GOLDEN LEARNINGS FROM A PR CAMPAIGN THAT HIT MEDIA COVERAGE PAYDIRT
It is probably one of the most challenging requests faced by inhouse and external PR practitioners – especially in the context of the ever-shrinking media landscape here in WA.
It often starts with a request from senior management for you or your colleagues to generate what is regarded as “free publicity” for your organisation or some event, new product or other business initiative. Inherent in the request is the assumption that it is easy to pitch and win coverage when the opposite is increasingly true: As many PR consultants will attest (perhaps only privately), getting media coverage is often very challenging.
So, when a campaign to generate coverage proves to be highly successful, it is worth taking a closer look at why it worked so well and what critical learnings arise.
I had the opportunity recently to assist a client with a campaign that hit and exceeded all its KPIs by some margin, but I need to stress right from the start that it was THE CLIENT themselves that made it so successful.
With that in mind, it is my pleasure to introduce Natalie Martin, who, although she would, in typical modesty, deny this fact, almost single-handedly drove the establishment of the Perth-based Menopause Alliance Australia. This is very much a passion project for Natalie – established out of personal experience and concern about the limited support available for women struggling with menopause and other life-stage-related health issues.
I must admit that when Natalie first approached us, I was cautious – keen to manage expectations and provide a sober assessment of the challenges we would face in generating significantly more coverage than she had already been able to generate herself and with the assistance of others in the organisation. To be fair, what they had achieved up to this point was impressive – winning the interest of the editor of a high-profile magazine. In the case of this event, Natalie pulled off a coup and landed the involvement of best-selling author Kathy Lette as a keynote speaker and ambassador. High-profile personalities can act like honey to a bee when it comes to coverage, and Kathy certainly did that.
But that in itself, it appeared, still was not enough. The strategic intent of the campaign was to generate ticket sales for a significant event Menopause Alliance Australia had organised. To that point, ticket sales had been relatively stagnant despite the excellent information and experience on offer via a range of first-class speakers. Natalie had staked a lot on the success of this conference and needed help to push things along.
As it turned out, despite my anxiety, the media campaign proved to be one of the most successful I have ever had the opportunity to witness.
What was it that made this particular campaign so successful? I am convinced it aligned with several key principles that, in my experience, are crucial if clients are to win sustained interest from journalists and media organisations.
First and foremost – or perhaps – first, second, third and fourth - was the quality of the content. It was compelling and fresh. Menopause is an issue that has generated surprisingly low levels of exposure in the community and among employer groups seeking to provide more supportive workplaces for women. That, in part, reflects the fact that menopause is a stage of life that, for hundreds of years, has been defined by the very fact that most women suffer symptoms in silence. I think for my mother’s generation and beyond, it was something they just didn’t talk about – even though, for many women, the consequences can be devastating.
I make this point because it is often the single most under-appreciated factor in what it takes to drive media coverage. For something to be considered “news” – it needs to be “new”! That is the first question most news editors ask when a journalist within their organisation pitches the story to them: Okay, so what’s the angle – what have they got to say that is new or interesting? Just pedalling out the same old content, re-heated in the PR microwave, just doesn’t cut it in the minds of most media decision makers.
Second, and related to the above, the topic had multiple angles. And this was key to the tactical approach we worked on with Natalie to create and pitch. Yes, there was the general topic of menopause, but there were also many other related topics of interest: Early menopause, perimenopause, challenges with some of the key symptoms, including mental health issues, pregnancy later in life and the ever-increasing challenges of fertility. One angle that casts light on a topic that has largely been ignored is the fact that women are having children later in life, which means that their experience of menopause often comes while balancing looking after their kids, caring for elderly parents, maintaining their careers as well as just navigating the challenges of daily life.
The degree to which you can generate “multiple angles” and produce variations in potential stories pitched to journalists is SO crucial. The media wants something fresh and provides unique content for their audience. They will not repeat the same story covered by a rival or even related media outlet a week ago. If the best you can do from the topic about which you want coverage is singular in nature – then a single story is all you will get. PR campaigns that produce mass coverage are always those that, like a well-cut diamond, sparkle with multiple faces that catch the eye. How does your topic impact different demographics or life stages? Is there new research about that topic or a new approach to the problem being solved? Is there a noted expert prepared to offer a fresh view?
Then, there is the capacity to have people available to speak who can offer genuine insight into the topic. On occasion, some organisations have an obsession with the spokesperson being the CEO, who, it turns out, can be the person within the company least qualified to speak with authority and insight. Sure, they can trumpet the key messages, but as a result of their personal experience and hands-on involvement, can they make compelling and interesting comments? Often not.
Surprisingly, the other factor that made working with Natalie so easy (and, in turn, lifted the potential to win coverage) was her availability. She was willing to be flexible about the date and time a journalist wanted to speak to her and, if necessary, to hop in her car and travel to a location convenient to them. Over the years, I have been amazed by clients who stipulate that they want coverage and then set the most rigid timeframes for when and where they will be available for an interview. The media does not work like that.
Finally, Natalie was willing and able to speak from her own experience and highlight the story’s human-interest side – not just the science or the politics. By and large, people like to read about other people and journalists know that. They want personal examples and people willing to provide personal insights.
I could rave on a bit longer, but to sum it all up, the most critical point in the campaign’s success for the Menopause Alliance Australia event was what the client brought to the table. Successfully pitching to a journalist to win coverage is not, in my view, about the “sales process” – it is about the quality of the goods on offer – in this case, content. Throw into that the other factors I have outlined, and you have a recipe for success.
The most important thing to note is that it was not just a case of generating coverage for the sake of it. The coverage did actually eventuate in ticket sales. The conference was a sell-out – all testament to the ultimate key to success - Natalie herself.
Find out more about Menopause Alliance Australia by visiting menopausealliance.au
For more insights and ramblings on strategic business communications and marketing from JLCA Director John Le Cras, visit the JLCA Journal page.
