Nothing’s cooler than a ninja. They’re quick-witted, smart and most importantly, strike when their target least expects them.
This ability to be efficient, yet remain completely incognito, is a skill that businesses should adapt when implementing corporate media relations strategies—after all, journalists don’t want the expected. If they did, they’d never run out of stories to write about.
But where are these elusive media relations ninjas, and how can they increase your earned media? Funnily enough, they’re right under your nose—your company is full of them. Personal corporate sleeper agents, ready to strike when you need them most. But who are they? Is it Celeste in Client Services? Larry at the loading dock? Finding them can take some time, but the effort is well worth it.
All of your employees within your organization have a specialty. Sure, Larry may be a shipper by trade, but did you know he also has interesting tips on avoiding physical injuries while on the job? He is a hidden expert, one with a vast well of information that can help improve your media relations efforts. And he is just one of the many hiding in plain sight.
But how can your company show journalists the value in Expert Larry? Your spokespeople don’t typically talk about posture, or work-related injuries. How would you even go about pitching something so different from what your company typically does? Your new ninja strategy isn’t about having journalists write about your company and your news. It’s about increasing the mentions of your company in niche stories, written by niche journalists—providing them with information they wouldn’t typically expect from your company. Your goal is for journalists to make reference to Expert Larry, and by extension your company, not tailor their entire article to him.
Now it’s time to do your homework. Incorporate media monitoring into your ninja strategy to easily identify which journalists often write about your topic, which publications and media outlets frequently feature articles on your topic, and the tone of these articles. All this precious intelligence can help your communications team carefully craft the perfect pitch; one that showcases the value of adding Expert Larry’s insights to an article that a journalist may already be working on, or one they may be writing in the future.
Expert Larry is only one member of your ninja army. Just imagine how many other experts you may have hiding within your organization. You could be sitting on an earned media goldmine, and you wouldn’t have ever known it. By identifying your experts, and incorporating media listening tools, you can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your existing media relations strategies.
Besides, who doesn’t want to be known as a PR ninja? Nothing’s cooler than a ninja.
