Business Wire’s 2016 media survey, based on more than 600 members of the media from more than 40 countries, outlines the current state of the media landscape as well as best practices for working with journalists in the evolving digital media marketplace. 

Similar to our previous two-part blog series on Business Wire’s 2014 Media survey results (blog 1 and blog 2), these results provide media relations insights, illustrating how journalists prefer to communicate and receive news today.

Below are the major takeaways and highlights from the report:

• Where the media look when researching an organization: Google, an organization’s corporate website, and an organization’s online newsroom.
• The content journalists want to see in an online newsroom: press releases, breaking news and contact information.
• The story types journalists want to see in an online newsroom: industry trends, customer-related, and stories that relate to their beats.
• Best methods for PR professionals to build a relationship with the media: do research on journalist/outlet/beat before reaching out.
• Journalists’ top PR pet peeves: not knowing their beat and cold calling.
• Metrics used to evaluate journalists’ stories: number of page views, number of unique visits, and social media activity.
• Media outlets perceived to be the future of the media: The New York Times, BuzzFeed, CNN.
• Best days of the week to pitch the media: Mondays and Tuesdays.
• The best time of day to pitch the media: 61 percent of media respondents said mornings are the best time to receive a pitch.
• Newswires are still an important aspect of the media realm with 53 percent of journalists referring to them on a daily basis.
• The social platforms journalists primarily use for research: Twitter (59 percent), Facebook (57 percent) and LinkedIn (57 percent).
• Journalists’ preferred methods for receiving breaking news: email alert with a link to the full press release (69 percent). Newswire press release ranked second (22 percent).
• When asked to rank the most important supplements to a release, 33 percent of respondents ranked photographs as the top supplement.

The digital news space will continue to evolve, making it crucial keep an eye on the current media trends in order to relay an organization’s external messaging effectively.

If you’re in healthcare, insurance, technology or other professional services industries, and need help with a PR, marketing or social media campaign, contact Scott Public Relations.

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