By Clare O’Halloran, Associate, Novitas Communications
A lot of the leaders I work with think media coverage only happens when there’s something big to announce — a product launch, a merger, a major hire. So when there’s nothing “newsworthy” on the calendar, PR gets put on pause.
But some of the best coverage I’ve helped secure for clients had nothing to do with a big announcement. It came from finding the story that was already there.
Here’s what I mean, and how to find that story for your own organization.
Stop Waiting for News. Start Looking for Relevance.
Reporters aren’t just looking for announcements — they’re looking for context. They want sources who can speak to a trend, explain what’s happening in an industry, or add a local angle to a national story. If your organization has expertise, data, or a point of view on something happening in your industry right now, that’s a pitch, even if you’re not launching anything.
I’ve pitched reporters on clients who had no news of their own, simply because they were the right voice to help explain a story that was already breaking. That’s coverage you can’t manufacture with a press release, but you can absolutely earn with the right positioning.
Your Data Is a Story, Even If It’s Small
You don’t need a national survey to have something worth sharing. Internal data — usage trends, seasonal patterns, customer behavior you’ve noticed — can become a compelling local story if you frame it right. A reporter covering back-to-school spending, hiring trends, or housing patterns is often looking for a local business willing to share numbers and context. That’s an opportunity hiding in information you already have.
People Are More Interesting Than Announcements
Some of the strongest pitches I’ve built have centered on a person, not a product. A founder’s unusual path into the industry. An employee doing something interesting in the community. A leader with a strong point of view on a debate happening in their field. Reporters write about people because readers connect with people. If your organization has someone worth profiling, that’s often an easier “in” than trying to make a routine update sound like breaking news.
Show Up Before You Need To
The clients who get coverage most consistently aren’t the ones who only reach out when they have news — they’re the ones who’ve built a relationship with reporters over time. That means responding when a journalist puts out a request for sources, commenting thoughtfully on industry trends, and being a reliable, quotable resource. When you’re the person a reporter already trusts, you don’t need a splashy announcement to get the call.
The Takeaway
Media coverage isn’t reserved for the biggest news on your calendar. It’s available to any organization willing to look at what they already have — expertise, data, people, relationships — and package it in a way that’s useful to a reporter’s story, not just your own. If you’re waiting for the next big announcement to get in front of media, you’re leaving a lot of good coverage on the table in the meantime.
