Rational Interaction, a digital agency here in Seattle, was one of our city’s best-kept secrets when we first starting working with them. But the secret’s out.
With coverage in some of the largest publications in the industry, including AdAge and Adweek’s Agency Spy, Rational’s expertise has been shared with key industry publications and their readers through a series of targeted rapid-response pitches and bylines. With an ever-quickening PR landscape, it’s becoming increasingly crucial for PR pros to monitor industry news and inject clients’ perspectives on relevant issues.
For topics in the ad-tech space, this involved monitoring everything from Snapchat’s integration of ads to the New York Times’ foray into incorporating native ads into its print addition. In addition to monitoring the coverage landscape, it’s been critical to understand Rational’s perspective on trending topics.
There are several steps that are at the heart of successful rapid-response pitching program.
- Identify key publications that are relevant to your client’s business and flag interesting stories. Monitor and read these key publications frequently. What piques your interest—and what would be interesting to your client and their stakeholders? Proactively flag relevant news to the client on a regular basis to gain a deeper understanding into what makes them tick and what interests them. Over time, you’ll gain a better signal of what types of stories the client likes to comment on and their perspectives on these topics, so you can fine-tune your approach.
- Pay attention to key players in the industry. If possible, it’s even better to find the news before major outlets have picked it up. Scouring key players’ announcements allows you to be ahead of the curve and proactively insert your clients’ perspective on the story before the news has broken. This positions your client as an even more valuable source of information to journalists, helping to foster relationships with journalists over time.
- Create a structure for monitoring coverage. It may take time to iron out the kinks, but it’s worth creating a process for monitoring, flagging, and pitching relevant news. Build in time on your weekly calendar to monitor and flag coverage.
- Be quick. It goes without saying, but the early bird gets the worm with rapid-response pitches. Once you have the client’s perspective and the idea gels, it’s critical to efficiently deliver that perspective to journalists, since the news is time-sensitive. You need to accurately capture the client’s perspective, and you also don’t want to miss the opportunity. Don’t get lost in the revision process. Time is everything with rapid-response pitches.
Though rapid-response pitching requires a deep investment of time upfront, it can pay off tremendously in the end, establishing your client as a thought leader on cutting-edge stories. In case you haven’t seen the news, here’s a recap of Rational’s coverage to date:
- Agency Founder Selina Petosa Talks Gender Imbalance and the Future of Digital—Adweek’s Agency Spy, 9/25/2014
- Rational Interaction aims to go beyond ads—Puget Sound Business Journal, 10/10/2014
- Spotlight On NW Creative: Rational Interaction Grows With Substance—AdPulp, 10/21/2014
- Why Snapchat Isn’t a Great Marketing Tool for Studios — Yet— Variety, 10/26/2014
- Ads on social media are inevitable but not yet successful—GoMoNews, 11/3/2014
- The Meritocracy Myth: Why Entrepreneurship Is Better Than ‘Leaning In’ to a Brick Wall—Entrepreneur, 11/6/2014
- Native Advertising: A future for journalists?—TFM&A Insights, 12/5/2014
- Agency Voices: A Personal Path to Agency Entrepreneurship—AdTech Press, 12/16/2014
- Why Native Advertising Won’t Overtake Traditional Ads – Yet—AdAge, 1/28/2015
- Facebook’s FBX decline signals broader advertising strategy—Online Social Media, 3/5/2015
- Buzzfeed Pulls an Elsa: Brands Must Pay Up or Be Frozen— Native Mobile, 3/9/2015
- The Meritocracy Myth: Why Entrepreneurship Is Better Than ‘Leaning In’ to a Brick Wall—LinkedIn, 3/9/2015
About Rational
Rational is a new kind of full-service, integrated agency with proven ability to deliver across digital, technical and consulting engagements throughout the enterprise. The company is strategically focused, results driven and customer obsessed. Its award-winning digital practice brings clients’ business goals to life through engaging brand experiences that raise awareness, inspire discovery and drive adoption. Rational’s technical services practice combines user interface and design best practices together with deep, back-end expertise across in-house and cloud-based platforms to deliver elegant, scalable technical solutions. Whether through short-term discrete projects or longer-term engagements, Rational’s consulting practice helps clients tackle their toughest ongoing challenges across marketing, operations, engineering and IT. Based in Seattle, Wash., Rational’s clients consist of some of the world’s biggest brands including: Microsoft, Amazon, AT&T, Providence Health & Services, The Seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC and more. For more information, please visit www.rationalagency.com