PR is today, as always, an idea generator function that should offer journalists inspiration, materials, and resources to help them to do their job.

Any clever PR strategy is based on the need of journalists to access to non-advertising and interesting sources for their audiences. We, as comms professionals, working at companies or agencies should offer quality resources to get the stories of our costumers published.

Companies and brands want to increase their share of “earned media”, that is, publications “gained” thanks to interesting messages and signed by independent journalist. Their goal should be to enlighten the public, strengthen the public’s interests and get the citizens and consumers informed. It is a win-win strategy.

When the messages aren’t simple, media could be reluctant to spend their time in complex issues. Besides, for journalists it is difficult to focus on unknown brands.

PR professionals should then step forward and offer content ready to be published.

Thought leadership campaigns” are those strategically built to expose complex messages of brands, companies and organizations intended for journalists and public opinion.

We can resource to different techniques like bylined articles, opinion columns, interviews, etc. The brand will barely appear in the text and only the author signature will reveal his relationship with the company or organization. Contents must comply with editorial rules, and they must be submitted to chief editors’ requirements. They will stick to objective information for cultivated audiences and include no sign of advertising. A good journalistic style will facilitate their publication.

The market of ideas” can be understood as the place where conversations and symbolic exchanges between companies and brands with their publics take place. Often, messages and values are shared and amplify through the media.

The organizations compete to lead the market with their brands, narratives, services, and products. Leadership has a “semiotic” component: the leader offers a “meaning” to things that others will adopt as their own. Leadership and power also dominate over socially acceptable interpretations.

On the Internet, it is easy to know the “share of voice” (or visibility media share) correspondent to any brand in their market versus their competence. To ensure their presence in media, companies and institutions should check the relative visibility in their market.

For more details, please, fill in the form to see a case study:

 

Francisco Soto

CEO, 121PR