Why PR newsrooms are the future of brand storytelling

Why PR newsrooms are the future of brand storytelling

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The newsroom model is what lets daily news titles work fast to fill their pages with great stories that sell papers.

Your business most likely has different strategic objectives to publications like The Sun or The Daily Mail. But you can still apply the same editorial principles to turn your comms department into a well-oiled content machine.

Right now, some of the world’s most recognisable brands are applying these techniques to ensure their comms initiatives deliver results.

Adobe, Oracle and Microsoft all operate newsrooms. What’s more, the big three venture capital firms in Silicon Valley – Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Battery Ventures – have hired journalists from the Wall Street Journal, Wired and Forbes, respectively.

At the same time, media titles throughout the UK are cutting staff, or else closing altogether. Some 300 newspapers have shut down since 2005, and specialist reporters are becoming something of an endangered species.

Against this backdrop, perhaps it’s not surprising that so many brands are taking matters into their own hands. Companies like Microsoft can afford to invest more resources into telling their stories than their media counterparts, and are producing better content as a result.

Cision’s latest white paper – How to create a PR newsroom and own your story – shows you how to do the same. And the first step is to start thinking like a publisher.

Think like a publisher to take control of your brand’s story

Establishing a successful newsroom is about empowering your team to communicate your organisation’s strategic content using robust editorial standards and a journalistic mindset.

For Microsoft, that means giving staff the freedom to write about whatever interests them most. For companies like HubSpot, it’s about driving lead generation. Meanwhile, IBM uses its primary blogs to establish itself as a thought leader in its industry.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to implement a brand new structure or team. Often, it’s just a matter of adopting a new way of thinking:

Who are the key stakeholders you’re trying to communicate with? How can your company improve their life? And what’s the most captivating way of sharing that story with them?

“This can be a pretty big mindset shift for people in the corporate world,” says Stampa co-founder Abigail Levene. “Your readers are your clients. Your client is not the business department that comes to you and says ‘I want you to profile my work’.”

Thinking about your comms initiatives in this way will help you bring them in line with how people naturally consume their content. Always keep your audience in mind and tell the stories you think they want to hear.

To discover how to create your own PR newsroom in three simple steps, enter your details into the form below and download How to create a PR newsroom and own your story today.

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Why PR newsrooms are the future of brand storytelling

Meet the Journalist: The Semple Edit founder Maggie Semple

Meet the Journalist: The Semple Edit founder Maggie Semple

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Maggie Semple OBE, founder of Semple magazine and The Semple Edit, discusses the latter’s launch, the difference between the two publications and how PRs can work with her team. 

Can you provide a brief overview on The Semple Edit?

In 2012 we published our first Semple magazine and for the next five years, we presented thoughtful comment and beautiful images on topics pertinent to women.

As the readership of each magazine grew (Issue X had 1.5m views), so did our ambitions. In November 2017 we took a bold step: rather than focus on an even bigger magazine we decided to explore content inspired from our existing and future clients.

The Semple Edit tells stories about professional women’s loves, hopes and fears. Our strategy has worked as the Edit has had 3.7m views to date! We are currently planning our next Edit content to celebrate International Women’s Day in March.

How does it differ from Semple magazine?

The Semple Edit has a different tone to it. The content is created from the conversations we have with our audience and the themes reflect more their interests and concerns.

Also the Edit has shorter articles, fewer pages and the graphic design has been refreshed so that there is greater visual coherence across all of our social media platforms.

How does the magazine relate to the Semple brand?

There are three strands to Semple: the fashion collection, our events and our online publication. The magazine is essential to the Semple brand as it tells our story to a wider international audience.

It also provides the content for our window display as we have a large bow-fronted window in our beautiful atelier based in Covent Garden that visitors come to see.

What sort of content can be found in the magazine?

There are five articles in our first issue of The Semple Edit:

  • A client who is the director of a museum in London shares her cultural must-sees
  • We present a trend forecast based on our visit to Morocco
  • A client has written an article on issues concerning ethics in the fashion industry, a topic we are concerned about
  • We interviewed an industry innovator about the importance of customer experience
  • Finally, one of our brand ambassadors gives her five tips for wellbeing

We like to think that we provide intelligent content and visually stimulating editorials.

Could you describe a typical Semple Edit reader?

We have profiled our typical reader and she is someone who is naturally curious, a professional senior leader in a business or owner of a company and is aged 35 and over. She understands the need to have – and the income to purchase – bespoke clothes.

She might be a senior partner in a law firm, a consultant surgeon, a banker, a brand in her own right. She will be an international player speaking in boardrooms, on stages and at private dinners.

We also have a secondary audience – men! They read our magazine to find out what women are commenting on.

What sort of topics does the Semple blog cover?

The Semple blog was launched in July 2010 and it is updated daily by a team of paid bloggers. Topics covered are on the latest fashion, beauty and lifestyle trends with our views expressed in a way to stimulate debate. The majority of our readers are from the UK, US, Hong King, Australia and Spain.

How much difference is there between the blog and the magazine?

There are three differences between the blog and our magazine. Firstly our blog content is written to attract a greater age range than the magazine. Secondly, the frequency of blog postings means that we can comment instantly to news items and thirdly, we use our blog posts to generate our social media content.

How would you describe your relationship with PRs?

We have always had a good relationship with PRs both here and abroad. We like to work in partnership through offering advertorials, advertising opportunities and social media engagement.

What’s the best way for them to pitch to the magazine?

The Semple Edit offers exclusive brand exposure to our dedicated readership. Our internal team of writers, designers and brand experts develop bespoke ideas to feature in the form of editorials, exclusive interviews and intelligent content.

Sophie Maguire ([email protected]) is our editor-in-chief and she welcomes contact from PRs.

Finally, if you could own one item from a luxury fashion brand, what would it be?

I would like to ‘own’ four hours of an established fashion designer’s time who would open up their black book and introduce me to others.

Young Lions PR 2018 Andy Garner and Daniella Graham

Mischief triumphs at UK Young Lions PR 2018

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Mischief’s Andy Garner and Daniella Graham have won the UK Young Lions PR Competition 2018 with their Nursery Crimes campaign pitch.

They were among 59 UK PR agency teams responding to a brief from The Children’s Society, which performed as the ‘client’.

The charity asked teams to bring its big idea that “no child should feel alone” to life, showing people why the organisation exists and what it means to young people. Each team then had 24 hours to create their campaign.

Garner and Graham will now compete against teams from all over the world at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.

Weber Shandwick’s Stephanie Parker and Lucinda Sandon-Allum took the silver prize. Citypress’ Nicola Brown and Fiona Belcher claimed bronze.

“The brief from The Children’s Society was tough, but one we relished getting stuck into,” said Garner and Graham . “After a lot of digging for gold – and a lot of post-it notes – we landed on an idea that we were proud of.

“We’re thankful to all of the judges and everyone at the PRCA for giving us this opportunity and can’t wait to do the UK proud in Cannes.”

Francis Ingham, director general at the PRCA, added: “I would like to personally congratulate Andy and Daniella on their win. We wish the pair the best of luck in Cannes where I am sure they will do the industry and the UK proud.”

  • Pictured: Andy Garner and Daniella Graham
Emma Usher How to book great celebrity talent in 3 simple steps

Opinion: How to book great celebrity talent in 3 simple steps

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Emma Usher, director of talent booking agency RunRagged and founder of The VIP Suite, gives her top tips for securing the best celebrity talent for your PR initiatives.

The right mix of celebrity talent can make media coverage go further. Group shots or unusual pairings at an event make for better stories, and relevant talent fronting a campaign can make your brand topical and more likely to get attention for the right reasons.

At RunRagged we’ve been connecting agencies and brands with talent for PR campaigns, endorsements and events for over 20 years.

Talking to agents, pricing and managing celebrities is what we do – all day, every day. So, we’ve picked up a lot of best practice over the years. Here are our three top tips for booking the best talent for your PR initiatives.

1. Profile, profile, profile

Pull together a list of the talent that you want. Then, research and get to know them inside out. Make sure they match your brand, have fans that you want your brand to engage with, are topical and (importantly) will actually take on the job.

Check their social media to see the types of events and campaigns they’ve done before. If your brand doesn’t fit, it will be clear.

Due diligence is also essential. Check for any bad press around the person you are looking to book, both now and in the past. You don’t want to find out weeks into negotiations that your preferred ambassador for a car campaign has had driving bans.

The more time spent profiling, the more time – and money – you’ll save later. Edit your list based on the above findings and be cutthroat.

2. Think about value vs cost – and don’t overpay

Unless you are booking talent every day, it is almost impossible to know what a celebrity will charge for a certain piece of work. Working with experts who know the going rates is often cheaper in the long run, as they understand the many nuances to booking talent that can affect talent fees.

If booking in-house, decide what your fee for each celebrity is in line with your budget and including wiggle room. Then, approach agents with a figure, rather than asking for their rate. If you can’t negotiate within your bracket, move on.

Throwing cash at the problem will only set a precedent and inflate the market for everyone else. It may also result in an ambassador who is only signing up for the cash and not because they’re interested in the brand or project.

At the end of the day, it’s all about value. If a celebrity believes in your cause, they’re far more valuable and authentic than someone who’s just there for pay.

3. Foster long-term relationships to spot valuable fans

The best long-term advice we give to our clients is to have a celebrity strategy, just as they would a PR or marketing one. Part of this is to have authentic engagement with as many of the right profile celebrities as possible, via controlled gifting for example. This allows you to uncover the real, genuine advocates who love your brand.

From there, you can build up a list of true fans you can approach for paid work later on – and who will deliver better authenticity and value than someone who is coming in cold.

PR News in Brief

This week’s PR news in brief (19-23 February)

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Here’s a round-up of the week’s essential PR news, featuring a story that changed Microsoft’s corporate comms forever an interview with Esquire style director Charlie Teasdale and news from the PRCA.

Thought leadership

In 2013, Steve Clayton, Microsoft’s chief storyteller, did something that changed its corporate comms forever. Click here now to find out what.

Kaizo director Steph MacLeod and Marc Chacksfield, TechRadar’s interim global editor-in-chief, outline how to build a tech brand with earned media in this week’s Cision webinar.

Neha Khatwani, the PRCA’s public affairs, policy and research manager, talks about the new PRCA diversity guidelines and why 2018 is a pivotal year for diversity in PR.

Interviews

Charlie Teasdale, Esquire’s new style director, discusses his role, changes to the magazine’s style section and his most memorable moments at the publication.

Issa PR founder Viet N’Guyen discusses the agency’s London expansion, the brands she’s worked with and which influencers she’d like to collaborate with most.

Account wins

Munch has been appointed to handle the PR for forthcoming BBC Three comedy series Miss Holland and raise the profile of the show’s central character.

Home and fashion retailer Laura Ashley has appointed Halpern as its retained PR agency. The agency will support on special projects to help the brand celebrate its 65th anniversary this year.

Digital current account provider Loot has appointed W to expand its user base and establish its profile in the UK.

Ovarian Cancer Action has appointed Amazon PR to provide media relations support for its Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month campaign in March.

Mason Williams will provide comms support for Spanish chef Jose Pizarro and his three Pizarro restaurants.

The Breckenridge Tourist Office in Colorado has appointed The Lifestyle Agency to act as its UK press office.

Powerboat P1 Management has selected Champions (UK) to implement its global comms strategy.

Beauty brand Seoulista Beauty has appointed PR and comms consultant Naomi Scroggins to handle its UK PR.

Brand publicist Gemma Calvert will manage publicity for Dr Hazel Wallace. Calvert will support Wallace’s PR strategy, focusing on her forthcoming book release and her The Food Medic brand.

Agency news

Hotwire is entering a branded partnership with Irresistible Films to create Hotwire Reels. The partnership will allow the agency to produce global, multi-lingual video for its global network.

Finn Partners has launched TravelTech, a dedicated travel technology group. Its creation follows Finn’s acquisition of specialist travel and tourism consultancy The Brighter Group.

People news

FTI Consulting has appointed Janey Spratt as senior director in its digital practice. Reporting to senior managing director Ant Moore, Spratt will use her skills in data, creativity and engagement to support campaign development for some of the agency’s corporate digital client bases.

Brevia Consulting has appointed Rob Flello as chairman of its Brevia Transport division, as well as a member of its advisory board.

LEWIS has made three senior appointments to improve its integrated offering. Helen Ellis and James Holmes both join as directors, while Ruvina Uppal has been appointed as an associate director.

Virgin Holidays has appointed Amber Kirby as marketing and customer experience director. She will oversee the brand’s social media, with its PR and comms split between Kirby and the Virgin Atlantic PR team.

Isabel Moore has joined Disney as a communications executive. She was previously a PR assistant executive at Sky.

Muckle Media has appointed Rachel Finlay as an account director to its Edinburgh office. The agency has also promoted Ellie Wagstaff to senior account manager and Eilidh Marshall to digital account manager.

Broadcast consultancy Markettiers has appointed Jamie McNicholas as account executive. He will help manage growth in the consultancy’s Manchester office.

Clementine Communications has hired Victoria Johns as senior PR director. Her role will focus on commercial and creative responsibility.

PRCA news

The PR and Communications Council, the PRCA’s industry think tank, has made the social value and purpose of PR its main thought leadership priority in 2018.

The PRCA and Local Government Association have signed a three year service level agreement to work as a consortium and assume responsibility for the administrative management of local government comms body LGcommunications.

Relevance International makes two hires in London office

Relevance International makes two hires in London office

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Relevance International has appointed Anita Gryson as associate director and Alice Lacey as account director in its recently launched London office.

Gryson has 11 years’ experience in luxury comms and has worked with brands including The Leading Hotels of the World, Raffles Hotels & Resorts and The Lanesborough London.

Lacey is an experienced property communicator who has worked with UK and international real estate clients. She joins from Four Communications, where she was an account director on its property team.

Suzanne Rosnowski, CEO and founder of Relevance International, said: “The opening of our new London office has given Relevance International a firm foothold in Europe working in tandem with the NYC team and our global affiliates.

“Our team has over a century of combined experience in PR and marketing, representing the very best international clients in real estate, luxury goods, hospitality, design and corporate.”

  • Pictured: Suzanne Rosnowski
How Microsoft revolutionised its corporate comms with a brand newsroom

How Microsoft revolutionised its corporate comms without the mainstream media

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It’s 2013, and Microsoft is about to do something that will change its corporate comms forever.

Steve Clayton, the brand’s chief storyteller, has been writing an unusual story. It’s called 88 Acres: How Microsoft quietly built the city of the future – and he thinks it has legs. But despite the huge amount of time and effort he’s invested, this story isn’t destined for the mainstream press.

Instead, Clayton’s team publish the story themselves on the brand’s in-house newsroom, Microsoft Stories. And the response is spectacular.

88 Acres has received more than half a million views to date. What’s more, it has directly generated sales by inspiring other companies to ask how Microsoft can smarten up their buildings.

All this, because Microsoft’s newsroom culture empowers its team to uncover and tell the stories people genuinely want to hear about.

“The world of media and the world of marketing are smashing into each other,” explains Dan Lyons, a former Newsweek technology editor. “Microsoft runs one of the finest publishing operations that I’ve seen.”

“The media is overwhelmed and simply can’t keep up,” he adds. “The best way to be part of a story is simply to become a journalist yourself.”

Cision’s latest white paper – How to create a PR newsroom and own your story – reveals how you can do exactly that. But of course, it’s not just a case of having an online platform where you can post the latest company news.

This is about helping your comms team respond quickly to breaking stories with its own creative ideas. It’s about ensuring your brand can lead the conversation on key talking points and bringing your comms in line with how people naturally consume digital content.

Stephen Waddington, Ketchum’s chief engagement officer, explains: “This is an absolute requirement of modern public relations, to enable us to be responsive to the pace of conversation on the internet.”

Traditional PR functions simply can’t turn stories around fast enough in an age where a single Tweet can change the course of a day’s news agenda. That’s why brands as diverse and Coca-Cola, Intel and ING are all using newsrooms to streamline their comms operations.

But as you’ll soon see, this approach can work for companies of all sizes. Whether you represent a corporate giant like Microsoft or a tiny start-up – this white paper will help you uncover the great stories that are bubbling beneath the surface in your organisation, just waiting to be told.

“Every organisation that has people is by definition interesting,” says James Curtis, the co-founder of corporate comms specialist Stampa. “The companies that embrace the newsroom culture are really only just beginning to discover the possibilities it opens up.”

“The time is right for this because it helps companies deal with big corporate changes,” he adds. “It can really drive a change in culture, which puts communications in a more central role.”

At Cision, we believe every brand should be benefiting from this streamlined communications model. So, enter your details below now to download How to create a PR newsroom and own your story and discover how to set up your own newsroom in three easy steps.

Incorrect information? Clear the form.
YES, I would like a FREE demo. Please contact me.
I agree to opt-in to communications from Cision, and that I have read and agree to Cision's Terms and Privacy Statement.
By submitting the information in this form, I confirm that Cision may communicate with me regarding their products and services.
If you wish to update your marketing subscription preferences, please do so by visiting our GDPR pages

How Microsoft revolutionised its corporate comms with a brand newsroom