The Colab Brief: 006 - Hear that? It’s the deafening silence of the summer media landscape.

Happy almost 4th of July! 🎆 On the docket for today, we’re talking about the silent storm that is the summer media landscape. For those of you that are new here, this is The Colab Brief - a weekly newsletter covering all things comms. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, reach out.

Read Time: 2 mins

It’s no secret that trying to gain media attention has been a real struggle lately, and the problem isn't likely to get better as we roll into the summer. ☀️

Pair this with the constant news of new media layoffs seemingly every day (17,436 layoffs, to be exact), and the challenge this summer is even greater.

So what’s a brand that wants coverage to do? 🤷

Just because editorial staff has downsized, and the remaining masthead reporters are operating with summer hours, doesn’t mean you can’t still get media coverage. It just means you’re going to have to play the game a little differently.

For your reading enjoyment, here are some top tips to help you smash the silence and get some buzz this summer.

1. Take stock of your announcement calendar. 📅 What do you have coming up? Any funding, product launches, or partnerships you can leverage? Although this is the best-case scenario, for most businesses, summer is silent across the board. But if you’re one of the lucky ones and you have hard news you can leverage, plan to do so during the quieter months.
   

2. Become an expert source. 🖊️ Summer is your opportunity to provide comments on the ins and outs happening in your industry. Keep a keen pulse on the trends and themes in your field, and their broader impact. Any time you have input on even a partially relevant storyline, send your comments and perspective to the reporter, and soon they’ll be looking to you as an expert source when media coverage picks up again.
   

3. Elevate thought leadership. 🗣️ There is no better time to backfill your coverage pipeline with thought leadership than in the dead of summer. Pen articles and abstracts for business and trade publications alike. Apply for the Forbes Council. Secure contributor spots at your favorite industry pubs. Repurpose existing content into bylined articles. Every piece of content you have is an opportunity for media coverage.
   

4. Get creative. ✨ A slower news cycle means you can try your hand at more inventive storylines. Have a trend or theme piece you’ve been sitting on? Create a visual for it and pitch it out exclusively. You’d be surprised what journalists will pick up when they have a little extra time.

All of this is not to say that pitching during the summer will give you the Midas Touch with the media. But it will help you to place otherwise non-newsworthy stories in your target publications.

Until next week -

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