Chelsea Cucinotta is a PR expert, former journalist, and founder/director of Honey Buzz PR. In this piece, she gives us her best tips on how to earn media coverage this year.
Whether you do it yourself or work with an agency, building a media presence has never been more important for a small business.
Earned media coverage allows audiences to get to know, resonate with and trust your brand. It’s a storytelling vehicle that positions you as an industry expert.
Here’s what you need to know about leveraging the power of public relations (PR) in 2025.
How the industry has changed
The media landscape has changed dramatically over the years, with digital-first mediums and social media channels only continuing to grow.
Your PR strategy must therefore be agile and account for the different ways consumers get their news.
Are your customers closely following social media news accounts? Are they getting bite-sized updates from current affairs podcasts? Or is your target market tuning into an evening television news bulletin?
To cut through the noise and earn journalists’ attention, brands are also leveraging PR stunts and viral social media moments.
This means you must meet your audience where they’re at, taking into account where you could fit into their media consumption habits.
Treat PR as a long game
To break it down, PR is about managing your reputation and relationships with internal and external stakeholders. It’s not something you can do overnight.
Like any professional endeavour, patience pays off.
When amplifying your business or personal brand profile, focus building and sustaining momentum over the long term.
Put your best people forward
If you’re ready to get seen and heard, be prepared to put your best people forward.
Let’s say you run a charity and want to share your cause to drive more donations. To successfully earn media coverage, you’ll want your CEO, a volunteer and potentially a recipient of your support to engage with any opportunities that arise.
Whether you’re a product or service-based business, you must approach journalists with a human angle. Share the entrepreneurs and intrepreneurs behind your brand.
Be prepared for modern (multi)media
To keep up with the world of multimedia, you’ll need a solid library of visual and written assets.
At a minimum, you should have a professional headshot. These days it’s rare for a publication to send a photographer out to you.
Prepare a fact sheet about your product or service, covering all key messages. This can be shared with journalists and used as an internal reference point for interviews.
For television opportunities, having landscape B-roll on file is favourable. This allows a newsroom unable to send a camera crew out to a story, to still run something in a voiceover format.
Lastly, ensure your media spokespeople are confident communicators. Run through all possible questions and scenarios beforehand. Practice live and pre-recorded interview styles. Don’t forget about your tone of voice and body language. Everything counts.
Be ready at any time
Having previously worked in news, you’d be surprised at how many businesses are keen for media opportunities, only to be unavailable when they arrive.
You’ll build better relationships and be known as a reliable source if you work with a journalist’s deadlines and requirements.
Look for opportunities to put yourself into the news cycle
Closely follow industry news across all platforms. You’ll get to know the journalists covering your niche and easily identify when your expert commentary could add value.
If you’re wanting to elevate your profile in 2025, understand the changing media landscape and be ready to move with it.
