Media Relations By Jayme Soulati

Since 1984, Jayme Soulati has been on the frontlines of traditional and digital media relations with the nation’s top PR firms. While in Chicago, where she worked 18 years with the largest public relations agencies, Jayme became an expert in media relations.  To her credit are earned media in major national dailies, trade publications and regional outlets. She has had clients on national television, and she has prepared for interviews with The Wall Street Journal. She begins with a and follows with a solid tiered media list and information packet featuring a news release.

What Makes A Good Story?

Prior to reaching the media with a story, Jayme works with clients to build the elements required for the perfect story. Today’s immediate news cycle requires this, and the days of the “exclusive” are over.

Storytelling is a requirement, and how that story is told varies. What’s important are hard-news angles, data as proof points, a human-interest angle, and a credible spokesperson and company reputation.

With these elements in place, packaging the story into a quick representation for easy consumption is critical. Why should a reporter care if your company hit a milestone? Is there an industry angle with which to weave that soft news with something more? How about a research paper or new data suggesting a market trend?

The Impact of Social Media

The immediacy of news requires a nimble approach to news procurement and story placement. Earned media requires keen sense of strategy to determine the best approach with the biggest return.

Does your company have a blog? Be careful not to release news on the company blog prior to releasing it to media. A blog is owned media; you control the message and whatever is published there becomes old news.

Smaller ranks of reporters and more discerning editorial teams mean the window to pitch news is smaller and those who have time to cover it are fewer.

To distribute a message with a powerful punch, you need a professional who understands the bridge between traditional media and social media.

All the elements must coalesce into a strong story pitch to the right media at the right time. The story needs to be built for sharing on social media channels and online news wires, as well.

Speak With Jayme About Your Media Relations Needs.