Full Frontal PR Report
Tim Meehan

Sometimes an excited client comes to their PR agency (or their CEO comes to their marketing department) and declares that they want to see their company, product, or service in every news outlet in the country. (Maybe not every one, but most.). This product, she says, is something everyone uses (or should be)!

As PR pros, our job is made more interesting—and challenging—in such situations because different geographic markets require different pitches, and everywhere includes a lot of markets. Tailoring pitches to specific reporters and publications is essential for effective PR programs. Cultural, environmental and demographic details vary in each geographic market.

Here is a list of “tips and tricks” that will help you tailoring your pitches to the regions where you seek that coverage. It’s a simple and effective roadmap to get what you need—and what you want.

Understand the environment
Every pitch can benefit from leveraging the environment in the desired market. I do not only mean weather conditions (although seasonal and weather changes can often be integrated into pitches), but knowing the “who, what, where, when, why” of each specific geographic and demographic market you reach.

Know the people
We all know that effective messages are personalized, and taking into account the infinite diversity inherent in any demographic group is imperative. Ask who your product or service benefits. Age, sex, race, and creed should all be considered. Your product can be impacted by one and not another—it is important to establish this right away.

Consider lifestyle
Tailoring each pitch to lifestyle peculiarities helps get hits! For example, car-related pitches are better received in the Motor City than in New York where cars are scarce and subways well traveled. Miami Beach is the home of nightclubs and pastel hotels, but is also domicile to a significant senior citizen community.

Familiarize yourself with local news
Being really tight with current events in each market will aid in your pitching efforts. Success will come when your story idea has a local angle. Find a local news hook and tie it to your (potential) customers, and coverage will follow. Perhaps there’s an important school board election going on or a local scandal that relates to your pitch.

In the end, time and effort you invest in targeted pitching (and in that all crucial aggressive follow-up) will result in on-message media coverage. Learn enough about each market to understand the needs and interests of local media!

Tim Meehan is an Assistant Account Executive in RLM’s LA office. A new healthcare PR practitioner, this is his first contribution to the newsletter.