Editors of major U.S. consumer publications are bombarded with press releases, email pitches, follow up calls and new product announcements that far surpass the limited space available in their publication (and on their desks!). And with more information readily available online through interactive catalogs, electronic press kits, blogs, webinars, Facebook posts, Tweets, etc., finding the time to sift through the clutter is even more daunting.
On the flip side, the challenge for many businesses is finding a way to standout from the monotonous “new-product” crowd, and to be remembered despite the constant, nebulous influx of information.
As PR practitioners, we are always trying to find ways to overcome the challenge of breaking through the clutter for our clients. Despite all of the content we’re developing for the online social sphere, building in-person relationships with key editors continues to be an invaluable tactic, and can only serve to further enrich our client’s online presence.
For example, desk-side media tours have provided a way for our clients to not only share new product and trend insights, but develop long-lasting relationships with editors that now look to them as a resource for product updates, trend forecasts and industry insights that suit the needs of their upcoming stories.
Whether it’s a presentation and luncheon for the Meredith Publication group, or one-on-one meetings with top consumer editors in New York, we actively engage editors with presentations that are not product-pushing, but focus on market research, current and upcoming trends, and products that responds to what consumers want.
Amongst the chaos, we’ve helped our client provide a conversation that sticks. As PR professionals, it is then our job to further nurture these relationships so that the next time we send them an electronic press release, they pay attention. By fostering long-term and trusting relationships with editors, we don’t need to encourage them to follow our clients on Twitter or like them on Facebook, they’re happy to do it all on their own.
