Rinse, Repeat, Succeed: Why PR Works the Way It Does
So much of public relations is rinse and repeat.
And no, that’s not a criticism of our profession. It’s how PR works.
In an industry that constantly evolves—new platforms, new news cycles, new audience behaviors—the fundamentals stay the same. They’re built around how newsrooms operate, what reporters need, and how stories actually get told.
If you understand - and master - those fundamentals, you can communicate with the media more effectively than most people.
Let’s break down what that really means.
1. Holding an Event? There’s a Formula for Getting Media to Show Up.
Inviting media to an event isn’t about blasting a flyer to your entire contact list. It’s about giving reporters and editors the information they need, in the format they expect, so they can quickly decide whether to assign coverage.
A proper media advisory answers:
Who will be there?
What is the visual?
Where and when will this happen
Why does this matter now?
How can a reporter cover this efficiently?
Most importantly, reporters want to understand what they’ll get out of showing up.
When you give them that, you dramatically increase your odds of coverage.
2. Pitching a Feature Story? There Are Ingredients You Always Include.
A real pitch isn’t a press release pasted into an email. It’s a story being handed to a reporter in a usable package.
Every good pitch includes:
A strong main character
A statistic, moment, or visual that makes the story feel real
A compelling angle
A reason for the reporter to care
Reporters don’t have time to interpret vague ideas. Paint the story for them, and they will listen.
3. Offering an Interview? Use the “AFI for Your SME” Approach.
When you’re putting someone forward as an expert voice, structure is everything.
This is where the classic “AFI for your SME” comes in:
AFI = Available for Interview — Stating that a spokesperson is available and ready.
SME = Subject Matter Expert — A person who can speak with authority and knowledge.
When you match the right SME with the right reporter, the interview goes smoothly, and the journalist remembers how easy you were to work with.
Always Think About the Reporter, the Outlet, and the Medium
This is the part most non-PR people never consider.
Print reporters need depth and detail.
Broadcast reporters need visuals and soundbites.
Digital reporters need assets, speed, and clickable clarity.
If you want your story told the way you envision it, you must supply what each journalist needs for their platform.
That could be:
Photos
Video
Detailed Data
Quotes
When you give outlets what they need, you make their jobs easier — and they come back to you.
The Bottom Line: Rinse and Repeat Isn’t Lazy — It’s Professional Mastery
Knowing what to do and how to do it is what separates random pitching from real media relations.
Master the tools → master the process → master the results.
That’s how you build trust and secure consistent coverage, building long-lasting relationships inside newsrooms.
