National Geographic has laid off its last staff writers and will no longer be sold on U.S. newsstands, according to The Washington Post. This comes as yet another sobering reminder that many legendary legacy media organizations will go extinct in the coming years, and the ones that survive are well past their pre-internet golden era.
Of course, the series of tech news media layoffs that took place months ago as the tech bubble began to burst shows that even digital-native newspapers and magazines don’t have the same economic stability as the media during the days of the newsstand. That has many implications, not least for PR experts who depend on journalists for our bread and butter.
The factor here is that as news organizations have shrinking budgets, they have fewer staff—fewer editors, writers, photographers, and everything in between. It’s true that that puts more pressure on reporters to be an all-in-one journo machine that can produce every aspect of the story, but it also means they can’t be as diligent, generally speaking, as they were years prior.
That means PR experts have to pick up the slack, on every front. Companies need an effective technical PR agency that can really carry the storytelling for their brands. Barring the top dogs, most journalists don’t have the time to do such thorough research on your company, products, or recent launch. For better or worse, they’re trusting you to deliver them exactly what they need to cover the story. That means your technical PR agency has to know the ins and outs of your product, but also how to communicate it effectively for reporters in language they understand.
If you are launching a product that’s meant to solve a widespread industry problem, you can’t just write up a PR that says something like “X company launches Y product.” Don’t assume an overworked reporter will understand why your launch is important just by reading about what your new product does. You’ll have to give them context in an easily digestible way—in other words, you’ll have to write like a journalist.
A successful technical PR agency will understand your company, messaging, and products in enough depth to feed the journalist a story about the launch. Sure, it will be written in the format of a press release, but it will say “here, this is your angle.”
PR pros need to provide images that work. Maybe instead of using a stock image, work to get a neat visual from the company you’re pitching, or even dabble with a generative AI image creator to make something of your own that is attention grabbing and the reporter can use. This same approach applies to every single aspect of the PR job—the PR rep has to go the extra mile, and another one if a recession hits.
How ReBlonde Can Help
As a veteran PR agency specializing in fintech, ReBlonde can help your company with a wide range of PR efforts, including thought leadership. ReBlonde’s team of PR experts works closely to ensure your strategic messaging is on point, while molding your brand’s story in the most impactful way, and ensuring company announcements are getting the best coverage possible.
Contact us today for a free consultation
