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Securing good media coverage during peak seasons

The month of March is a busy one, especially in Dubai. The perfect weather before the summers and the academic breaks across schools, make this time a perfect enabler for successful events and exhibitions. From mid-February until April, the city drapes a festive mood, and that is reflected in the social, digital, and print media headlines and stories that take up the majority of media space and time.

From a marketing perspective, the period is a double-edged sword. Look at it from events’ side, it is a season that is facilitating, but if you shift your focus to the coverage aspect of it, public relations professionals have a hard time securing coverage as everyone jostles for space.

In the world of professional PR, it takes quite an effort to catch the editors’ eye and resultantly secure coverage. Big names or global angels don’t ensure it anymore; your stories should have some value to them, especially in such a season, when you are faced with tough competition.

It becomes more important at such times that you think outside of the box and work alongside writers and journalists to find new and interesting ways to present your stories. With the added pressure of time, deadlines, and a packed schedule of events, it can be easy to slip to the bottom of the pile.

Look for hooks

Your headline is your first chance of getting your story noticed. If you can steer your subject or profile towards a newsworthy angle, linked with current affairs, you will have the edge over the competition. If you can help the editors and journalists to immediately see the heart of the story with a punchy headline, you might just nab that coveted piece of news-space/time.

Customise your message

A personal touch to a story or even the mode of sending message is great. Don’t forget that everyone responds best when they can feel the personal element in any story. Try to find a thread or an angle that reveals something that all audiences can relate to.

Be persistent

This is a basic rule. Follow up. Talk to journalists and keep them posted about any updates that the story might have.

Don’t forget the images

This might sound obvious, but when the margin between what an editor will pick and reject is small, you need to make sure everything is attractive. Complementing photos might just tip the balance.

Anna Seaman is English Writer at Cicero & Bernay Public Relations, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me