PR is specialistenwerk

Five good reasons to entrust your PR to a specialist

Not entirely convinced? In this article, I offer you five reasons why press relations are best handled by a specialist with expertise.

Luna is a communication agency and has been operating in the marketplace for 28 years. Over all these years, we have gained great expertise in every field of communication. Besides copywriting for different channels, we are specialised in press relations. You may be thinking that I’m somewhat biased in writing this article. You could be right, but my main aim is to show you that you can’t improvise the professional building of media visibility. Because you need knowledge!

  1. Find a news angle

How do we choose the right approach? The first step in any press activity is always to consider: what are we going to communicate about and how are we going to present it?

After we have selected a number of press activities with our clients, we take the responsibility for drafting a press release on the subject and for positioning it.

It all starts with a good title. The title of a press release can either capture the attention of journalists or drive them away – depending on how the title is phrased. So it’s essential to look at the different options and – if you want – to discuss them with your colleagues. Doing this can often produce the best result.

  1. Timing is key

Whatever you do, you should always select the right time. Press relations are no exception to this rule. We advise our clients to be flexible here about the timing.

People often forget that journalists write about the news. This link must therefore be featured in a press release. Subjects selected to be in phase with today’s society are often more successful.

  1. Updated database

An up-to-date database is a valuable asset! Moreover, an updated database is absolutely vital for any company. Of course, this is also true for a communication agency specialised in press relations.

Over many years, we have spent countless hours on building our database. Every time we follow up on a press release, we add new contacts, update journalists’ contact details and remove journalists who are no longer active. Thanks to these years of work, our database includes the very latest data on journalists working in different newspapers, magazines, online media, TV channels and radio stations across the Belgian media landscape. These include media focused on the economy, specialist press, regional press and general press.

  1. Collaboration with journalists

As with any relationship, it also takes time to develop a professional relationship with a journalist. You need to get to know each other first, in order to determine what you can do for each other. A journalist is looking for topical information and you can provide it. The trick is to create a win-win situation that benefits both parties.

Once the journalist knows who you are, things can sometimes move (more) quickly. The journalist knows that your press releases are current and relevant to their target audience. So there is a better chance that they will look at your press release first and cover the information in their media.

Of course, even working with a journalist for several years does not guarantee publication. The information must be interesting. In the press world, there are no guarantees. It’s worth remembering that a journalist does not publish to please you!

  1. All good things come to those who wait

It can (sometimes) take time for results to be seen. Sometimes you receive related publications directly after your first press release, but the opposite scenario is also possible: only a few publications.

Consistency is crucial in the press. We generally recommend at least five to six press activities per year. If you don’t publish any press releases for a long time, journalists may forget who you are. That’s why we advise all our clients to arrange meetings, in which we can brainstorm. We work together to find topics for future press releases. As a result, we have a wide range of topics available to cover at the right time, enabling us to carry out press activities on a more regular basis.

Are you now convinced by these five reasons? Would you like to meet us to find out how Luna can help you with your press relations?

Please e-mail aurelie@luna.be.