PR and media relations
Get your business in front of the publications and people that matter.
We turn your news, expertise and milestones into stories the media can use, then write the press releases, pitch the right journalists and handle the follow-up, so your business is considered for coverage without you chasing anyone.
Available on its own, or as part of The Growth Programme.
In practice
What this actually is
PR and media relations is the work of getting your business written about, quoted or interviewed by the publications your customers already read and trust. You do not pay for the space, so the story has to be good enough for a journalist to want it - and finding that story is most of the job.
PR earns attention in other people's publications. Writing for your own website, emails and channels is a different service, and it is here: content and copywriting.
What we do
- Story angles and messaging
- What in your business is genuinely newsworthy, and the three or four messages every piece should carry.
- Press releases
- Written for launches, milestones, partnerships and results, in the format newsrooms expect.
- Media lists
- The South African publications, journalists, podcasts and newsletters that cover your field, researched for your story rather than bought.
- Pitching
- A short, personal pitch to each journalist, written for what they cover - never one email sent to everyone.
- Follow-up
- One well-timed follow-up, and same-day answers when a journalist asks for a quote, an image or a fact.
- Spokesperson profiles
- A founder or spokesperson biography, photo brief and the topics you can speak on with authority.
- Interview preparation
- Talking points, the questions you are likely to be asked, and a practice run before you speak to the media.
- Coverage reporting
- A monthly record of who was pitched, who responded and what ran, with links.
Coverage worth having
Give the media a reason to write about you.
You are left with a clear story, a press kit and a media list that stay yours, and a professional track record with the journalists who cover your field - which makes the next story easier to place than the first.
Talk to us about PRWhy a journalist saying it carries more weight than you saying it
An advert is you vouching for yourself. An article is somebody else doing it. That is the whole value of PR: an editor has decided your story is worth their readers' time, and readers can tell the difference between space that was bought and space that was earned.
It also lasts longer than a campaign. A good article keeps turning up in search results, is the kind of independent source AI assistants draw on when somebody asks who does what you do, and becomes the link you send when a new prospect wants to know whether you are any good.
What it does not do is arrive on demand. Journalists owe nobody coverage, and no honest agency can promise it. What we control is the quality of the story, how well it fits each publication, and how professionally it is handled from the first pitch to the last follow-up. That is where most coverage is won or lost.
The discipline
Four things decide whether a story is picked up, and only one is the press release
Most PR that fails was sent to the wrong person, at the wrong time, about something that was not yet a story. The writing matters, but it is the third thing a journalist judges, not the first.
Story
There is something to report
- Real news or a useful opinion
- Why it matters to readers
- Proof behind the claim
- Timing that suits the news
This holds it up
Fit
It reaches the right desk
- The titles your buyers read
- The journalist who covers your field
- Their recent stories read first
- Trade, regional and national
This holds it up
Pitch
It is worth opening
- A subject line that states the news
- Three short paragraphs
- The release attached, not pasted
- Images and a spokesperson ready
They see this
Follow-through
It is handled well
- One timed follow-up
- Quotes and facts sent the same day
- Interviews prepared
- Coverage logged
They see this
We will tell you plainly when something is not yet a story. A weak release sent to a good journalist costs you more than that one pitch: it makes the next one easier to ignore.
Measurement
How you will know it is working
PR and media relations is judged by what ran and where, not by how many emails went out. Every month you see the whole picture, including the pitches that did not land.
What we report on
- Who was pitched, for which story, and who responded
- Coverage secured, with the publication and a link
- Interview and comment requests received
- What we would pitch next, and why
Before you ask
The questions that come up first
Can you guarantee coverage?
No, and nobody honest can. Journalists and editors decide what they publish, and that independence is exactly why coverage is worth having. What we commit to is the work: a story worth pitching, a researched media list, personal pitches and professional follow-up. We will also tell you early when a story is unlikely to land, so you do not spend on a long shot.
What counts as news for a business like ours?
More than most owners think: a launch, a partnership, a new location, a senior hire, a milestone, data only you hold, a clear opinion on something changing in your industry, or a customer story with a real result. If there is nothing yet, we help you find something worth saying before anything is sent.
Do you only pitch national publications?
No. We pitch where your buyers actually read. For many businesses that means trade titles, regional press, industry newsletters and podcasts, which are often more receptive and better read by the people who buy from you than a national headline.
Do we need a brand identity or a Commercial Foundation first?
No. PR and media relations can be taken on its own. If your positioning and messages are already clear, we work from them. If they are not, we settle the key messages with you before the first pitch goes out.