Media Trends: Local is the New National

By Mattie Walker and Gabrielle Hoyt
Senior Account Executive, Dallas and Assistant Account Executive, Atlanta 

In a world of mass, national media, sometimes we forget to think about our own backyard. As an extension of client communications, we are challenged to take national and global content and make it applicable to where our client’s readers are located – from the Huffington Post to the Denver Post, Business Insider to business journals.

Edelman’s client Regus, a global provider of flexible workspace, is a great example. Regus sends Edelman mass global data frequently that is broken down by market and covers topics from challenges small businesses face, to growing their business, to the oddest location to conduct a business meeting. Edelman churns the content into rich, local messaging for 25 priority markets. This was daunting initially, but the team quickly adapted.  Below are some key lessons for applying national content to local stories: 

1. Local appeal is a must: this goes without saying, but New York data isn’t going to resonate in Orlando. Many local papers are strapped for staff and focus solely on local stories. The Regus team heard recently from the business editor of the Orlando Sentinel that they get their national stories from outlets such as the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, so if you do have a national story, focus on larger local dailies in hopes they get syndicated.
2. Have a content team: If you’re a lucky and get content en masse from a client, assign a few team members to collect and organize content and set a distribution calendar. The teams can look at how to tailor each piece of content locally and tie it to something timely. 
3. Own a market: Consistency is key in media relations. Assign team members to a city, state or geographic region to “own” that market, and really get to know the market you own, from the media landscape to the natural landscape.
4. Make it easy: Local newspapers are strapped for writers. Try creating a pitch that can easily become a story. When a great story is sitting in their inbox, a reporter is more likely to post it online and call it a day.
5. Go hyperlocal: If your story can get to the “hyperlocal” level, look at the suburbs of a big city and pitch stories applicable to the surrounding area, which can often reach your target audience.