Top PR Stunts and Campaigns of 2019 So Far
2019 has kicked off with a bang. We’ve seen a flurry of creative activity with the PR industry focusing its efforts and budgets on the ‘wow factor’ and shock value, often opting for stunts as a route to the forefront of the public’s minds. The nature of the comms industry in general forces agencies and PR practitioners to constantly innovate and think outside the box and this has resulted in brands stepping into uncharted territory. We take a look at some of the key PR stunts so far this year:
Carlsberg: We Probably Weren’t the Best After All
Carlsberg took a brave and honest stance when they decided to launch an entire marketing campaign around the obvious mediocrity of their beer, launching the below ad.
The acknowledgement comes as part of their recent rebranding to ‘Carlsberg Danish Pilsner’ and a brand new recipe that promises to completely change the hops, barley, brew and taste.
There is no risk without reward and it’s safe to say Carlsberg have reaped the rewards here. The change in branding, colour scheme and taste has served to shift public perception from a weak and bland beer to a modern one that should be the go-to choice for the UK beer drinker. Cheers!
Huawei - Northern Lights in London
Huawei took to the skies above Tower of London to mesmerise on-lookers with a laser art installation that mimicked the Northern Lights (or the Aurora Borealis), commissioning immersive artist Dan Archer to create a bespoke installation.
The inspiration for the project came off the back of research conducted by the innovative tech company, revealing that witnessing the real-life natural phenomenon tops UK millennials' bucket list. This is a perfect example of how the combination of a visually striking campaign with hard stats to back up a creative idea can be a potent PR mix that appeals to a wide variety of publications.
Ford UK - Backbone of Britain Campaign
Ford decided to go against the grain and stand by ‘white-van drivers’ and the vehicles they drive, despite the sea of negative press they receive, championing them as the ‘backbone of Britain’ in a minute-long celebration video of them.
In a statement, Ford UK wrote: “Here at Ford, we know it’s not our vans alone that keep Britain running, it’s the people that drive them – you.’’ It’s a very clever and effective idea that highlights the work behind the scenes that these individuals do to keep our nation ticking over, but also a brilliant ad ploy to market the various car models they offer. Again, brilliant work in giving these often-maligned van drivers a moment in the spotlight.
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Heathrow Express - #FlowerExpress
……. And we unleashed a flurry of flower power for Heathrow Express to celebrate the Chelsea Flower Show 2019, creating the #FlowerExpress featuring over 3,000 flowers.
This was part of a wider campaign urging passengers to snap a picture of the colourful carriage, using the #FlowerExpress for a chance to win 2 tickets to the show. But the visual campaign garnered hard-hitting results too, landing widespread media coverage across print and digital publications including Sun, Metro, MSN, Mirror and Independent.
Stunts often take up more budget, more time and more effort to create than other types of campaigns, but when they come off, the impact can be seismic, with the best campaigns combining a unique blend of insights, timing, trend and visual pull.
Tim Peake: Master of content
I love Tim Peake. He’s the best thing to happen to space since Buzz Lightyear. In fact, I had originally planned to write this blog about why Tim Peake was the coolest person in the history of people but then I realised that whilst it was obviously true, that title might not wash with everyone.
So after a quick rethink I decided to go down a different route: Tim Peake – Master of content.
Here at 72Point we’re all about content. In our latest white paper, ‘The Content Umbrella’ we look at the way PR and digital disciplines have come together in order to boost the creation of better quality more engaging content. Tim Peake is a shining example of someone that is nailing content and here’s why.
- He knows his audience
Obviously being in space means he has quite a diverse audience; everyone on the planet beneath him in fact. He’s got something they want. Pictures of their planet from the skies above. But sometimes the success of your content goes beyond being desirable to the widest possible audience. In other words, it’s not always about ‘going viral’. For example being a B2B business, everything we do is aimed at a narrower, more targeted audience.
His photographs of individual countries give their citizens their own little bit of Space. Plus there’s the fact he’s British. He is the first British man to complete the Mission. And you know us, whenever we can find a reason to be patriotic and roll out the British pride we like to do so. Tim’s content echoes that patriotism. Whether it’s a caption on his pictures of the UK or the Flag of St George adorning his space pod Tim knows the Brits are watching.
And of course, when it comes to niche audiences, he’s also got the Space nerds. All those who identify, say ‘I’.
2. He’s topical
Being responsible for our social media accounts and our blog schedule I know how beneficial it can be to know what’s happening when, especially when it comes to content creation. Peak, despite being millions of miles away from the hustle and bustle manages to keep himself perfectly in tune with the rest of the world by joining in with major events. Whether it’s watching England during the Rugby World Cup or presenting an award to Adele at the 2016 Brit Awards. Or remember that time he ran the London Marathon from Space? Yep. He ran the London Marathon. In space. On a treadmill. (That guy!). Tim also uses his content to congratulate and celebrate achievements of people back home including:
- a photo for the Queens’s 90th of him holding a sign with #happybirthdayyourmajesty written on it;
- a congratulations to the Scouts on their 100th birthday;
- a call to Eddie Izzard to congratulate him on his marathons
- wishing good luck to those taking part in the Invictus Games;
- even a well done to everyone nominated in the Hospital Radio Awards!
Not much gets past him. His events calendar is, as they say, on point!
- His content is original
As we all know, due to regular commentary in both the industry press and our own blog, there is so much content available to the world now that in order to set yourself apart your content has to be original and engaging.
Ok, so he has a slight advantage that he’s in space and has access to views that we mere mortals can only dream of seeing. Tim’s photos are not only unique, they are stunningly beautiful. People want to look at them, regardless of whether they’re interested or not. Hands up who’s got Instagram envy?
But it’s not just photography. Take his marathon run for example. Have you ever seen anyone run a marathon in space before?! No, you haven’t. Of course, you haven’t. No-one has. Content doesn’t get more original than that.
- He’s entertaining
Now obviously Tim’s on the I.S.S to do a job. He’s not just there to have fun. You wouldn’t know it though. Whether it’s playing virtual reality Space Invaders, zero gravity somersaults or being chased by your colleague who’s jumped out of a box dressed as a gorilla, Tim’s always happy to embrace the lighter side of life to help keep audiences interested.
That’s what people want. Everyone knows he’s got the technical stuff nailed down. You can’t go to space for months on end without knowing your shit. But if you don’t keep them entertained and only talk shop, who’s going to care? Make people laugh and the boring stuff (sorry Tim!) becomes a lot more interesting and accessible.
People from all walks of life have developed an interest in space technology because it’s been made both accessible and entertaining. That’s a lesson that can be transferred to most campaigns. Obviously, it depends on the subject matter but there’s no harm in embracing your inner child every now and then.
5. He engages with his audience
Tim regularly gets involved with his audience directly, whether it’s his live video calls to school kids or GOSH or his space rocks competition. A couple of times a week Tim tweets some lyrics from one of his favourite songs and whoever guesses correctly wins a very special space rocks patch. Competitions or games are a great way of engaging with your audience, particularly on social media but not exclusively. People love the chance to win something, feel clever or have their say so give them the opportunity to do so and you’re on to a winner. At 72Point we’re regularly producing quizzes or puzzles for our clients to satisfy publishers’ calls for engaging content; take our ‘Where’s the Gherkin Lurkin’ puzzle for Deliveroo. This simple Where’s Wally style puzzle was such a simple idea but it featured on the MailOnline, the Independent, The Metro, the Sun and many more sites.
6. He’s multi-platform
Everyone knows that in this day and age if you want your content to be successful it has to span all mediums. To put it another way, it has to be multi-platform. This is something we’re passionate about at 72Point. We’re in a fairly unique position in that we have in-house specialist teams that cover all options, whether it’s surveys and news copy, design and animations, video or even photography. That means that we can offer the full comprehensive content package to really boost your campaign.
Tim doesn’t have this but he still manages to span all platforms. He blogs, he takes photos, he creates videos. He’s a one man fully integrated media campaign. And he is reaping the rewards. He’s just been featured on the Queen’s birthday honours list for crying out loud! It doesn’t matter what your platform of choice is, whether you love a newspaper, TV, surfing the interwebs or browsing social media, the chances are you’ve seen something that he’s done.
So with Tim shortly to be back on terra firma we’re sadly going to have to say goodbye to the world’s most beautiful Instagram account. But I think all PRs and marketeers have learnt a valuable lesson. Tim’s promotion of a niche subject to a wider, previously disassociated audience has been phenomenal. Know your audience; make your content engaging and original; don’t limit yourself to one platform or medium or discipline and your content will do nothing but stand out. And if there is a problem, Houston, let us do it for you.
This is how flower walls started a marketing shift….
By Charlotte Minett, Creative Campaign Manager, 72Point
This is how flower walls started a marketing shift….
How many pictures do you have on your camera roll? More than 10,000? I thought so.
We take pictures of everything and anything we like, from special moments with friends and family to a particularly beautiful sunset, a stunning new set of nails – or... just our lunch.
But why wouldn’t we do this? Pictures are the best way to preserve memories, and we have a camera at our disposal every minute of every day.
Social media has allowed us to turn these moments into our personality or, in other words, ‘our aesthetic’. Does your most recent picture or video on your grid perfectly compliment the last? No? Don’t post it then.
This is where brands can really come into their own – especially those targeting a younger audience. It’s simple really. Make sure your products or services are extremely ‘aesthetic’.
… and it all started with the not so humble flower walls (thanks to EL&N and Peggy Porrchen), swinging seats and angel wings painted on walls.
They are all tactics to reel people in, enticing customers with a fantastic opportunity for a new Instagram grid pic. We are all guilty.
Now all the brands are doing it, bigger and better every time – so take it to the next level or you’ll be on the backfoot no matter the size of your business.
Take the restaurants Ave Mario and Sketch in central London, for example. They have even made the loos a social media staple. You simply can’t leave without taking a selfie in them. It’s the new normal.
I’m not talking providing customers with perfectly polished content to add to their own feeds. Brands must stay authentic to themselves as this is what consumers are looking for. Give people the tools to be creative in their own way that matches their own feeds.
Glossier’s press mailers are a prime example. Their send outs are unmatched – quite literally. For the launch of a lip balm the mailer consisted of a miniature Glossier branded laptop, a lip balm presented in a pink branded tie and a teacup and saucer. This resulted in masses of ‘unboxing’ videos and ‘helloooo Instagram’ product flat lays.
It’s going to be interesting to see what will be next to replace the flower wall. Could it be your brand or client?
PR Tip – if you need ‘aesthetic’ inspiration for your brand or client immediately book a flight to Copenhagen and you will be inundated.
The Perfect PR Package For SEO
Why we believe we have created the perfect PR package for SEO
With SEO and PR markets increasingly merging agencies at both sides of the border have started to encroach on each other’s turf to sell their wares.
Firms that once specialised in web mapping and site structure are now huge content generators, while those who have spent years honing their media relations are now working their press releases around key words and link-building strategies.
While we don’t proclaim to be SEO specialists, we do believe we have built the perfect PR package to help firms boost their off-site SEO thanks to our unique position in the media market.
Here’s a run-down of what it includes:
Link building
Link building is one of the oldest SEO strategies in the book. Since the late 1990s search engines have treated links as votes for popularity and importance in the ongoing democratic opinion poll of the web, and as such brands are constantly on the hunt to secure follow links back to their site from high-DA and relevant sites.
Our Breakthrough package offers a money-back guarantee of two follow links from publications with a DA of over 90, and we look to secure as many links as we can elsewhere to ensure there’s a healthy mix.
What’s more, our link building strategy has been developed alongside the digital desks on national publications which means we are always one step ahead of the curve when it comes to changes in link policies on national newspapers. Given that this usually has a trickle-down effect, it’s always good to be in the know.
For more advice on how to link build, see our top tips page here.
Social signals
Although links remain an important part of the SEO mix, there’s an indication that Google is shifting from exogenous signals to a new approach that relies on endogenous signals. That means a big focus on quality and an even bigger focus on social signals such as how sticky a piece of content is and how many people interact with it.
As part of the Breakthrough package we include social media distribution of the story via our in-house social media channels that places the content in front of relevant people who are more likely to share and interact with it.
Take a look at how we achieved our first quarter-million share month for our clients here
Web presence
Garnering a wide spread of coverage is key to an effective SEO strategy. The popularity of a story can amplify your brands message and presence on the web, so creating powerful, engaging content that gets wide pick up is a silver bullet solution to getting noticed in search.
We distribute our Breakthrough stories to a guaranteed 137 regional sites, including the likes of The Scotsman, Yorkshire Post and Lancashire Evening Post. On top of that we get guaranteed national coverage and widespread pick-up from relevant titles that deliver a healthy web presence almost at the click of a button.
To get an idea of the sort of numbers we can achieve, check our results from 2017
Content collateral
Finally, all the content we create for our clients as part of the Breakthrough package is theirs to own and use on their site and social platforms.
From the research to the video and visual assets, we provide clients with a range of content that will boost visibility on search and helps deliver longevity in the campaign. Our infographics are cut up as five separate visual assets which can be posted out on social media over a number of weeks or months, and our videos sit perfectly on landing pages that sip up that all-important SEO juice.
Get in touch with us today to see how we can help with your SEO strategy.
The Marketing Show North - Highlights
With over 10,000 digital marketing and PR professionals from all over the UK and 3700 delegates passing through it's doors, it's safe to say The Marketing Show North was a great success. Thanks to all our speakers for sharing vital industry insights across two days in our News Generation Keynote Theatre.
Check out our highlight video here:
The changing media landscape
Digital media has radically altered the way we consume and interact with news. For more than 50 years, newspapers and TV have dominated news coverage almost everywhere until the internet created the low cost opportunity to go global.
Digital natives rushed to change the news, while publishers and broadcasters started to build online audiences producing video-rich news channels that are accessible across the world at the touch of a button. Let’s refer to this as “News 3.0” – the age in which companies as diverse as Bloomberg, ESPN, CNN, Daily Mail, Huffington Post , BuzzFeed and the like joined the worldwide fight for online viewers, readers and listeners.
Multi-channel, multi platform news that is distributed socially is a way of saying to the consumer “you are in control: you decide if our content is entertaining and relevant and we’ll supply it when and where you want it”. However this fusion of traditional and new media is a big challenge for many; most of all for the daily newspaper which faces the need to make a real strategic leap for survival. How can they compete in a socially enabled environment? Especially one where such a wealth of content is so readily available that we no longer have to go out of our way to access it? Where do they start?
Let’s refer to this as “News 3.0” – the age in which companies as diverse as Bloomberg, ESPN, CNN, Daily Mail, Huffington Post , BuzzFeed and the like joined the worldwide fight for online viewers, readers and listeners.
Start at the beginning. Content. Digital content is not about the traditional attention grabbing font-size and designs but reflecting the needs of online consumers. Mediocrity and repetition don’t pay anymore. Investigative, newspaper-centric journalism is what papers do best therefore they should seek to maximise the impact of genuinely exclusive coverage, while also providing links to alternative sources and ‘aggregated’ content. The value in creating the ‘best’ or ‘exclusive’ coverage is that competitors will end up linking back to you.
On the other hand, news sites should remember what so many readers have always liked about newspapers: the happy chance of coming across something they weren’t looking for and didn’t expect to find. Crowdtap research found individuals aged 18 to 36 spend an average of 17.8 hours a day with different types of media, with the notion of “multi-channel” (merging digital, print and broadcast channels) media consumption commonplace therefore audiences have to be cultivated and ‘trained’ to become habitual users and will seek out news. This also means that element of surprise has been removed; the joy of coming across something they did not expect to find is reduced by the fact that they are actively searching for it and that their news feeds are tailored to things they want.
Video will likely become an online battle ground as audiences become more and more accustomed to consuming news through TV and digital. A key shift of resources for newspapers will be building up substantial video content to compete with TV news. Take for example the deal made between the NY Times and the US broadcaster PBS to share video journalism.
Digital media is not restricted to news sites and video. News mediums cannot afford to forget about the possibilities that social media can bring. All news organisations have to have an imprint on social media due to it being where so many of their audience regularly engage. It is a key source of content, distribution and competition. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Snapchat increasingly see themselves as platforms for news and information. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2014 found Facebook to be the most important network for news with some 42% of respondents saying they select the media they consume online from their Facebook news feed. Almost a quarter said they have friends or follow people who they regard as authorities for news and almost 1 in 5 said they trust their friends to source news. The pull of Facebook as an access point for news has been further strengthened by addition of their ‘read-in’ feature which allows people to read news without navigating away from their social feeds. The concept of contributing content to ‘public spaces’ over which they have no control represents a challenge for newspaper-centric companies. They must collaborate with social media but should consider reserving their exclusive “branded” content for their own platforms.
It is already clear that most news providers will simply not be able to depend on readership revenues. News is something that most readers now do not expect not to pay for. This is reflected by the recent decision from NME to become a free publication following their significant drop in paid over the past few years. The decision was made to hopefully push circulation from 15,000 to 300,000, a risk which seems to be paying off.
Crowdtap research found individuals aged 18 to 36 spend an average of 17.8 hours a day with different types of media, with the notion of “multi-channel” (merging digital, print and broadcast channels) media consumption commonplace...
Most news will be funded by a combination of advertising and e-commerce therefore newspapers will need to abandon their traditional sense of ‘control’ and seek partnerships, collaborations and alliances in order to compete in the digital marketplace. Alternatively, as BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti recently suggested, perhaps the natural answer is for the printed newspaper to charge a higher price so that (perhaps) it can be viable just with its most loyal and committed readers.
Personally, I enjoy having a paper under my arm. I love the act of turning a page and the satisfaction of finishing a worn and well-loved book, so I will continue to read the Metro, occasionally buy a paper and always pick a paperback over a kindle. Surely I cannot be alone in this! So maybe this means that print will always have a place. After all you cannot fold the corner of your kindle for later. Let's hope that the feeling i get from holding that newspaper under my arm will be shared by the generations of kids who have grown up with technology available to them since birth. It’s this generation that hold the future of print media in their hands.I'm sure their love of "retro" mediums can nurture the print industry back to full health.
The art of storytelling
It’s easy to tell a story, watch:
Steve Martin walks into a room. He sits down in front of a vintage typewriter, looks pensively at the clock and begins, slowly to type. As his fingers move from key to key, a single word is stamped onto the page...
You want to know what the word is, don’t you? Is it a happy word? Is it a suicide note? Is that the actual Steve Martin, from Father of the Bride, or just some guy called Steve Martin?
Storytelling gives you the power to change a world – a world of your own creation. If you get the world right, like JK Rowling or JRR Tolkien, you can bring billions of people into it with you, eager to find out what the next word is.
Storytelling doesn’t have to be about creating fantastic universes, either. You could tell a story about the most banal interactions of daily life, and if it resonates with people then it will find an audience.
At 72Point, storytelling is in the essence of everything we do. We’re looking to find stories that will evoke a reaction in as many people as possible, who may then share that story online, in their workplace or at home, starting conversations and debates.
A lot of our work starts with a very small survey – in a meeting or brainstorm, someone will toss out a statement like ‘I realised this morning I’ve been singing Blank Space by Taylor Swift wrong for months’ and that will start a conversation about your hearing going in old age, or the differences between women and men, or how often misheard lyrics replace the real ones in your mind. If it gets us talking, we think it will get the general public talking, and so we’ll then take that idea, create a big survey around it then we’ll have a new story – like the song lyrics that everyone gets wrong.
That story worked because it’s a conversation that millions of people might not think to have, without a little push from us. But once they do, they realise that actually this is a topic that everyone has an opinion on - and if it raises a little awareness of hearing aids, then that’s our work done.
Storytelling isn’t simply about words, either. We’re increasingly using other methods to get across our ideas, from 360-degree videos where online users can explore a new space, to interactive puzzles as well as our in-house-produced video content. We’re covering all the bases when it comes to getting messages and stories into the press.
For crystal-clear visual representation of a story, our talented designers are on hand to create infographics and animations that can bring a static story to life. The best examples of our work are the ones that bring together elements of everything we can do, to deliver a story that everyone can take something from – like this example about debt levels.
Personally, my opinion on telling a story is simple – just keep people reading, one word after the next. If your content is engaging then you’ll do exactly that.
And hey, you made it down this far, didn’t you?
The Art of Keeping Things Simple
We all know it - simple is best. It is a cross-industry fact that the most successful businessmen and women, musicians, sports people, journalists, media companies and indeed Meerkat comparison sites all have one thing in common; They focus on doing the simple things well. I myself have had countless debates and full blown arguments with friends on what is the main stumbling block for creatives, and we always agree that it often boils down to an urge to make things unnecessarily complex. And the same can be said for pretty much any profession.
On JOE’s recent podcast interview with Eric Cantona, the iconic former Manchester United footballer said; “Simplicity is the most difficult thing, like in football, the most difficult thing is to score a goal when 11 players touch the ball once and the last one puts the ball in the back of the net, so simple but so difficult.” What he’s implying is that simplicity is difficult to obtain and harder to maintain, but that’s where the creative and productive energy lies, not in over-complicating things to the point of losing their essence but in bringing them back to basics.
Musicians have echoed his thoughts, stating that the biggest hits have come from the simplest of writing processes, rather than almost trying too hard to create an obscure piece of art that, again, will not engage the average listener. Oasis’s Noel Gallagher, speaking to Evening Standard on the smash success of his debut solo album As You Were, had this to say on the matter; “It’s been mega. It’s not curing cancer. but there’s an appetite for a good album. The world moves so f***ing fast and everyone’s trying to reinvent the f***ing wheel. I’m not interested — the wheel’s alright.” It’s a typically honest observation from one of the most recognisable and successful figures in modern British music.
Film is another industry to suffer from over-complexity with more and more producers losing key audiences due to their commitment to creating works of art that are just so convoluted that they only appeal to a finite number of people. Anyone who had the misfortune of watching The Cloverfield Paradox earlier this year will know what I mean.
Unfortunately, in the increasingly tech-dominant media world we live in, the art of keeping things simple can also fall by the wayside amongst a myriad of complex techniques thought up to maximise reach to a target audience. Which is why here at 72Point, we let the content and coverage speak for itself.
Cision’s state of the media report indicates that if there’s one thing PR professionals can do to help journalists do their jobs better it is to ensure that any press releases they do send out have a clearly stated news hook. That was something 45 per cent of respondents said when asked how press releases can be more efficient. Writing conversationally is also important, as 27 per cent indicated that they dislike press releases that feel templated and include jargon. More simple quotes and multimedia elements would help, too.
An effective press release is creative and intriguing but for it to convey a message then it has to be simple enough for people to understand - something that is often forgotten in the PR industry. Toiling over creative briefs for weeks-on-end searching for the most complex idea wastes time and energy and often results in a solution that misses the mark because it’s far too convoluted to engage the general public.
It stands to reason that key messaging of clients could be potentially lost amongst a sea of confusing copy in a press release. At 72Point, our brilliant creative team craft stories with a dedication to simplicity, knowing that it’s what journalists want, and the results speak for themselves, with 5,269 pieces of coverage and 635,297 social shares in 2017 alone. When you know you have a winning formula, why over-complicate it?
PR Resolutions: The art of decent exposure in 2016
Over the last few years we have witnessed many traditional PR companies start to reinvent themselves as the digital revolution has transformed the way their own clients reach and engage with their audiences.
Here at 72Point, we very quickly realised a simple survey and news copy were no longer enough to keep media outlets happy, and so we also began to more firmly integrate visual content services with our existing USPs.
The heart of 72Point is, and always will be, national news content. The backbone of our business is South West News Service, the UK’s largest independent press agency, which has been delivering hard-hitting news on a daily basis since 1978. This means we have top-class ideas, page-ready news copy, access to the UK’s best news experts, and a channel to the powers in the press at our fingertips.
Now is the time to consider revising the way you present your content to news editors who want page ready copy without the fluff and nonsense of the traditional press release.
In recognition of the changing media landscape, which brings with it the absolute necessity for additional content such as videos, pictures and infographics, we actively encourage our clients to pursue ALL avenues when putting together a PR campaign.
This is why, although we generally dislike the idea of making New Year’s resolutions, we do have 10 tips / resolutions for getting the most out of 2016:
1. Think visually – with every story you send out, make sure you have painted a picture of what you want to say. The majority of humans are visual learners, so are likely to absorb more through watching a video, reading an infographic or looking at a picture than by any other means. Think about how you are going to deliver your news to your audience, and how they are most likely to consume it.
2. If budget will allow, make a video – the demand for online video is at all-time high, and there is nothing out there to suggest the rapid growth we witnessed in 2015 won’t continue into 2016. The potential reach of a video is endless, and almost everyone in the UK has access to some sort of device needed to watch videos. A quick 90 second film, which is to the point and not over branded, is a powerful tool which can be shared millions of times across websites and on the likes of YouTube and Facebook.
3. Always illustrate a story with a picture – we know the national news desks and online sites all have stock shots, and can randomly select any old picture to go with a story they want to publish. So why bother to send your own picture? By tailoring an image so that it clearly spells out the content of the news copy, you have more editorial control and therefore increase your chance of securing relevant coverage.
If designed with the need to re-purpose in mind, infographics can be ‘sliced up’ into smaller bite size graphics making them perfect for pulling out key stats and headlines, and sharing multiple times with your own followers across a number of social channels.
4. Help consumers absorb the stats with an easy-to-read infographic – we all know there is more demand for visual content than ever before, and people are more likely to absorb statistics which are embedded in a pretty graphic than a body of writing. By producing an infographic alongside your copy you are making your story even more visible. An infographic can also be re-used time and time again across multiple channels. It may start as a means to getting media coverage, but can also be posted on your own site, used in your own marketing collateral.
5. Look to the future with digital sell in – print will always have its place in the media landscape, but to maximise coverage and help boost a brand’s online presence a full digital sell in is a must for all campaigns in 2016. Earlier this year the Mail Online surpassed 200 million monthly browsers making it the most visited English-language newspaper website in the world, and many other publishers are looking to replicate the model to attract new audiences. Not only does this spell value for PR campaigns in terms of reach, it also delivers ROI on search engine optimisation goals and creates a ‘social’ buzz.
6. Don’t underestimate the powers of social media – many clients are understandably focussed on getting coverage in the national newspapers and websites, or subject specific websites, and don’t actually consider the power of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn etc.
People love to share visual content of any sort, and some of the biggest news stories are those which have been shared by millions of people across social media.
We produced a video featuring Ben Hanlin for a client’s national media campaign. The branded video featured on The Mirror and Yahoo among others, but most impressively it was viewed more than a million times on the client’s Facebook page.
7.Think about dropping the press release – when you open the national newspapers, do you see bullet points at the beginning of a news story? Can you see a company logo in the top right corner? Are there footnotes for us to read later? If not, you might want to consider revising the way you present your content to news editors who want page ready copy without the fluff and nonsense of the traditional press release.
8. Have a brainstorm / think outside the box / attend a thought shower – whatever you want to call it, but generate good ideas and a story that your audience can relate to, and will find themselves talking about and sharing with others. We all know news is on a loop, and there are some topics that are covered time and time again, but if you can find that gem of an idea which the whole office ends up talking about, you know you’re onto a winner.
9. Do your research – a news story which is based on consumer or market research is more likely to be read by journalists than one without. Research led stories have an extra edge – the statistics give it a quantifiable news hook and help validate the point of the story. As well as being a great tool for coverage, market research enables businesses to differentiate themselves from others and illustrate their ability to identify with their audience.
10. Choose a company who can do all of the above under one roof – alright, this ‘resolution’ might be an excuse to plug 72Point, but if you are determined to make a media success of 2016, and can’t be bothered to hire several different companies to do the work for you, you might want to consider doing all of the above with the help of our very lovely team.
The Agency Opportunity: Helping Brands Win in the GEO Landscape
Generative AI is becoming the front door to information, and the rules of visibility and influence are being rewritten in real time. For agencies, this is not only disruption, it is opportunity.
Our Hold the Front Page report with Purposeful Relations finds that earned media from trusted journalistic sources is now the single most powerful influence on how AI models describe and recommend brands. News coverage has become structured data for machines, the stories you place today are the inputs shaping tomorrow’s AI generated answers.
From SEO to GEO, a new frontier
Search changed everything. SEO became a specialist craft, while PR adapted slowly. Today we are at another crossroads. GEO unites storytelling with machine logic. It is not about gaming systems, it is about teaching AI what credibility looks like, with recency, relevance, and reputation carrying the most weight.
Agencies are perfectly positioned to lead. Influencing AI requires authentic storytelling, factual precision, reputation management, and consistent distribution across credible outlets, exactly the skills great PR and comms teams already bring. GEO adds a layer of structure and verification so that content is readable by people and machines.
Building algorithmic equity
Brands that earn strong, positive, and frequent coverage in reputable media are far more likely to be recommended inside AI platforms. PR output does not just shape perception, it shapes the answers machines give. Agencies that help brands achieve consistent, high quality editorial visibility are building algorithmic equity, one credible citation at a time.
Why 72Point
72Point bridges the gap between brand ambition and media authority. Our network and editorial expertise deliver mass media coverage in trusted sources, which is exactly what generative engines reward. We help partners future proof their reputation strategies by combining creative storytelling, credible journalism, and GEO ready distribution.
The next wave of influence will not be bought, it will be earned, structured, and surfaced by AI. Agencies that recognise this will become indispensable partners to brands navigating the generative era. The opportunity is now, and we are perfectly positioned to help you seize it.
If you'd like to discuss this further, drop me a line paul.billingham@72point.com
