What the Shrinking Media Landscape Means for Brand Communications
Lori Ruggiero serves as a managing partner and EVP at 5WPR, overseeing the agency’s Corporate & Technology Practices while leading the firm’s Media Training offering. She works on campaigns across numerous verticals and fields including enterprise technology, B2B, e-commerce, fintech, cyber security, AI, CX, and more. She is a former journalist and TV news producer, having worked at outlets including CNN, ESPN, and Fox Business.
From shrinking newsrooms to the rise of digital-only outlets, the modern media landscape is far from static, and brand communications must keep pace with these significant changes. With a decreasing number of media outlets, there are fewer opportunities for PR professionals to gain client coverage. This means competition for media attention is more intense, requiring PR professionals to craft more compelling and newsworthy pitches. A new Medill study drawn from Bureau of Labor Statistics data estimates that an eye-popping 7,000 newspaper jobs — about a third of them in newsrooms — were lost in 2023. In the U.S. alone, over 127 newspapers closed in the last year. Rising to the top of this mercurial landscape requires a potent blend of relationship-building, interview optimization, and compounding coverage.
Journalist Relationships are Key
Understanding a journalist’s audience is key when establishing a relationship. At 5W, we understand that journalists must connect with their readers, and to do so, PR professionals must provide writers with useful information. The publicist-journalist connection is a give-and-take relationship. Brands need to include journalists in their broader professional networks to further solidify these connections. These relationships require real maintenance. Opportunities to meet and get to know journalists, what we refer to as “briefings,” even when they don’t result in immediate coverage, are crucial. Like any other relationship, it needs to be a two-way street; sometimes, this means being an off-the-record source for a journalist or spending additional time at the aforementioned “briefings.”
The Importance of Message Pull-Through and Interview Optimization
In today’s media landscape, where algorithms shape what content reaches readers, message pull-through and interview optimization are essential. As audiences move away from traditional formats—no longer receiving daily physical papers or reading long-form articles—the way information is delivered has fundamentally shifted. Now, people consume news through curated social media feeds and algorithm-driven newsletters, often in headline form or sound bites. This shift has made it vital for spokespeople to ensure that key messages resonate clearly, even if an interview is condensed or altered in post-production. Media training today is not just about perfecting on-camera presence or navigating difficult questions; it’s about maintaining message integrity no matter how the story evolves. Interview optimization helps spokespeople communicate core points effectively, allowing brand messages to resonate across formats and stand out in a crowded digital landscape.
Coverage is Compounding, Not Additive: Building a Media Presence
The biggest consumers of the media are the media. As brands uplevel into top-tier media, they must consider the importance of reaching the local media and trade media first. Top-tier media often get ideas for their own coverage from trade publications with a narrower focus. Local media is often overlooked by larger brands, however, securing local coverage is a key step to brand building. In response to the national conversation surrounding media consolidation, there has been a renewed focus on local news coverage. Many newspapers are prioritizing local stories, community issues, and regional events. Local media remains one of the most trusted sources of information for readers to this day. Press momentum is highly important- starting small, with local news, and building to national outlets is key to establishing consumer trust and creating the customer groundswell brands so desperately desire.
As media continues to evolve, brands must prioritize relationship-building with journalists, interview optimization, and compounding coverage to stay relevant and impactful. For media coverage to be successful for brands, relentless coverage must reinforce brand messaging and connect with target consumers. Any slowdown in media pitching could open the door to your competitors. Each media interaction should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen connections, refine the brand message, and expand reach. Partnering with a PR agency skilled in cultivating genuine media relationships allows brands to navigate the increasingly competitive landscape. These relationships not only ensure optimized, high-quality interviews but also create compounding coverage, reinforcing brand presence across key channels to effectively resonate with target audiences.
