2020 was a troublesome year for all industries and sectors, and the media is no exception. Communities looked to the media for information around the extraordinary events of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of a global recession, racial, social, and political strife, as well as some catastrophic natural disasters.

Cision has recently released their 2021 'Global state of the media' report, highlighting how last year's events changed the industry, how journalists now work, and how we should be working with journalists throughout this year to achieve the best PR results.

Here is some of the interesting findings from the report:

Journalists regard being a trusted news source as the essential factor of their organisation.

More than half (53%) of journalists feel the public lost trust in the media over the last year. This number has gradually decreased in the previous five years, but it remains a pressing issue as journalists are under intense skepticism.

Journalists want their stories to be accurate and reliable, so ensuring your press releases have relevant data with reliable sources is a must.

Acting quickly on trending stories will become more important.

With more fragmented news consumption and increased competition for attention, acting quickly on the correct stories that have that 'it factor' is essential. Readers want high-quality, research-based content while the story is still relevant.

Instead of pushing out multiple stories until something sticks, you should be focusing on fewer pieces of content but ensuring its high quality and still relevant in a fast-changing world.

Make the journalist's job easier.

Journalists want press releases stacked full of research, graphics, and quotes along with invites to interviews and events. After monitoring multiple press releases and stories per week, they will likely pick the stories that require the most minor work to become a top story.

Tailor your content to the ease of the journalist and make it as close as possible to being ready to go.

Time it right

The report has found that 60.4% of journalists prefer receiving pitches on a Monday, with this percentage dropping as you go through the week. 

Your story will most likely be competing with many other press releases to get a journalist's attention, so you need to make sure your story goes out at off-peak times, such as 09:42, instead of rounded times like 09:00, so your not clashing with the competition.

To see the full report from Cision, click here.

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