“The state of our [media] union is strong!”—so says the 2016 Cision Media Landscape report. Released annually, the report is a survey of 346 journalists, bloggers and influencers that takes a look back at the trends that shaped the previous year and also anticipates public relations challenges for the coming year.
The report revealed that 2015 is the year social, mobile and multiplatform issues came to the forefront. How can public relations professionals rise to the occasion to provide story ideas and content that match with publishers ever changing approach to reaching audiences?
The good news: how we choose to reach journalists isn’t changing much. The role of social media in the newsroom is still important primarily for building relationships (73%). Here at T/K we do so through tools like MuckRack which allow us to listen to key conversations and connect with relevant journalist on the platforms they use most.
PR-Journalist relationships are still status quo despite how much technology is influencing the way we consume news. Of those surveyed 65 percent said their reliance on communications professionals has stayed the same, with 10.3 percent leaning in more than usual and 17.4 finding less value in their PR relationships.
Journalists can now use curation tools on social media platforms to help find story ideas that are generated through user content: 56.1 percent of those surveyed said they have leveraged user-generated content in their stories more in the last two to three years.
Is there room for improvement?
Always. Getting the blocking and tackling of basic media relations trumps technology any day. Below are a few of the ways reporters would like to see communications pros improve their game:
• "Tailoring the pitch to suit my beat/coverage” (78.5 percent)
• “Researching/understanding my media outlet” (77.3 percent).
• “Providing me with information and expert sources” finishes third at 42.3 percent and
• “Respecting my pitching preferences” places fourth at 35 percent.