Media Outreach Services

Media Outreach and PR Services 

Public relations is an essential asset to a business's marketing plan. PR can help a business stay on top of its reputation. One way a business can manage its public relations is by utilizing media outreach services.

Cork Tree Creative is a public relations agency local to the St. Louis and Metro-East area. We can handle all your media outreach needs, from effectively distributing press releases to communicating stories to the media and journalists. But how helpful is a media outreach plan, really?

Get Your Press Release the Buzz it Deserves with a Media Outreach Plan 

For every successful press release, there is a strategic media outreach plan behind it. Without an effective PR outreach campaign, your optimized press release may fall short and not receive the robust coverage it deserves or even get lost in translation with the wrong audience. A well-written press release and media outreach plan go hand-in-hand for PR success. But how do you create a profitable outreach plan?

How to Create a PR Outreach Plan

It is essential to understand effective outreach strategies while determining press outreach goals. There are six primary steps to cultivating the perfect media outreach plan.

Step 1: Select Your Target Audience

The first step to any outreach and marketing plan is to determine your business's target audience. In order to pick the appropriate media outlets, you will need to know who your target audience is and what media they are regularly consuming. Additionally, your target market will influence your story, how you convey your message, and who you will communicate with.

A good way to determine your target audience is to think about who will utilize your product or service most. For example, a family law firm may want to target couples, whereas a trendy boutique may want to direct its messages to young women. The world is truly your oyster when it comes to targeting an audience.

Step 2: Create a Media List

After you determine to whom you will be sending your messages, you will want to determine which media outlets to send your messages to. A media list could include local news outlets, magazines, trade publications, and much more. The journalists included in your media list should coincide with your target audience. You should reach out to journalists who cover news and stories within your niche to get the best results and secure the most coverage.

Step 3: Define Your Goals

Next, it is important to establish goals for your media outreach strategy. Every business's goals will be different depending on its target audience, business capabilities, media list, and story. By establishing objectives for your business's media outreach strategy, you will be able to better develop strategies to meet your goals and accurately measure and track your progress.

Many businesses utilize SMART goals and other goal-setting strategies to establish effective objectives. SMART goals are often Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (hence, SMART).

Step 4: Compose Your Pitch

The fourth step of an outreach plan is to craft a media pitch. An effective media pitch involves detailing your story in a concise, catchy way with a strong hook to grab the journalist's attention while providing them with the important details they need to tell your story. Different media outlets will be interested in different angles of the story, so it can be helpful to think of major selling points for your story and customize your pitch for each media outlet. Answer these questions as you cultivate your pitch:

• Is this relevant?
• How does this apply to the current state?
• Has a challenge been overcome?
• Is there a before and after?
• Is the subject a first, last, or one-time only?
• What is the headline?

Step 5: Carry Out Your PR Plan

Once you determine your audience, make your media list, and create your pitch, you can send out your hard work! You should contact journalists and other media outlets with your press release or pitch. After you send out your news release, you may need to conduct a follow-up with the press. When following up with the media, check with each reporter that they have all the resources they need to accurately tell your story. If possible, offer them the opportunity to conduct an in-person or virtual interview with a representative of your company who is well-versed in the subject matter of the story.

Step 6: Watch Your Success Takeoff

Now it's time to sit back and relax! Track any stories that take off and adjust your goals and strategic steps. It can be beneficial to turn to a PR firm for help as you move through the media outreach process. Cork Tree Creative can work with your business directly to strategize and develop a media outreach plan and assist with its implementation.

Effective Outreach Strategies to Nail Your Media Pitch 

After an outreach plan has been created and is in place, you can successfully conduct media outreach to secure coverage for your press release or latest news story. Cork Tree Creative's media outreach services can help you nail your media pitch. We use PR tactics such as:

• Drafting custom pitches,
• Conducting follow-up calls,
• Creating media bites,
• Drafting social content from press releases,
• Preparing individuals for interviews,
• Tracking coverage through media monitoring,
• Press release reporting,
• And much more!

The Cork Tree Creative team is a unique set of imaginatives that execute media outreach services with ease. Get in touch with us today to discover how we can support your business's PR needs.