When Silence Speaks Loudest: Lessons from ABC’s “Bachelorette” Crisis

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In March, ABC made the unprecedented decision to pull an already-filmed season of “The Bachelorette” from the air just three days before it was set to premiere. The cancellation came after an unsettling video surfaced of the former lead, Taylor Frankie Paul, involved in a physically violent domestic dispute with her ex-partner, Dakota Mortensen. 

From a public relations perspective, this is more than just reality TV drama; It’s a case study on how not to handle a PR crisis. What unfolded after the cancellation was a series of communications missteps that serve as an important lesson for brands.

Choosing a Spokesperson for “The Wrong Reasons”

Originally chosen as The Bachelorette after her rise to fame on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” (SLOMW) despite controversy she stirred up there, Paul was an unexpected choice from the start. The center of this crisis is a foundational mistake: ABC built an entire season, and promotional campaign, around a volatile figure with a known history of domestic abuse.

Despite publicly accessible records and a SLOMW episode depicting the domestic dispute and Paul’s arrest in 2023, the network vastly underestimated the risk of elevating Paul as the face of the long-beloved franchise. From a reputational standpoint, the lead of a show serves, in a way, as the brand’s spokesperson. Because Paul was involved in a major public scandal, blame shifted to ABC’s decision to choose her as their lead and as a result, public scrutiny shifted to the network. 

Will You Accept This Apology?

After the video of the domestic dispute went viral, a spokesperson for Disney Entertainment Television, the parent company of ABC, issued a statement announcing the season would not be aired. Although the statement came quickly after the video circulated, the public viewed it more as an act of damage control, rather than an authentic response.

ABC remained relatively quiet immediately after the cancellation was announced. When ABC did speak out, their response was short, leaving many with unanswered questions. 

“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”

This Changes Everything

The poor and inauthentic statements from the network and its parent company resulted in an ineffective and failed crisis response. 

Rather than taking ownership of the fact that they had prior knowledge of the incident, offering clarity on their casting process and providing transparency, ABC’s response was curt and ineffectual. What’s more? Promotional content for Paul’s Bachelorette season remains on ABC’s social media channels a month later. 

The network’s silence was met with increased speculation, rumors and criticism, damaging its reputation and creating narratives outside of its control. 

The PR Takeaways

The real cost of ABC’s poor crisis management is the lasting impact this could have on its reputation. The lack of a clear response statement has led to a decline in audience trust, which could ultimately cause the deterioration of the franchise, which has been successful for two decades. 

So, what can brands do to avoid these missteps?

  • Bring a knowledgeable and proven PR team in early in the process of a large campaign and ensure there is a strong communications plan in place, including a crisis strategy. 
  • Thoroughly vet spokespeople, including background checks and reviews of social media presence. 
  • Prioritize substance over speed in crisis responses. Your audience wants a thoughtful explanation, not a Band-Aid statement.
  • If you’re not in control of your brand’s reputation, someone else is. By acknowledging crisis situations with thoughtful, authentic statements, you minimize speculation and false narratives.

In a moment where a clear, values-driven response could have stabilized the brand, a brand known for a reality show where no one is afraid to speak up, ABC failed to provide that clarity. If your brand is facing a reputational threat, we can help. Reach out to us at https://www.kimballpr.com/contact.

Newsjacking: Using breaking news to a brand’s advantage 

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Some believe newsjacking is a dirty word. It is seen by some as akin to ambulance chasing. In reality, it is simply a part of the news cycle. In fact, while the term newsjacking carries a negative connotation for some, it actually helps journalists tell better, more accurate stories while also positioning sources as industry or trend experts. When executed properly, this tactic can present a client with an invaluable opportunity to showcase their expertise directly to their target audience on a newsworthy topic that is engaging readers, viewers or listeners at that moment.

Newsjacking allows companies to elevate their brand authority and credibility by positioning a leader within the company as a subject matter expert to share insights on a topic in the news that is relevant to the company’s key messaging or an SME’s area of expertise. An article published in the media can be invaluable when it comes to building credibility for a brand through third-party validation. 

Executing a Newsjacking Strategy

Let’s say the CEO of an insurance company for commercial trucking fleets is looking to generate press coverage for the brand. The PR team sees the federal government is requiring commercial fleets to implement technology-based monitoring systems in commercial trucks. If this CEO is well-versed on the issue, the PR team can reach out to media outlets covering this issue with two or three thoughts to consider to gauge interest in an interview or commentary. 

Next, the PR team will likely reach out to relevant publications offering the CEO’s insights/opinions on the impact of these requirements, the impact on risk reduction efforts and future insurance rates, as well steps fleet owners can take to ensure compliance. 

If the CEO is offered an opportunity to comment and the outlet uses the CEO’s insights, newsjacking likely earned a win for the company and broadcast insight and working knowledge of a meaningful trend trucking companies face. Consequently, the media audience for that story may see the insurance company as a potential resource to help them improve their businesses.

Newsjacking Done Right

Newsjacking requires a deft touch.  

Before making an attempt to newsjack, ensure you are working with a PR team that understands the fundamentals, including how to: 

  1. Set the foundation. Before a PR team can offer an executive’s commentary to a reporter or outlet, they’ll want to make sure they have a valid online presence including an online biography stating experience and credentials, a high-res headshot, a company website that is up-to-date and reflects the current brand identity and ideally previously published articles—even if simply on Linked In or the company website—on industry topics and trends. 
  2. Identify/qualify an opportunity. To newsjack successfully, understanding the universe of current and recent news coverage is essential. Pitch an angle that was already addressed, and you can be perceived as being out of touch. You also need to game out any sensitivities. If the issue involves life/safety or health issues, among others, the pros and cons of newsjacking need to be weighed to avoid unanticipated blow-back on more sensitive matters.
  3. Suppress promotion.  Newsjacking done right is an opportunity to help a reporter better understand a subject or provider deeper insights, rather than promoting the company’s products or services. Stick to the issues. The opportunity for the company will be a secondary benefit if the reporter includes your comments.
  4. Move quickly. Newsjacking is an in-the-moment opportunity requiring rapid action. PR teams should interpret relevant breaking news through the lens of what the company can say and immediately gather insights and commentary. PR pros who aren’t deeply plugged into the company’s executives, lines of business and appetite for media topics will fall short on newsjacking every time. The faster your PR team, and your company, can react and respond, the more likely a journalist will include your thinking in a story.
  5. Leverage the opportunity. Any media placement, whether sourced from a newsjacking opportunity or elsewhere, is most effective when leveraged across multiple channels. PR teams should know to promote media placements on social media channels, the company website, in marketing materials and more, letting their audience know their expertise has been validated by a third-party. 

Newsjacking is a powerful and effective tool to generate earned media coverage to increase your brand’s visibility and credibility. At Kimball Hughes PR, newsjacking consistently allows us to position our clients as subject matter experts in their varied B2B and B2C industries. If you have questions about how a newsjacking strategy can work for your brand, please drop us a comment.

An Exciting Update…

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The Kimball Hughes Public Relations team has a new addition. 

PR Manager Cassidy Taylor has long been an integral part of our team. From supporting the team as an intern to leading accounts, she’s done it all. We are thrilled to share that this past weekend, she and her husband welcomed a happy, healthy baby boy named Jackson into the world. 

We want to congratulate Cassidy as she starts this exciting new chapter of her life. While Cassidy is on maternity leave, she has prepared our team well to step in to support her clients while she takes these critical next few months to make this next, most important project a success. 

Congratulations again, Cassidy! The team is cheering you on and we are looking forward to little Jackson following in his Mom’s footsteps and joining us as an intern someday.

Get to Know Senior PR Specialist Mike Madry

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Public relations is about relationships—the people behind the stories. That’s why periodically offer blog content about our team members who work with and represent our clients. This isn’t about our professional accomplishments but who we are as people. We hope you have as much fun reading along as we do interviewing each other.

What got you interested in public relations?

Since middle school, I knew I wanted to be a broadcast news reporter or anchor. While studying journalism in college, I landed a full-time role as a reporter at News 13 Hazleton, an independent cable news station, where I worked for a year. During that time, I had the opportunity to collaborate with several public relations professionals. Those interactions sparked my interest in the field.

That curiosity led me to realize many of my newsroom skills were transferable and that PR offered a wider range of opportunities while still aligning with my skills and interests in journalism. Because I was still in college, I made the decision to switch my major to public relations and fully commit to pursuing a career in the field.

Tell us about your favorite movie and what appeals most to you about it?

My favorite movie is Dunkirk, which tells the true story of over 338,000 Allied soldiers trapped on the beaches of France during World War II, surrounded by the German army. I’m a huge history buff, so I’m naturally drawn to films based on real events.

The movie also resonates with me on a personal level. My grandfather was a Purple Heart recipient and a WWII veteran. So, watching Dunkirk gives me a deeper appreciation for what he may have experienced during his service.

What was the last, best book you read and what about it spoke to you?

The last book I read was The Millionaire Next Door. As someone who is passionate about financial literacy, I found it incredibly engaging from start to finish. The book highlights how many American millionaires are not flashy spenders, but rather disciplined individuals who live below their means, budget carefully and prioritize saving and investing over status symbols like fancy cars and big houses.

I especially appreciated that the book is grounded in extensive research and data, which made the insights feel both credible and practical.

Tell us about a meaningful hobby or “outside of work” commitment that is important to you?

One of my most meaningful hobbies is exercising. Whether it’s going for a run or doing a strength training workout, it’s my go-to way to clear my head and relieve stress after a long day. It helps me stay both physically and mentally sharp.

Share a fun fact about you.

A fun fact about me is that I still play ice hockey competitively in an adult league. This game, which I started playing when I was 5 years-old, has given me so much, including lifelong friends and great memories. I feel very fortunate I can still play the game I love, even as I get older.

Beyond the Fridge Magnet: Leveraging Media Placements in 2026

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When I was in grade school, it was cool to see your name in the local newspaper—whether you were mentioned for good grades, sports, a musical achievement or the like. If my name made it into print, we would head straight to the 7-Eleven to pick up the latest issue. I would page through the newsprint scanning for my name, then proudly show it to my mom. She would grab the scissors, clip the article and pin it to the fridge, where it would live out its days, seen only by whomever happened to pass through the kitchen.

Many of us have similar stories. In those days, unless the article was physically mailed to grandma, posting it on the fridge was the extent of our abilities to leverage our “coverage.”

Things have changed.

Today, media placements are destined for much more than life under a fridge magnet. With the right amplification, one placement can be shared, repurposed and extended across multiple channels to reach far beyond its original audience and continue to deliver value.

At Kimball Hughes Public Relations, we are securing meaningful media placements in key B2B trade and Tier One media outlets targeting our clients’ core audiences. Once these articles or broadcast interviews featuring our clients’ quotes, commentary or contributed content are published, we don’t stop there. We work to leverage those placements to ensure they create lasting impact.  

A good public relations partner knows individual opportunities should never be one-and-done opportunities. Those partners will consider amplifying the article through the following:

  • Social media: LinkedIn and other relevant social channels can serve as excellent platforms to gain extra attention on a media placement. Consider posting a brief teaser or summary of the article with relevant tags and hashtags along with a link to the article on the company’s LinkedIn page as well as on executive profiles. This practice not only puts original content from your company in front of followers, clients and prospects showcasing third-party validation, it also encourages engagement and drives additional interest in your company.
  • Email signatures: Encouraging executives and other employees to reference and link to the article in their email signatures can also serve as a credible endorsement or proof point for clients and prospects.
  • Website press rooms: A press room on a company website serves as a home for media placements and press releases. Housing materials here will help draw people to the company website where they can learn more about your company and the services it offers, while supporting discoverability.
  • A blog post: A blog post housed on your website can serve to draw more attention to your article and its third-party validation, as well as allow the SMEs to take a deeper dive on the topic or even provide additional information on how the company can provide solutions related to what was discussed in the article.
  • A LinkedIn newsletter article: Similar to a blog, the LinkedIn newsletter article could be something written to tease out the media placement and offer additional insight. LinkedIn articles are delivered directly to LinkedIn newsletter subscribers and encourage engagement and sharing broadening the article’s reach considerably.
  • Employee communications: Media placements can also be leveraged to generate company pride and excitement. Internal comms teams can distribute media placements with commentary to staff members to build company loyalty, foster company culture and encourage more to participate in media opportunities.
  • E-newsletters or direct mail: Weaving mentions of the placements and links into e-newsletters and direct mail to clients and prospects can serve as another touchpoint to highlight that objective validation provided by a media placement, helping to instill reader confidence in the brand.
  • Sales materials: Sales teams can take great advantage of the independent validation media placements provide when making a pitch or in a prospect conversation. It can be valuable to include publication mastheads, article summaries and links in sales decks, proposals and the like. Again, doing so showcases third-party validation supporting claims made by the sales team, reinforcing trust in the brand.

With these suggestions for amplification, it is critical to keep copyright in mind. Even if a company SME authored the piece, the company likely no longer owns the collateral. Often, once an article is published it becomes the property of the publication. Any posting of the article in its entirety could violate copyright laws. Media placements should always be properly attributed and should never be copied and pasted in part or in their entirety without permission from the original publishing outlet.

A strategic multi-channel approach leveraging a media placement can result in lasting meaningful impact for sales, the brand and company morale. So don’t just frame that article on your office wall, leverage it.

Are You Ready for PR? Questions to Ask Yourself Before Engaging

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Water is a necessity of life. It sustains us. Public relations serves a similar purpose for reputations, as it builds trust and keeps individuals and organizations top of mind. PR sustains good business. It can also protect your business when things go wrong.

But unlike water, believing you can turn the PR faucet on and off is to misunderstand how PR works. Reputations aren’t built on the occasional press release. Executives don’t find themselves interviewed by the media on the strength of a single pitch. Impactful public relations requires sustained engagement. For PR to work, you have to commit to it.

Because when you hire a PR professional or agency, you aren’t delegating work. You’re forming a partnership and understanding that related expectations and responsibilities matter.

Public relations can serve as a business development resource—strong media coverage can build credibility, open doors and reinforce a reputation among prospective clients. But PR is rarely effective when treated as a direct sales engine. Those who expect media coverage alone to drive immediate revenue are often disappointed. PR works best as part of a broader strategy that includes marketing, relationship-building and sales execution.

It’s important to gut-check whether an organization can use PR as a growth accelerator or if it risks becoming an exercise in frustration. That gut-check largely follows a series of basic-yet-important questions.

Do we have capacity to support public relations?

PR requires access to leadership, subject-matter experts and decision-makers who can provide insight quickly. Journalists work on tight deadlines and often need executive perspectives on short notice. If leaders are rarely available or approvals take days or weeks, quality media opportunities will disappear and become increasingly rare as the organization’s reliability with media fades.

Can we dedicate consistent time to the process?

Public relations is not a set-it-and-forget-it resource. Developing story angles, reviewing messaging, preparing interviews and responding to media requests requires ongoing collaboration between an organization and its agency. If internal teams don’t have time to engage regularly, even the best PR strategy will struggle to gain traction.

Are we telling important stories or just promoting ourselves?

The media is rarely interested in covering company news that doesn’t significantly impact markets. Strong PR depends on substance—innovation, new approaches to solving problems, deep industry insights or meaningful perspectives on emerging trends. If the most important part of your story is about you, your organization, your event or products or services, you likely don’t have a story the media will be interested in covering.

Do we have something important/interesting to say?

Executives who want to be seen as thought leaders must do more than comment on the news cycle. Real thought leadership requires informed opinions and a willingness to engage with the trends shaping the industry. It also requires getting out of one’s comfort zone. That doesn’t mean being controversial. But it does mean having a clear perspective on what comes next, what companies are getting wrong and forming opinions on what leaders should be considering for the future. Absent this approach, thought leadership descends into little more than a cacophony of bland, homogeneous opinions of interest to no one.

What does successful PR look like?

Public relations can support many business goals: building credibility, attracting talent, strengthening investor visibility, positioning executives as experts or helping a company stand out in a crowded market. Absent a shared understanding of what must be achieved and what success looks like, PR efforts can feel scattered and difficult to evaluate, impacting perspectives on the ROI of the engagement.

A Partnership is Required

Public relations works best as a partnership with shared goals, language and vision. Agencies bring media relationships, strategy, creativity and storytelling expertise. Organizations and their leaders bring insight, access and the spark of ideas that lead to stories worth telling. When both sides contribute the results compound over time and help sustain and grow the business.

Like a tall glass of cold water, leaders who answer these gut-check questions long before bringing in the PR pros often find themselves both refreshed and satisfied with their investment. 

For those attempting to evaluate where or how strategic communications might fit into their broader business goals, a thoughtful conversation with the team at Kimball Hughes PR can be a useful place to start.

What to Expect From a PR Partner: Debunking Common PR Myths

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Public relations’ (PR) function in business can often be misunderstood. The frequent conflation of PR with marketing and advertising, which both contribute to a brand’s visibility and growth in different ways, can complicate its understanding further. Like many communications efforts, PR’s direct impact on sales isn’t easily measured, making it difficult for those who don’t understand its value to commit to consistent PR in order to take full advantage of the long-term audience-building and reputational benefits. 

Below, we’ve listed and debunked some of the most common misconceptions we see related to public relations: 

  • “PR is just putting out press releases” 

The role of PR in building a business’ reputation goes well beyond press releases. While press release writing and distribution does remain an important tactic for sharing relevant and timely business updates, press releases are not and should not be the sole method PR professionals leverage; they should be one tactic of a more strategic approach likely involving proactive pitching of thought leadership and more. Press releases should be used tactfully and strategically. An effective PR partner will avoid the “spray and pray” approach, in which press releases are distributed broadly across a myriad of publications to prioritize the quantity of placements over quality ones that reach relevant audiences and perpetuate an organization’s communications goals. Before a press release is distributed, media lists should be curated carefully to ensure only media contacts with related beats and relevant audiences are on the receiving end.

  • “All publicity is good publicity”

In today’s digital world, where an ill-timed social media post or public faux pas can catapult an everyday individual into public infamy overnight, bad press can tank careers and upend businesses. In the current news cycle, there is never a guarantee those individuals will get a chance to share their side of the story. Any good crisis PR expert will tell you negative publicity requires immediate, careful consideration for the short and long-term reputation of the individual at issue and/or the health of a related organization. 

  • “There is no ROI on PR”

As mentioned above, PR success can be difficult to measure as verified numbers regarding accurate article views are rarely shared or can be unclear. Earned media is earned not bought, which means there is no absolute guarantee of coverage as there would be with advertising or sponsored content, especially in a crowded and fickle news cycle. Our agency has had success measuring share of voice (SOV) with clients, which measures the percentage of a brand’s presence in market conversations relative to competitors. Media relations results are dictated by the given coverage and even if a PR pro sends a well-crafted, relevant pitch to the perfect contact, one breaking news story could completely disrupt their efforts. An effective PR agency will work with clients to identify what metrics are most important to an organization’s goals and report these measurements at a regular cadence. 

From media relations to crisis communications, PR can be misunderstood. At the end of the day, it’s a key component in ensuring your organization remains not only in good standing but reflects the company’s mission and draws in its audience. A good PR partner will be well-versed in how best to identify storytelling opportunities, navigate relationships with the media and position organizations in front of their target audiences. Don’t let these PR myths deter your business from committing to a PR team who will implement a consistent approach that will set your company up for media success. 

Super Bowl 2026: The Ads That Strengthened Brand Identity

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Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just about the game. While millions tune in to watch football, nearly 18% of viewers watch to see the commercials, according to a recent Harris poll. Increasingly, marketers are looking to design Super Bowl ads that do more than make viewers laugh or even send their ads viral; companies are using the pricey airtime to help shape the public’s perception of their brand identity, values and purpose in the world. 

Some of the best ads from the night did more than just try to sell a product; these companies used the platform to reinforce strategic messaging to strengthen trust among the public and to clarify or remind the large captive audience of their company’s values.

Here are the commercials that successfully enhanced their brand messaging and identity: 

Google’s “New Home” Gemini Ad:

Google positioned their AI tool, Gemini, as warm and inviting for families by showcasing a mother and child using AI to build their dream house. The spot helped to position what could be seen as intimidating technology into an approachable, user-friendly, fun and helpful tool. This commercial is a powerful example of the value in humanizing a brand by pulling at the heart strings to illustrate how an AI tool could draw a mother and young son closer together. 

Anthropic’s Claude Ad:

To no one’s surprise, AI ads dominated the Super Bowl. I thought that few ads communicated their value proposition better than Anthropic’s ad for Claude. Their message, “Ads are coming to AI, but not to Claude,” was delivered cleverly with a young man asking the AI, represented as a female therapist, how he could better communicate with his mother. The therapist representing the AI offered tips on listening and building conversation, but then, seemingly out of nowhere, humorously suggested he create a profile on “Golden Encounters” where “sensitive cubs are connected to roaring cougars.” This demonstrated just how intrusive advertisements can be on these tools and served to assure viewers that ads are not coming to their platform. This ad was a nod to their commitment to user preference for ad-free service.

H-E-B’s Celebrating Community Identity:

H-E-B used a national platform to reaffirm its local, community ties. It’s not something you see often. However, it was effective for the Texas-based grocery chain. In the commercial, a baby, via actor voice-over, pines over tortillas he sees other family members enjoying. At the end, he is delighted to finally be served baby-sized tortilla pieces. Text on the screen then reads, “Born in Texas. Raised on H-E-B’s. Here everything’s better. “ 

H-E-B’s tortilla obsession ad celebrated the local food tradition and reminded viewers of the brand’s commitment to regional identity and consumer loyalty. It served to form a deeper connection with their community. 

Super Bowl LX was a reminder in an AI-saturated, celebrity-driven landscape that strategic “humanizing” storytelling that connects with viewers remains a powerful tool in reaching audiences.  

In a world where audiences are extremely savvy and attention spans are short, good messaging – via marketing or public relations – will revolve around prioritizing clarity, leveraging emotion and connecting to culture or community.

Brands that have a strategic alignment between their message and mission will continue to steal the show in future Super Bowls and beyond, by building trust with their target audience.  

Brand Beckham: When Muddy Messaging Leads to a Brand Breakdown

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Family is complicated. We have all faced our fair share of uncomfortable familial conflicts, but for most of us, those conflicts don’t end up as front-page news. The same can’t be said for the Beckham family, whose years-long family drama has consistently made headlines. 

Since Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding in 2022, gossip around the former Spice Girl-turned-fashion mogul and international soccer phenom’s dislike of their new daughter-in-law, Nicola Peltz, has circulated online. The feud came to a head in a recent Instagram post from Brooklyn, where he detailed the many ways his parents had allegedly undermined and embarrassed him and his bride on their wedding day. In the post, he also claimed Brand Beckham always came first, with the behind-the-scenes feuding clashing with the close-knit public-facing image Victoria and David had spent years cultivating. 

This isn’t the first time family feuds have turned public. Of course, the former Prince Harry and his wife Megan Markle’s separation from the Royal Family also continues to drive headlines. Such is the price of building a public image so closely entwined with your personal life, but it also reflects a larger issue that arises when brands fail to ensure internal alignment on strategy and purpose. 

Even for those whose businesses aren’t centered around family, there is valuable insight to gain from these famous family fallouts. If you’re building a brand, buy-in across your team is critical. Otherwise, if there is a public rupture, it can color your brand, stain your reputation and generate costly financial losses. Just one ill-planned comment or social media post could be enough to send the house of cards tumbling. 

Building Internal Alignment

As communication professionals, we often work with corporate partners to incorporate internal teams into long-term branding strategy. Consider the following best practices for making sure your team is on the same page with your organization’s brand narrative: 

  • Align company culture with brand identity: Team members shouldn’t only be hearing about your organization’s values amid a crisis. Those values should be visible in every aspect of the organization. If you build a company culture that reflects your external messaging, your team members have a greater likelihood of buying into it. Building and communicating a supportive, collaborative culture will incentivize team members to contribute positively to the brand’s narrative. A communications team can help drive this cultural push to build a team that genuinely has a positive view of the brand.  
  • Be direct and concise: Make the strategy and purpose behind your brand narrative and accompanying communications clear. If internal teams are working off muddied messaging, it can clog execution and increase the likelihood of communications that contradict an organization’s mission. Consider pulling together a brand book to consolidate messaging and ease your team’s access to important communication tools.  
  • Plan ahead for crises: Accidents—often in the form of poorly worded social media posts—happen. Even with the proper mitigation, there are still outside sources that could put an organization’s reputation at risk. A crisis communications partner can help formulate a plan of action, consulting on messaging and potential next steps to keep public-facing channels transparent without making you vulnerable to further speculation. 

Whether the Beckham family’s public dispute will be enough to hurt their brand’s bottom line in the long run remains to be seen. In the meantime, business leaders should learn from their mistakes and invest in culture to evaluate their team’s alignment on messaging. With the right communications partner, you can build clear and consistent messaging to reinforce your values and culture, help build your team’s confidence in the organization, empower them to handle any obstacles your brand encounters and pave the way for future growth. 

Making Headlines: How to Land a Tier 1 Placement

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The ultimate thrill is to land the cover of The Rolling Stone or so went the famous 1970s classic rock song. While most B2B clients are not looking for a mention or feature in Rolling Stone magazine, many do aspire to the pages of Tier 1 media.

In fact, as public relations professionals, we are asked by prospects and clients frequently, and often early in the relationship, “How can we get our company in The Wall Street Journal?” We like to answer that question with a “Yes and” approach. Yes, we can likely find a way to present you to Tier 1 media and we’ll do it through it a comprehensive media credibility-building campaign.

What Is Tier 1?

PR best practices consider traditional Tier 1 publications as the largest-circulation, generally consumer-facing, national and international publications and broadcast programs. Typically, the list includes the likes of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, The Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, CNN and similar. 

Although these outlets may be household names, it’s important to remember a Tier 1 mention of your company may not hold as much value as a mention in a key trade publication read consistently by your target customer or decision maker. All the same, a positive mention in a Tier 1 publication is a goal for many and is typically seen as a business win.

Trust the Process

Editorial coverage is referred to as earned media for a reason. Sources have to work their way through the process to gain a journalist’s attention and confidence. If the reporter is not familiar with a source, they will most certainly Google the subject matter expert (SME). 

Good PR practitioners win coveted, positive Tier 1 media placements for their clients by taking the time to build credibility through proactive media outreach and a steady stream of content.

In considering a PR partner, it’s important to understand no guarantees exist when working with the media. If a PR agency guarantees coverage, particularly in Tier 1 media, they are either lying or masking the truth. Press coverage is never guaranteed—unless that coverage is purchased as sponsored content, in which case it is not earned and typically carries significantly less weight with readers as well as search engines. 

Tips to Climb to Tier 1

  • Build credibility. A Tier 1 placement requires a healthy online presence. SMEs can work with their communications teams to strengthen their digital footprint by writing blogs, posting LinkedIn newsletters and offering original commentary on LinkedIn and other forums. Additionally, they should be working with their media teams to proactively seek out trade and local media opportunities, as well as podcasts and newsletters, to offer their expertise. 
  • Understand the journalists covering your space. Your communications team should know who is writing about the topic on which your SME can speak and what they’ve been saying.  
  • Tie into trends and avoid promotion. The slightest hint of promotion will turn any good journalist away. They are interested in news that impacts their audience. PR professionals should aim to tie the SME’s insight to an issue in the news or trend. 
  • Back up your pitch with data. Good PR professionals will back up insights and claims made in pitches with data or statistics to validate statements where possible.
  • Explain why it matters to audiences. Communications professionals should know the audiences of the publication for whom the reporter is writing and ensure the pitch connects with them. 

Sealing the Deal

Outreach to Tier 1 media requires an all-in approach. Reporters work on deadlines and often have multiple sources eager to comment on the same topic. Sources should be ready for their call or email and communications teams should aim to beat their deadline to strengthen their source’s chances of being included in the article.

The cover of the Rolling Stone may be a thrill, but for many business owners and executives, a national consumer publication article bearing their name is a bucket-list achievement. Engaging with a good PR team and committing to the process can get your company and your executives there, while earning valuable other earned media along the way.