The practice of avoiding media exclusives has been a general rule in public relations for eons.
Most PR pros believe that exclusives, the act of promising one reporter sole access to a story, limits the coverage range of your pitch. But, what if that promise turned into more in-depth exposure in one large publication instead of a few mentions in several smaller ones? Is upping the value of your story to one reporter worth it in the end?
Constant news coverage and cutbacks in steady jobs in traditional media outlets over the last several years have forced journalists to hone their time management skills like never before.
Exclusives give journalists some insurance that they are going to be valued as the only source for the story and in turn, the opportunity differentiates them in an oversaturated market.
Our firm came face-to-face with this issue when a local journalist told us that he was more likely to be interested in pitches if he was offered exclusive access to a story.
Leyl Master Black, a Mashable.com contributor, and Founder of Eleven Communications in the San Francisco Bay area, recently predicted that more journalists will require or request exclusive agreements for news about your company. Black suggests that the trade-off might be more in-depth articles with thoroughly covered content.
We would love to hear what you have encountered in your area.
