Building Trust Through Targeted Press Relations

We secured a TechCrunch exclusive for a client. Then we got an email from the reporter: "I need to step away for three weeks due to a personal emergency." “Extremely sorry and hope everything turns out OK,” we responded. “Please take all the time you need—we’ll be waiting.” Our client is a mission-driven VC fund that was just started. This TechCrunch placement was a strategic asset for fundraising and recruiting portfolio companies. In other words: a very, very big deal. Understandably, the client was concerned. "What if the reporter drops the ball? Shouldn’t we go elsewhere?” We could have panicked. We could have let the client's (understandable) anxiety push us into burning a valuable media relationship by shopping the exclusive elsewhere. Instead, we did what PR professionals do: managed expectations and protected long-term value. "Let’s take what the reporter said at face value,” we responded. “Reporters are honest. If they were no longer interested in the piece, they would have told us.” This is still your best opportunity to reach investors and founders,” we went on. “A three-week delay won't change that value." The client trusted. The reporter returned. The interview happened. The piece was published the following week. Our client used the feature exactly as planned—building credibility, promoting the new fund, hard ROI stuff. A few thoughts: • Reporters are humans like the rest of us. That means 💩 happens to them as well. • Relationships matter. Not in the sense of leveraging others, but in the sense of being decent for the sake of being decent. • Patience is a virtue. And in PR, patience is the virtue of virtues, because building a legacy (the kind you can parlay for your next round, IPO, or acquisition) takes time. In an industry obsessed with quick wins, the most valuable PR assets are still trust, patience, and the wisdom to know when playing the long game is worth it.

The golden rule of media relations: make it easy for a journalist to say yes. It sounds simple, but too often, the basics get missed. If you want coverage that cuts through, don’t put friction in the way of a journalist doing their job. ✅ Make sure your angle is topical, newsworthy and relevant to their audience, not just important to your business. ✅ Check spelling, facts, links, and names. Typos and broken links are an instant frustration. ✅ Keep it concise. Journalists don’t want three pages of filler; they want the hook fast. ✅ Always include contact details on every press release and pitch. ✅ Ensure spokespeople are ready. Anticipate likely questions, have insightful and memorable quotes, and make sure you’re available following dispatch, not next week or month. ✅ Provide good quality headshots, photography, and B-roll, don’t make the newsroom chase you for assets. ✅ Time your announcement to the news cycle, don’t drop it Friday at 5pm and expect magic. ✅ Don’t use embargoes unless there’s a very good reason. Good media relations is about removing obstacles. Journalists are time-poor, flooded in pitches, under constant pressure and tight deadlines.  If you respect that, you’ll not only get coverage, but you’ll also build trust and better long-term engagement. PR isn’t about spraying and praying and pushing harder. It’s about making it effortless for a journalist to say: “Yes, I’ll run this story.” #PR #media #journalism #Australia #marketing #brand #spokesperson #business #company #organisation

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received during my career in publicity: Treat your media relationships as equally—if not more—important than your client relationships. Early in my career, like many publicists, my primary focus was on the clients—delivering results, managing expectations, and making sure their campaigns were running smoothly. And while that’s still critically important, one of the biggest mindset shifts for me came when a colleague instilled this invaluable piece of advice: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑡𝑜𝑜—𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠. It sounds obvious in hindsight, but the impact of genuinely prioritizing those relationships has been profound. It’s about seeing the human on the other side of the email. Knowing more than just their job title or the outlet they work for. It’s understanding their passions, their quirks, and even the little things that make them tick. I’ve seen this in action countless times. For example, a member of our team, Joelle Speranza, is incredible at building these connections. She’ll know if one of her contacts is passionate about rescuing dogs or how their kids are navigating back-to-school. She remembers the small details that make her interactions personal and meaningful. There’s a world of difference between a “Rolodex relationship” and a genuine one. Why does this matter? Because when you build authentic connections, you create trust and collaboration. And when you have trust with a producer, editor, or writer, it’s not just about the pitch—it’s about the partnership. Here’s the truth: 💡 Clients may come and go, but strong media relationships are irreplaceable. 💡 Producers at TODAY or editors at a major publication are in limited supply. Respecting and valuing those relationships can make or break your ability to deliver results. I’ve also seen how small, thoughtful gestures can make a big impact. Writing handwritten thank-you notes to contacts who went the extra mile on a story, taking time to ask about their interests—these things matter. It’s a mindset shift I wish I’d embraced even earlier. And it’s one of the best pieces of advice I can share with any publicist or professional navigating a relationship-driven field. Your success isn’t just about what you can offer your clients—it’s about the trust and respect you build with the people who help you deliver. #Marketing #Author #Publishing #Leadership #Media

In PR and comms, reputation comes down to one thing: trust. I recently spoke with Narrative Strategies CEO Ken Spain on our Clipbook webinar about what it takes to earn - and maintain - trust in today’s fast-paced media environment. Some key takeaways from our conversation: ➜ Rely on data, not assumptions. Ken stresses rigorous testing - whether it’s focus groups, interviews, surveys - to understand what truly resonates with your audience. It’s the best way to test and validate your messages before going public. ➜ Know your audience. Your most critical stakeholders may not be who you expect. Make sure you map out all relevant stakeholders, even those on the edges who can quietly influence how others see your brand. ➜ Be deliberate with your message delivery. Does earned media - or paid ads - make sense? Targeted digital campaigns or influencer marketing? In any scenario - make sure your channels fit your audience and goals. ➜ Build alignment internally. Comms pros are often the connective tissue across functions: marketing, investor relations, legal, risk, digital, and more. They must create strong internal consensus - otherwise external trust will fall short. Master these four strategic pillars, and you’ll be equipped to protect your brand and navigate any reputational challenge that comes your way. Link to our full conversation in comments below 👇

If you think PR is all about sales-pitch cold emails and press releases, you’re missing the point. PR isn’t a one-and-done gig. It’s about relationships. You don’t want to be another email in a reporter’s inbox—you want to be the person they think of when they need an expert or a story. 💡 Pitching is easy. But building trust? That takes time and effort. Instead of blasting out generic press releases, get to know the reporters, editors, and influencers you want to work with. Engage with their content. Comment on their stories. Be a resource. When you’re genuinely invested in what they’re doing, they’ll start thinking of you when an opportunity pops up—and you’ll get better results. PR isn’t transactional. It's human.