In a meeting this week, my colleagues and I had a conversation with our client about the changing media landscape. The discussion arose as we spoke with one of their team members in London about the Brexit media saturation the UK is undergoing and how it’s quite similar to the way news has been covering President Trump since the 2016 election.
The media landscape and news coverage have changed not only in the US but around the world. Day-of news is very segmented regarding the types of stories that they cover. We spoke about the TV specials that would have been created years ago surrounding important global events or anniversaries of significance like the Rwandan Genocide anniversary that happened a few weeks ago, but aren’t aired that often anymore.
The network news climate has shifted gears, and political disruption has become the main priority for all story coverage. With that said, there has been significant growth in podcasts, digital streaming shows, and digital websites. Television is still the media giant but finding niche digital media outlets has become a prominent and significant way to get a client’s name in front of the public.
We are always getting emails about the newest podcast or digital news outlets, so much so that it can be hard to keep up. It’s an increasingly important trait of media relations professionals to be on top of what’s new when it comes to platforms that act as a vehicle for your client’s message. It’s no longer as simple as sending an email or making a phone call. It’s searching Instagram and sending a DM and tweeting at a podcast host. I recently had a conversation with a news reporter who blatantly told me he did not check his email and preferred Facebook messenger.
Managing client expectations is an entirely different blog post, but when it comes to explaining why a story wasn’t picked up, or a pitch didn’t get any traction, you need to be able to explain how the media landscape isn’t what it once was. There is a distinct difference between ten years ago and today. Be prepared to manage expectations when it comes to the type and amount of coverage you will be able to get your client.