At a time when everyone is looking for the next big trend to latch on to, it can be hard to differentiate what makes a good news story vs. what is the next “flash in a pan” trend.
The reality is, trends are not on their own, stories. Good PR professionals know that the media are far more interested in how the trends are impacting business overall. For those of us working in the tech industry, it seems as if there are trends coming out of the woodwork every week.
So, how do we as communications professionals use PR tactics to capture attention and tie those tactics back into the trends a journalist is most passionate about?
Creating lasting stories with tried and true PR tactics
By utilizing the following PR tactics, we can quickly begin generating the buzz needed to turn what could just be a one-off trend to a more impactful business story, which ultimately drives brand awareness for a company.
These PR tactics include:
- Proactive pitching: As one of the more direct ways to get the attention of the media, proactive and newsjacking allows PR professionals to send quick and to-the-point messages about a unique story angle using a known industry trend or breaking news as the hook.
- Press announcements: Press releases are another great way to tie company news to bigger industry stories. This can be done by including key industry stats or a customer quote to anchor the bigger story you are trying to tell.
- Byline articles: These thought leadership pieces provide a unique way to share relevant insights around an industry trend. Typically published in a trade or business publication, bylined articles delve deeper into a trend to seamlessly create a bigger business story specifically tailored for target stakeholders.
Identifying the “bigger” story out of a trend
Now that we’ve explored some of the PR tactics that can help turn industry trends into business stories, let’s look at some real world examples of how these tactics have been used to pitch recent trends.
Sustainability:
Sustainability has been a trend for several years, with recent buzz around the circular economy.
U.S. News & World Report did a story in September of last year focused on what clothes have the highest resell value. The article included commentary from a vintage boutique from Kansas City and call outs to major apparel brands that have launched resell programs. As well, the story also included a comment from a retail tech company, the result of a PR pitch, on why tag-on clothes have the best resale value in the resale marketplace.
This is a perfect example of taking a big trend, like sustainability, and creating a very specific story around circular economy using the proactive pitching tactic.
AI:
AI is another trending topic across industries. For one of our clients focused on retail fraud prevention, we created a strategic PR plan with a pitch angle using unique data, which focused on AI-driven fraud detection that can intelligently review every transaction for potential organized retail crime activity.
This new angle – using press announcements, bylined articles, and targeted media pitching – generated a ton of coverage with trade and business media. These tactics also helped to secure an on-air interview with CNBC for the client.
Inspire the next “big” story
By digging deeper into industry trends to find the heart of a story, and using the right PR tactics to create interest, PR pros will not only find media success for clients but inspire editors to generate the next “big” story.
Contact us to discuss how you can use PR to inspire stories and generate leads today.
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