Your organization is full of experts. They understand the trends shaping your industry, hear directly from customers and often spot challenges or changes long before they make headlines.
The challenge is turning that expertise into a story journalists want to cover.
Executives and subject matter experts are often so immersed in their work that what seems routine to them could actually offer valuable context for a reporter. A customer question they keep hearing, a shift in buying behavior or a new industry challenge could all become the starting point for a media opportunity.
It's the communications team role is to uncover those insights, then turn them into a news story. The PR pros use these insights to connect experts to journalists who are publishing news stories that interest their audiences. But it's critical to make the expert's insights easy to understand and use in a news story.
How can subject matter expertise create media opportunities?
Subject matter expertise can create media opportunities even when your organization has no major news to announce.
Many organizations think about media relations when they have a new hire, expansion, product launch or company milestone to share. Those announcements can lead to coverage, but they represent only a fraction of the stories inside an organization.
Your experts have insights to share year-round.
A banker may notice businesses becoming more willing to borrow. A construction executive may see project owners changing how they plan for rising costs. A nonprofit leader may recognize a growing community need before research is available to quantify it.
Those observations may feel like part of the job to the expert, but they're gold for a reporter. This information from a credible expert can provide journalists with valuable context about a larger trend in an industry or community.
While you might be used to asking, “What news do we have to share?” Instead, reframe the question to ask, “What does our team know that could help people better understand what is happening right now?”
What questions can uncover strong media story ideas?
The best way to uncover media ideas is to ask experts about what they are seeing, hearing and anticipating, rather than simply asking what they want to pitch.
Your subject matter experts do not need to know what makes a story newsworthy. But the communications team does.
Regular conversations with your company's experts can help uncover insights that might otherwise never make it into a media pitch. Try asking:
- What are customers or clients asking you about most right now?
- What has changed in your industry over the past six months?
- What are your customers doing differently today than they were a year ago?
- Are you noticing a trend that people outside your industry may not recognize yet?
- What is a common misconception about your industry?
- What challenges are keeping your customers up at night?
- Is there conventional wisdom in your industry that you disagree with?
- What do you expect to change over the next year?
The answers can uncover ideas for media interviews, contributed articles, podcasts and other thought leadership opportunities.
How do you turn expert insights into news?
Make expertise newsworthy by connecting what your expert knows to a timely trend, development or question that matters to a reporter’s audience.
Expertise alone does not make a story. Relevance does.
Pay attention to what journalists are covering, along with new research, economic data, legislation, industry reports, seasonal trends and major events affecting your sector. Then look for places where your experts can explain what those developments mean in the real world.
For example, rather than pitching a banker because they can discuss business lending, connect their expertise to new data showing that borrowing demand is increasing. Your expert can help explain why businesses are borrowing, what they are investing in and whether the trend is likely to continue.
The goal is not to force your organization into the news cycle. It is to find moments when your expert can genuinely add context that makes a story stronger.
What makes a subject matter expert valuable to reporters?
A generic offer to “discuss industry trends” gives a journalist very little reason to respond.
The strongest media sources help reporters explain what is happening, why it matters and what could happen next.
Before pitching a reporter, identify exactly what your expert brings to the conversation. Consider whether they can offer:
- A clear or unexpected point of view
- Local or industry-specific context
- Firsthand observations from customers or the market
- Data that supports a broader trend
- Examples that make a complicated issue easier to understand
- A prediction about what may happen next
- Practical advice for the reporter’s audience
Then make that value clear in your pitch.
Instead of saying your CEO is available to discuss a topic, tell the reporter what the CEO is seeing and the specific questions they can answer. The easier it is for a journalist to understand how your source fits into the story, the stronger the opportunity becomes.
How should you prepare experts for media opportunities?
Prepare experts before opportunities arise by identifying what they can speak about, the topics your organization wants to own and the perspectives that differentiate them.
The goal is not to script every answer. Good preparation helps experts communicate what they already know clearly, confidently and naturally.
Media opportunities can move quickly. A breaking news story may give you only a few hours to connect a journalist with a knowledgeable source.
Start by identifying the people within your organization who can credibly speak about your priority topics. Learn what they are seeing in their day-to-day work, what they have strong opinions about and which issues they are comfortable discussing publicly. This process can also become the foundation for a broader thought leadership strategy that builds visibility and credibility beyond individual media opportunities.
When an interview opportunity comes up, provide the expert with background on the reporter, the topic and likely questions. Identify two or three messages you want the reporter to understand.
How can one media idea build long-term thought leadership?
A trend worth discussing with a reporter may also work as a contributed article, podcast topic, speaking opportunity, social media post or future commentary as the issue develops.
One strong expert insight can become the foundation for multiple media and thought leadership opportunities.
More importantly, consistently providing useful expertise can help build relationships with journalists.
When a reporter knows that someone at your organization understands a topic and responds with useful information, they have a reason to come back. Over time, your experts can move from people you proactively pitch to trusted sources journalists contact directly.
That is when media relations become more than earning a single placement. It helps establish your organization as an authority in its field.
How can you find more media opportunities?
Finding more media opportunities starts with creating a consistent process for listening to your own experts.
Talk regularly with the people closest to your customers, industry and community. Ask what they are noticing. Pay attention to the news and identify where their firsthand experience can add something meaningful to the conversation.
You do not always need a major announcement to earn meaningful media coverage.
Sometimes, your strongest story is already sitting inside your organization. You just need to ask the right questions to find it.
Want to take the next step? Learn how to build a thought leadership strategy or explore how podcasts can enhance your thought leadership. For help uncovering your organization’s expertise and turning it into stronger media opportunities, reach out to B2 Communications.