For so many modern brands, media relations still begin with a question that is fundamentally too narrow: “How do we get coverage?”
A better question is: “Why would anyone talk about us?”
In a saturated media environment, coverage is the outcome of being relevant, useful, and credible enough to join the conversation in meaningful ways.
And for brands, executives and leading organisations, that takes more than a well-written pitch. It requires a clear point of view, original insight, relevance to current issues, and strong relationships with the people shaping those conversations.
There is no shortcut: a media-worthy reputation takes time to build.
Start with what you want to be known for
Before developing a media list or writing a pitch, it’s important to define the territory you want to own.
Think about the following question: what should people associate with your brand or with you as an executive?
It could be a particular market challenge, an area of expertise, a distinctive perspective, or a notable change happening within your industry.
Strong brand positions are specific, but broad enough to sustain ongoing conversation.
So, start by looking at the intersection of three things: what you know, what your audience needs to understand, and what is changing in your market.
That intersection is where a credible point of view can emerge, and you can guide the next step.
For an executive, this can become a signature area of expertise. For a brand, it can become a consistent narrative across thought leadership, media commentary, research, and executive visibility.
The objective is not to comment on everything or be everywhere. It is to become known for something that matters to you and your enterprise.
Offer original insight, not noise
Having a point of view is only the beginning; the next question is whether you have something useful to contribute to the conversation.
Use research, data, customer insights, expert analysis, and experience to define and support your media position.
This matters more than ever in an AI-driven world, because journalists want material that helps them build a story, not just promotional or generic content. In fact, 72% of journalists say fewer than a quarter of the pitches they receive are actually relevant and unique.
The lesson is straightforward: don’t just bring a spokesperson; bring something worth saying.
That could mean turning proprietary data into a market report, using customer experience to identify an emerging trend, or giving an executive a clear perspective on where an industry is heading.
Originality earns attention. Authenticity sustains engagement.
Follow the conversation selectively
A media-worthy brand doesn’t wait for an announcement to become visible; it stays present in the conversations that matter.
A brand with a strong media presence clearly understands what its market is talking about. That means monitoring issues, debates, and developments relevant to your customers, as well as identifying where your expertise genuinely adds value.
But being proactive should not mean commenting on every single headline.
Remember that there is a difference between being relevant and being opportunistic.
Ask yourself: do we have something genuinely informed to add here that others can’t say confidently or credibly?
If yes, respond quickly. If not, move on. This discipline will help you to build a trusted reputation around key issues, not just attention-grabbing moments that quickly disappears.
Build relationships as you go
One of the biggest misconceptions about media relations is that the relationship starts when the pitch lands in a journalist’s inbox. It doesn’t. Strong media relationships are built through familiarity, relevance, and ongoing dialogue. It’s fundamental to know your journalists, their work, and their audience. Offer expertise only when relevant. And don’t make every interaction transactional or superficial.
In fact, 84% of journalists are open to an introductory email even when there is no story to pitch, while 79% say they are more likely to engage with a pitch that is very relevant to their beat and audience.
This changes how brands should think about media outreach: the objective is not to build a larger database, but a smaller, more relevant and targeted network.
Credibility is your primary currency
Media relationships create opportunities, but credibility makes them valuable.
Research from Forrester highlights that buyers increasingly validate information through trusted external sources, including peers, product experts, and industry analysts.
Remember that your reputation isn’t just what you say; it’s what others say about you. A single piece of coverage may create awareness, but consistent recognition builds something more valuable: reputation.
That means counting articles alone isn’t enough. Your authentic voice and the quality of your presence matter far more. At its simplest, share of voice measures your brand’s share of the relevant conversation compared with competitors. More strategically, it should answer a more important question: are you becoming more visible in the conversations you want to own?
Look beyond volume to consider the quality, relevance and context of your mentions, as well as whether your key messages and areas of expertise are coming through. A brand can have high coverage volume and still have little authority in the conversations that matter.
Think in years, not campaigns
A media-worthy reputation cannot be manufactured overnight. It’s built through showing up consistently over a long period of time. It’s about the same areas of expertise reinforced across different conversations and platforms; the same executives contributing useful perspectives time and time again; the same commitment to original insight; and the same investment in relevant relationships.
That doesn’t mean every activity needs to generate coverage or become bland. Often, the most valuable work happens before coverage: research, viewpoint development, relationships, and market monitoring.
Over time, those initial efforts compound.
A journalist begins to recognise the executive.
An industry publication starts to associate the brand with a particular subject or topic.
Original research becomes a crucial reference point.
An executive is invited into conversations rather than having to ask to be included.
That’s when PR and media relations shift from outreach to influence.
What does a media-worthy reputation look like?
For today’s brand, a media-worthy reputation means becoming a credible source of insights across the conversations that matter to the market.
For a founder or executive leading an organisation, this means developing a recognisable point of view that others actively seek out.
And for the business, it means building a market reputation that exists beyond its own internal marketing channels.
So stop asking: “How do we get more coverage?” And start asking: “What do we want to be known for, what can we uniquely contribute, and who needs to hear it?”
Because the most media-worthy brands are rarely the ones shouting the loudest.
They are the ones with something worth saying, grounded in a reputation that gives people a reason to listen.
