBell Method, I've faced my share of challenges and rejections. These experiences taught me the power of maintaining a positive mindset and relying on resilience. I often draw from setbacks in my sports career, like when I recovered from breaking three vertebrae at 16, which sidelined me for an entire wrestling season. Adversity taught me to adapt and find new paths, vital in any environment invluding media relations.
My motivation stems from witnessing growth and change, both for myself and others. Seeing the impact of my methods, like the BodyBell Method(R) that integrates biomechanics for fitness professionals, drives me to continue innovating. Working with clients or students and witnessing their progress from self-doubt to strength continuously fuels my resolve to stay positive and proactive even amidst rejections.
Whenever faced with obstacles, I focus on self-accountability and setting clear goals. I've trained athletes, including U.S. Special Forces and NFL teams, under extreme conditions. These experiences underscore the importance of mindset-a lesson applicable across industries. It's about understanding that, although you can't control every situation, you can always control your reaction.
Build Genuine Relationships
When faced with media challenges, I focus on building genuine relationships rather than just pitching stories - this mindset shift helped me maintain positivity even after getting ignored by 12 local news outlets last year. I started having coffee with reporters to understand their needs better, which not only improved our success rate but also made rejections feel less personal.
Focus on Measurable Outcomes
In my 12+ years as an entrepreneur, I've faced numerous challenges and rejections. One of the keys to staying resilient is focusing on measurable outcomes. At Summit Digital Marketing, we've generated over $1.7 billion in revenue for clients, which shows the tangible impact of our efforts. Seeing real results and how they transform businesses keeps me motivated.
For instance, we've had clients whose Google Ads click-through rates increased by 1,000% after collabirating with us. This success didn't come overnight. It required constant adaptation and learning from setbacks-a skill vital in overcoming challenges in every area, including media relations.
What truly drives me is the purpose behind my work. Our nonprofit helps sex trafficking survivors through mental health counseling, which reminds me that my efforts make a real difference. This purpose fuels my positivity and resilience, allowing me to view challenges as opportunities for growth and impact.
Use Data-Driven Approach
I maintain resilience in media relations through a data-driven approach. I track every pitch outcome in a spreadsheet, analyzing success patterns and learning opportunities. This systematic method transforms rejections into valuable insights. Each "no" brings me closer to understanding what resonates with specific journalists and outlets.
My motivation stems from celebrating small victories and maintaining perspective. When a journalist passes on a pitch, I focus on the relationships I've built and the successful placements I've secured. I also dedicate time to professional development, reading industry publications, and connecting with fellow PR professionals. These activities help me stay current with media trends and remind me that setbacks are temporary stepping stones to success. Additionally, I've created a personal achievement folder where I save positive feedback, successful media placements, and client testimonials. During challenging times, this collection serves as a concrete reminder of my capabilities and past accomplishments.
View Rejections as Feedback
Rejections in media relations can be tough, but I view them as feedback rather than failures. Early in my career, I pitched a story to a major publication, only to get no response. Instead of giving up, I analyzed what went wrong-my pitch was too generic. I reworked it to focus on a specific insight from my experience and got a positive response on my next attempt.
I stay motivated by remembering that publishers want valuable content. It's not personal when they pass; it's a chance to improve. I also set small goals, like personalizing outreach or refining key messaging, which keeps me moving forward. Challenges are easier to face when you focus on the next step, not the setback.
Refine Approach After Rejections
My competitive debate background taught me to see rejections as opportunities to refine my approach, just like preparing counterarguments made me stronger in competitions. When media contacts say no, I take a deep breath, analyze what I could improve, and often find that my follow-up pitches are actually more compelling because I've learned from the feedback.
Prioritize Innovation and Adaptability
As the founder of SuperDupr, I've steered the company through numerous challenges by prioritizing innovation and adaptability. For example, when facing technical problems that could have disrupted our project with Goodnight Law, we revamped the visual design and integrated efficient automation to not only address their issues but improve conversion rates. This proactive approach taught me the importance of pivoting quickly and creatively to overcome setbacks.
Staying motivated comes from seeing tangible impacts on our clients' success. Our use of AI to automate processes has consistently saved clients time and money, as seen with our project for The Unmooring. By focusing on delivering value and efficiency, I witness how our solutions transform businesses, which fuels my drive to keep pushing boundaries.
Building and nurturing a talented team is also key. By surrounding myself with like-minded professionals who share a commitment to excellence, I'm inspired daily. The collaborative environment at SuperDupr allows us to tackle challenges head-on with diverse perspectives and innovative ideas, ensuring we maintain a positive and forward-thinking attitude.Encountering challenges or rejections in media relations is inevitable, but resilience is built on adaptability and strategic foresight. At SuperDupr, we continually refresh our unique process methodologies, which boosts client satisfaction and operational efficiency. This adaptability keeps us thriving despite setbacks, allowing us to consistently deliver results that reinforce our credibility and trust in the changing digital space.
Exposure to diverse sectors has taught me that innovation and resilience go hand in hand. Take our partnership with Goodnight Law, for example: they faced technical issues that needed rapid resolution. By integrating a visually appealing design and automating follow-ups, we significantly improved their conversion rates, proving that tackling problems head-on with strategic innovation fuels motivation and confidence.
My driving force is witnessing our ability to lift businesses through technology. Strategic partnerships with leading tech providers enable us to expand our offerings. The successful revamp of projects like the Unmooring illustrates the power of technology in overcoming challenges, turning potential setbacks into opportunities for growth and change.
Embrace Setbacks as Learning Opportunities
Challenges and rejections are inevitable in media relations, but I stay resilient by focusing on the long-term vision and embracing each setback as a learning opportunity. When faced with rejection, I remind myself that it's often not a reflection of the quality of my work but rather a matter of timing, fit, or external circumstances. I find motivation in knowing that media relations, like any form of business growth, is a marathon, not a sprint. Every "no" brings me closer to a "yes" as I refine my approach and build strong, authentic relationships with journalists and influencers.
What keeps me motivated is my work's impact on empowering my clients, primarily through platforms like FemFounder, where women entrepreneurs are supported and elevated. Helping these businesses reach new audiences, gain credibility, and achieve their goals drives me. Also, seeing the cumulative results of consistent effort-landing a media feature after months of outreach or receiving feedback from a client about their growing brand visibility-fuels my passion and keeps me going. Ultimately, I maintain a positive attitude by viewing every challenge as a stepping stone that helps me grow and improve my strategies.
Have a Clear 'Why'
Running TheStockDork.com taught me that resilience comes from having a clear 'why' - mine is helping everyday investors make better financial decisions, which keeps me going even when major publications initially pass on our content. I maintain my positive attitude by focusing on our readers' success stories and constantly learning from feedback, like when negative comments helped us improve our educational content's clarity.
Focus on Families Helped
What keeps me going is focusing on the families we've actually helped, like the elderly couple we assisted last year who thought they'd never be able to sell their fixer-upper. I've learned to treat each rejection as market research - it tells me what homeowners really need and helps me adjust our approach to better serve future clients.
Treat Rejections as Market Feedback
With my experience in eCommerce, I've faced plenty of media silence and campaign setbacks, but I've found that treating each rejection as market feedback helps me refine our approach and storytelling. At Digital Darts, we actually keep a 'lessons learned' document where we track what worked and what didn't in our media outreach, which has turned our biggest challenges into valuable learning tools that help us adapt and grow stronger.
Celebrate 'Learning Moments'
Being in healthcare marketing for over 20 years, I've faced plenty of campaign rejections, but I've found that focusing on the clients who did see amazing results keeps me going. At Etna Interactive, we actually celebrate our 'learning moments' during team meetings, sharing what didn't work and brainstorming new approaches, which has turned many initial rejections into eventual successes.
Keep a Journal of Wins
I've learned to keep a journal of my wins, no matter how small, which really helps me bounce back when things get tough in my social media campaigns. When a strategy doesn't work out, I take a step back, review what I learned, and remind myself how previous 'failures' led to some of our most successful campaigns at Goaldy.
See Setbacks as Learning Opportunities
Staying resilient and having a positive attitude in media relations, particularly in case of a challenge or rejection, can only be done through a proactive mindset and some supporting strategies. The most effective strategy, in this case, would be to look at setbacks as learning opportunities. Every rejection is a chance to perfect your pitch or learn about the media landscape. This approach makes it easy to shift the focus from disappointment to growth.
Additionally, building a strong support network within your team can encourage you during tough times. Sharing experiences and strategies with colleagues fosters a sense of camaraderie and collective resilience. Celebrating small wins, such as securing a minor media mention or receiving positive feedback from a journalist, can also boost morale and reinforce the team's motivation.
What keeps me motivated is the impact of our work. Knowing that effective media relations can shape public perception and drive meaningful conversations about important issues will always fuel my passion for this field. I will keep a positive attitude and continue moving forward, making it through the onslaught of challenges that pop up on me.
Believe in Yourself and Your Creativity
I've been doing media relations for more than 15 years. Having challenges and rejections started on Day One and I don't expect that to change anytime soon. Ultimately, you need to believe in yourself and your ability to get creative and find a unique angle to pitch on your client's behalf; write the best pitch possible; send to the most relevant journalists you can and diligently follow-up. But, PR isn't an exact science. Sometimes you can do every single thing correctly -- and it still won't result in the media placements you wanted. That's life. It's important to not internalize it and quickly move on -- your next pitch might be the one that lands!
Connect Efforts to Altruistic Mission
Connect your PR efforts to an altruistic mission. Knowing how your efforts contribute to the greater good or potentially help write history can help you maintain positivity when faced with challenges. Maybe you're garnering publicity for a law firm-in that case, you're helping to educate everyday people about the law or helping connect the public with the change-making firm you represent. Maybe your client wants to be a finance thought leader--then you get to help people learn more about supporting their family or themselves by spreading your client's expertise.
