Interactive database director David Reade — trading MediaPasifika, but with databases also covering Asia and Brazil — offers advice on how to ensure your press releases get maximum cut through.
The convergence of marketing with communications, combined with the evolution of the media landscape (to the point where some pundits predict newspapers will become obsolete) has seen the birth of a whole raft of new content providers and platforms.
As a result, relying purely on mass distribution to get your messages published now only works for very large, important entities, where what they say carries sufficient weight to guarantee instant attention and consideration.
What’s more, the sheer volume of content that now crosses the desks of content publishers creates a veritable white noise, making it even more difficult to get the airtime you want. That’s why building relationships within the media is critical, with careful placement and rewrites for your precious stories. Mass distribution – scattergun style – is so 20th century.
Taking the time to put in phone calls and organise some meet and greets will pay dividends when the story’s ready for placement. Even if you haven’t built a relationship yet, a quick phone call and a pitch about what you’re going to send is another tactic to gain more cut through.
MediaPasifika can help you with the connections when it comes to placing your stories and optimising coverage. It contains all New Zealand and Pacific Island print/audiovisual media from Hawaii to Aotearoa, plus Polynesian, indigenous, Chinese and Indian media in Australia. Regularly updated, it includes the names and functions of key newsroom journalists so that meaningful and precise target groups can be assembled, individuals can be picked for exclusives, and picture editors included in target groups when illustrations — always paydirt — are available.
Asianmediaonline covers English-language media across South East Asia including India, Pakistan, China and Japan, while MidiaBrasilonline opens the door to South America’s largest and most populous country.
David Reade, director Netmedia Ltd tel 04 475 8166 mob 0274825036 www.mediapasifika.com, trading MediaPasifika, Asianmediaonline, and MidiaBrasilonline; adding media in UK/Europe and North America through London-based PRMax. Member PRINZ, PRIA, LANZBC, BNZBA.