She called to inquire about my thoughts on helping a struggling business by enlisting the pressure of the media. The business was engaged in a dispute and sticking a sympathetic member of the media on the opposition might be one of a few remaining opportunities to ultimately achieve some sliver of success.
The case offers us a good example, albeit a slightly unusual one, of why in media relations, identifying one’s target audience is significantly preferable to emailing a slew of wide-ranging journalists.
Most businesses, you might safely assume, want media coverage that, directly or indirectly, grows their number of customers. But in this situation, increasing the company’s customer base would not resolve a dispute. What this business needs is a journalist or media outlet which will drive straight for the jugular, persuading and shaming the opponent to return to the negotiating table with a different mindset. In this case, the target audience is one entity: the opposing business.
Pitching stories with little regard to who is receiving the ideas is not the casting-a-wide net path you should take. Ask lots of questions, define the target audience as narrowly as possible and pitch selectively.