Hitting the Media Mark: Tips on How to Gain Visibility

February 11, 2025

Not a day goes by that our team doesn’t interact with the media. That means we’ve had plenty of opportunities to see what lands and to figure out why. Here are a few of our team’s favorite ways to nail the art of media outreach and to achieve success – complete with real world, recent examples from our agency’s clients to show you how it works.

1. Get a fab photo.

I really can’t emphasize this enough. Surely, you’ve heard the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” While that’s true, I’ll take it one step further. Depending on what statistic you believe, it’s been said that press releases with images (or video) receive six to seven times the rate of pickup than those without them. It really makes a huge difference in results. For proof, check out this Chronogram story on The Yoga House, an Impact PR client that recently broke ground on its first studio in Poughkeepsie. Did the images of doing yoga in hardhats, atop construction equipment and in a dirt-filled setting catch your eye? Mission accomplished.

2. Develop deep media relationships.

In my many years of working in PR, I’ve learned that today’s editorial assistant or just-out-of-college trade publication reporter could be tomorrow’s New York Times columnist. Another great way to expand your media contacts is to be helpful to freelance journalists, reporters who write for multiple news outlets or blogs. For instance, we worked with a freelancer who was doing a story for VinePair last year and then, this year, she included our client, Millbrook Winery, in this incredible piece in Forbes. We didn’t expect it, but being on her radar and cheerfully working together for a trade story led to mainstream media magic.

3. Share human perspectives.

News is so much more meaningful when it hits your heart. One way to be heard above the noisy news environment is to feature people in your outreach. This story alone, on a possible closure of Vassar-Warner Home, made headlines, but the anecdotes on the plights of 97-year-old Ruth and 86-year-old Dorothy, including ones with photos – see tip above – had the whole community talking and taking action. It’s nearly impossible to ignore Ruth’s quote about them having to drag her out of the building!

4. Leverage your unique expertise.

We’re all knowledgeable about something and for many of our clients, consistently sharing tips, information and viewpoints leads to stellar media coverage. An example of this is Tompkins Community Bank, which used their position to talk on the topic of how community banks can help small businesses. Surely, many financial institutions could make the same claim, but Tompkins wisely became the expert on the matter.

5. Show the big picture.

A single event or company noticing a trend might be interesting, but when grouped with others like it, it becomes a more powerful narrative. By rounding up a series of companies or experts, you can help the media see the larger story and inspire a feature that helps everyone win. For instance, in our work with The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark and Millbrook Winery, two of our agency’s clients, we were able to group together separate events as a way to help the journalist envision a story about fun things to do in the winter. By doing the heavy lift and research for journalists, talking about how to spend a day in a certain region or five examples of gifts that give back, you increase the likelihood of that publication running a roundup and making the cut yourself.

And, here’s one more bonus tip with so many examples you’d be looking at a string of links and the message would get lost, but it’s a good one. Think differently. Consider alternative methods to get the word out about your events or organization’s mission. Whether it’s calendar listings, a letter to the editor or a captioned photo, going beyond tried-and-true press releases can help you stay top of mind with the people you want to connect with.