Reality check – media mobs mostly exist in the movies

Ever watched something on Netflix where the media turns up in droves to a press conference with dozens of photographers, TV cameras and reporters? 

Non-stop camera flashes going off. Reporters shouting over each other. Live crosses, urgent questions and dramatic exits as they rush off to file their stories. 

It’s exciting! It makes for great drama. Never mind that the show is set in a town the size of Toowoomba, these newshounds (or more accurately ‘extras’) appear out of nowhere. 

Back in the real world, your public relations team is explaining why your big announcement didn’t draw a media mob, or why only one reporter showed up to your regional ribbon-cutting event. 

Let’s start with the obvious. Media outlets with big staff numbers have shrunk dramatically in Australia over the past decade. Newsrooms have downsized and local papers have closed. The lines between TV, radio, print and online have blurred into multitasking teams trying to do more with a lot less. 

If every mainstream media outlet in Brisbane sent someone to your event, they’d be lucky to fill a Maxi Taxi. A media scrum in Ipswich wouldn’t rival a Rugby Sevens match. 

That doesn’t mean your story isn’t worth telling, or that you shouldn’t mark major milestones with media events – it just means understanding the local media landscape, and working hard to get them genuinely interested. 

At Pitch PR, we’ve managed hundreds of successful media events, including those that didn’t end up getting a reporter along but resulted in excellent post-event coverage.  

We put the work into finding the best angles, briefing newsrooms and providing everything a journalist needs to put their story together. 

In locations like Toowoomba, Hervey Bay or Lismore, ‘blanket coverage’ means getting two stories published. Quality over quantity and relevance to your target audience is what counts. 

Just like you, we love it when coverage rolls in and we’re always excited to share it with you. So, rest assured we’ll be giving everything to every media event – whether there are 50 cameras or just one really good one. 

For help with your next story, contact Pitch today.