The Challenge of Ever-shrinking News Rooms

In today’s fast-paced, content-saturated world, one of the defining traits of a great strategic communications firm is its ability to foster strong, authentic relationships with the media. Pitching reporters great stories isn’t just performative. It is the lifeblood of effective storytelling for organizations looking to reach a broad audience.

For companies, nonprofits, and brands, having a compelling story isn’t enough. These organizations require a trusted partner who understands the media landscape. Media relations professionals are expected to know what reporters are looking for, how newsrooms operate, and how to craft a story that resonates.

But here’s the challenge: newsrooms have changed dramatically in recent years. Shrinking budgets, staff layoffs, and the ever-quickening news cycle have created an environment where there are fewer reporters covering more beats. A newsroom that once had a dedicated education or environment reporter might now have one person juggling multiple topics – or worse, none at all.

Reporters today receive thousands of pitches every single day. Sorting through that avalanche of information to identify what’s truly newsworthy is a monumental task. That’s where skilled media relations professionals come in: they don’t just pitch stories, they build relationships, understand newsroom needs, and act as a bridge between organizations and journalists.

Think Big recently had an opportunity with a client where the challenge of a lack of resourcing became all too apparent. As our team pitched a truly newsworthy weekend event to television outlets across the Washington, DC area, we received the same response over and over again: “We love this event. But we have one camera crew for the entire weekend and we just don’t have the resources.” Even in instances where Think Big’s media relations team had relationships built of years of personal friendship, the response was the same.

And then the request came from each station to please work with our own video editing crew to cut a 30-second package, send bulleted talking points, and they would try to get it on air. In other words, do the job for us and you’ll have a much higher chance to get your event covered.

To be clear, organizations have been asked to provide “b-roll” of events for years. That’s nothing new. However, this idea of stations asking PR firms to create the entire news package is something new in the industry – and it's directly related to lack of resources.

This resource-challenged environment, however, provides an opportunity to create news packages that are 100% on message and don’t rely on a television station video editor’s outside perspective to shape a narrative and hope it comes out the way your client envisioned. 

Partnering with Think Big’s Creative Team and its full video editing capabilities, our media relations professionals are poised to meet this new demand from newsrooms with speed and confidence.  We know what makes a story not just interesting, but essential for a journalist’s audience. It’s about helping reporters do their jobs, while ensuring your client’s message is heard.

Because in a world where there are fewer reporters and more stories than ever, your story won’t just find its audience. You have to help it get there.

Own 100% of Your Story