not getting the media coverage your business wants?

If PR is part of your role and you’re feeling frustrated over the lack of media coverage your press releases generate for your organisation, you are not alone. According to recent research, 1 in 5 businesses struggle to get their stories published anywhere other than their own company blog.

However, that doesn't mean you can’t get coverage. There are some factors working against you, and others that you have full control over. So, let’s start with the things that aren’t in your control.

The uncontrollable

Dwindling number of journalists

There are now more PR people than journalists in the UK - something no one thought possible just five years ago. Against this backdrop, there are more stories and announcements being created by businesses. That’s because of three key things:

‍Businesses recognise that great PR through media coverage can boost their brand and make them a more attractive proposition to future customers.

‍Economic volatility tends to see businesses turn to PR to demonstrate to customers that they have an edge over their competitors.

‍Evidence shows that around 90% of AI results come from media outlets – the more a business is published in the media, the more they will appear in AI search results (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot)

‍This means that journalists and editors are inundated press releases from businesses and PR agencies. In fact, today’s journalists are challenged with producing up to eight stories every day – that equates to one every hour.

Commercial pressures

Falling circulations are putting enormous strains on media outlets to be more cost-conscious and commercially savvy. Much of the responsibility for these falls on the shoulders of journalists. They need to publish stories that will not only be interesting to audiences but also likely to boost the number of people reading the stories and remain online – the more people visiting and staying on the site, the more advertising revenue they can generate.

The controllable

‍Short and sweet

‍Getting your story noticed (and published) means structuring your press release in a way that stands out. To capture the attention and interest of a journalist it is crucial to get to the point quickly and clearly.

‍If you waffle at the beginning and fail to make your story’s potential clear within the first 15 seconds (the maximum time a journalist will spend evaluating a story), your press release will likely end up in the trash folder.

‍However, if you address the who, what, when, where, and why in your opening sentences, your chances of media coverage success increase significantly. These chances rise even higher if the press release provides the journalist with most, if not all, the information they need.

Mind the gap

‍Any gaps requiring journalists to conduct their own research can kill the release instantly – they simply don’t have the time to go off and collate the information needed to back up the claims made in the story. They are relying on messengers – you – to give them the access to all the information they need in the here and now.

‍It’s about trying to make their life easier. In doing so, you not only boost your media coverage prospects you also gain a valuable ally who will be more inclined to use you again for future media opportunities.

You don’t need a PR agency to get media coverage for your business – you can become more than capable of doing it yourself and securing great PR results with the right guidance and support. Take a look at our PR Training & Coaching service for more information.