The Public Relations Blog

Your organization should borrow this journalism technique for media pitches

Most corporate stories fail before a journalist finishes reading the first paragraph.

Not because the company lacks news. Not because the topic lacks relevance.

But the story lacks a “narrative arc.”

In this solocast, On Top of PR host Jason Mudd dives into why most press releases fail and how to craft news releases that capture attention, clicks, and engagement.

Tune in to learn more!

Reputation, credibility, and media relationships develop over time. Companies expecting immediate results from PR often misunderstand how earned media actually works.

Many executives approach public relations expecting quick results, similar to advertising. In reality, earned media works differently. In this article, Axia Public Relations explains why successful PR strategies unfold over years and why consistent effort produces the strongest results.

Build a cross-channel dashboard tying earned media to pipeline with UTM, GA4, and CRM data. Practical SEO for PR that proves ROI and lift.

PR teams are feeling more pressure to prove real business impact. Leadership is not satisfied with big impression numbers or a long list of logos anymore. They want to know how earned media turns into site visits, leads, pipeline, and closed revenue. That means PR leaders need a clear way to connect coverage with the same numbers sales and finance care about.

How you connect with reporters should follow a pattern.

As you cultivate relationships with reporters, you and your company can become trusted, go-to sources for their stories. To build these connections, it’s crucial to communicate effectively. Reporters appreciate sources who respond clearly, concisely, and in the same "vernacular" they use in their articles.

In this episode, Brett Farmiloe joins host Jason Mudd to discuss the comeback of HARO and smarter PR pitching.

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Your company doesn’t always have big announcements, but you still need attention in top-tier publications. A strong PR strategy doesn’t rely solely on launches or major milestones. Consistent earned media and strategic media relations protect and grow your brand’s authority, credibility, and visibility.

When you don’t have big news to share, manufacture timeliness, refine your pitch structure and voice, use credible data, and follow up thoughtfully to secure media coverage.

Years ago, our firm represented a logistics company whose CEO was featured in a local newspaper’s business section. The coverage wasn’t national, and it wasn’t promotional. It was a short piece highlighting the company’s growth and its leader’s role in the regional economy.

A few days after the article ran, another CEO from the same metro area called the logistics company. He explained that he’d been looking for a new partner and recognized the name from the story. That introduction, created by a single earned media placement, led to a business relationship worth more than $1 million annually.

The PESO model — paid, earned, shared, and owned media — remains one of the most widely recognized frameworks in integrated communication. Over time, some academics have introduced an alternative ordering: SOEP (shared, owned, earned, paid). This is not a replacement for PESO, nor a new industry standard. It’s a reflection of how some practitioners and researchers interpret the evolving priorities inside organizations.

In this solocast, On Top of PR host Jason Mudd discusses the ethical and practical differences between exclusives, advances, and embargoes and how to use them correctly in media relations.

Tune in to learn more!