We Speak "Media"
AHA Partner Ruth Atherley has worked as a reporter and feature writer for Macleans Magazine for more than 15 years. She also wrote for The Globe and Mail, Canadian Living, Flare and Chatelaine. We understand what the media needs, because we used to be them.
We have firsthand knowledge of what the media does, what they need to do their jobs and what may interest them. We can recognize and create opportunities for media coverage, and know how to pitch a story with a timely and newsworthy angle that will get their attention.
Each day we spend hours creating relationships, researching audiences, staying on top of industry trends and working on pitches. Partner Paul Holman has spent countless hours on the phone with media, pitching them, asking their opinion, and finding out their likes and dislikes.
We work hard at generating coverage for you. Getting the media to cover your story isn't easy, but we believe it is an important component of your marketing and PR plan. (If it was easy, everyone would be on the cover of magazines and get their 15 minutes of fame — and you wouldn't need us!)
We also understand how to pitch the new media — bloggers. Bloggers are an incredibly important component of journalism. Approached in the right way, with the right story, bloggers can be a huge asset to your company. Researching and reaching out to bloggers is now a part of our media relations campaigns. To ignore these influential writers and reporters is foolish. They are an integral part of how information is shared locally and globally. Positive coverage in a popular blog can equal the equivalent of scoring the wining touchdown in the Superbowl.
We're great at generating media coverage for our clients. Here's why:
- We invest time developing and nurturing strong relationships with the media — both online and off.
- We learn the wants and needs of the audience (readership) of online and traditional media.
- We know the right ways to individually pitch reporters, editors, producers and bloggers.
- We understand the media - from an editorial and an advertorial perspective.
- We know the value of different types of coverage, from submitted articles to special supplements.
- We understand the needs of the reporters, editors, producers and bloggers. (And their deadlines.)
- We understand what is and what isn't newsworthy — both online and off.
- We can pitch a story to the media on the telephone in less than 30 seconds and to a blogger in a paragraph. (That's all we get, and that's all we need!)
- We know what to say to get the media's attention — and how to say it.
- We have access to the most up-to-date media directories.