Ever wonder why the media seem to ignore the press releases, story pitches, calls and emails your communications team is sending out? It’s not personal, it’s business—the news business in 2022.
However tough your own year, reporters and editors are facing down the threat of extinction for their industry. They endure newspaper closures, workplace burnout, layoffs, revolving beats and new pressure for click-bait headlines. More than ever, news comes to them. Reporters in top-tier media reportedly receive over 100 emails daily. To survive, editors have turned to algorithms.
Newsrooms now employ an “audience engagement producer” to scour the Web for the latest events. Real-time digital and social data drives newsgathering, content creation, and customer engagement across their publication’s social platforms.
Here’s how to get noticed in this new world:
Push the hot buttons. When Americans are frustrated with society, they look to companies that share their values and are willing to speak up on issues that matter to them. USC Annenberg’s Polarization Index found that 84% of Americans don’t believe polarization is going to get better anytime soon.
So, it’s no time to shy away from hot topics. Businesses can lead tactically, using the media megaphone to weigh in on issues that impact their employees, investors and customers. Company leaders and marketing teams make points when addressing controversial topics that affect us all.
Get ESG-ready. What’s your business doing to address global warming? 88% of consumers surveyed believe that sustainability should be a standard business practice. Reassessing your company’s environmental impact and carbon footprint is an opportunity to showcase to media and consumers that the company is taking charge of the future. Reuters reported that a record $649 billion have been poured into ESG-focused funds (Environmental, Social and Governance) worldwide through Nov. 30 of 2021, up from the $542 billion in 2020 and $285 billion in 2019.
Be the workplace future. The goal is to be a “best place to work,” whatever that takes. The culture of a business now defines it, and those judged out of step lose employees and revenue. Three-quarters of 1,800 U.S. workers in a September survey by The Conference Board cited stress and burnout as critical challenges at work, up from 55% six months earlier. Half said their mental health was being harmed. To businesses determined to survive, these reports are a wake-up call.
The media is slated for massive growth in the next decade, up 14% with 150,000 new jobs. It must change to survive.
So must every business. Find your voice, find your audience, find your future.
Happy 2022,
Tracy
Olmstead Williams Communications
CEO and Founder
w 310.824.9000, c 310.387.7738
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