Friends, colleagues, I’ve been at this a long time. And when I say this, what I mean is the business of sharing information in order to reach and impact audiences.
My career started in journalism, first as a sports reporter, then as a business reporter and freelance writer. The jump to PR required a similar skill set: writing, relationship building, and an innate understanding of what makes a good story. It is this last skill—an instinct really—that I believe has been the most valuable over the years.
The world in which we live keeps changing – very quickly – so I thought it might be a good time to revisit some basic fundamentals about PR and communications while recognizing the potential and opportunities that abound thanks to technology and social media.
And so, in order to write a consumable blog post and not a PhD thesis on this topic, I’m going to take this one in three steps for two categories: The Basics and The Need for Experimentation.
The Basics
If you do nothing else when it comes to a brand PR program, do these three things:
Identify and Share Your Key Messages
Every company or organization should have a clearly written and regularly updated list of Key Messages—we advise our clients to have 3—that you want your business or organization to be known for. In other words, if someone knows nothing else about you, you want them to know A, B, and C. And then, make sure that everything you write, release, produce, post, share, etc. reinforces all or at least one of those three key messages.
Revisit these messages (at least) twice a year. Share them throughout the organization. A key message should be both brief and clear, i.e. “We exist to help companies navigate the challenge of connecting key messages to the most important audiences.”
Maintain a Regularly Updated Online Newsroom
I don’t care if your company is a start-up or a global enterprise, I’m a firm believer that a regularly updated newsroom remains one of the most basic but important things you can do to exert a professional image to those you’d like to influence.
You don’t want to be the company that hasn’t announced anything in three years. The newsroom should include product or service updates, people announcements, and perhaps awards or recognition you’ve received. This will serve to both inform your prospects and partners and provide a feel-good for the internal team… “look at us, we’re making things happen… regularly!” Post new items in reverse chronological order and make sure you announce something new every few weeks. Bonus points for investing in news wire distribution for added visibility and SEO value.
Get to Know a Handful of Influential Reporters Who Cover Your Industry
The time to build a relationship with a reporter who might have an outsized influence on how your company or organization is perceived is not in the middle of a crisis or a product launch.
Every industry has trade publications. Which ones cover yours? Do you know anyone there? Where is your business located? There are always members of the media who cover your hometown and its business or non-profit environment. Lastly, pick one or two aspirational targets at outlets like The Wall Street Journal or New York Times and start sharing news or information. This exercise takes time and effort, but will pay off in the long run.
How do you do this? Here are three tips:
- Go to the events run by your local Business Journal or media outlet. Their reporters and editors will be there, so introduce yourself. Find out what they’re looking for and build a relationship.
- Offer yourself or your company as a source with nothing asked in return. We call these light pitches “desksides,” with the idea being that you’re going to sit by a desk casually (or virtually) to share information and insight. Again, the purpose is to build a mutually beneficial relationship, not to ask for coverage in the moment.
- Offer the occasional exclusive. If you have actual “big news,” like a merger or acquisition,a new office lease, or a major hire at the C-level, pick one journalist and give that person the exclusive. They will appreciate it, and you’re likely to benefit from the coverage.
OK, those are my three Cover the Basics tips.
The Need for Experimentation
At our office we have a quarterly award called “Scratch the Car.” This award is reserved for the employee who takes a chance and tries something new—the idea being that you are encouraged to “scratch the car, you just can’t total it!” It’s not a perfect analogy—ideally you don’t regularly damage your vehicle—but it helps foster a spirit of experimentation and risk.
And so, as a corollary to the Basics above, here are three tips for getting out of your comfort zone and winning in a short-attention-span world.
Once in a While, Go Big
Everyone is bombarded all day long with news, updates, and social posts. It’s exhausting! In order to cut through the clutter, consider going all in on one Big Thing that will serve as your platform for storytelling..
Sometimes, your Big Thing will be obvious. For example, we are currently working with the Jewish Museum of Maryland on a marketing campaign and their Big Thing is a re-opening of the museum with a completely new and modernized visitor experience.
But what if you haven’t just made a generational investment or decided to go crazy and buy a Super Bowl ad? Make it up by working backward from your key messages to identify a way to hang your hat on what you want to be known for, and then create a way to tell that story dramatically.
What we’re going for here is the ability to bring the attention to you, rather than having to seek it out. An example: Back in 2021, Baltimore-based spice company McCormick named its first ever Director of Taco Relations. This was an actual job, filled by an actual person. A slew of media attention and social engagement ensued, likely well worth the investment involved.
Not ready to make a new hire like that? Consider an offbeat sponsorship of a local sports team or concert venue; a paid relationship with a well-known influencer who might open doors to new audiences; or staging a large event where you can bring in clients and prospects to celebrate your industry.
Moves like these involve risk and resources but if you don’t go for it once in a while… are you really trying hard enough?
A few ways to supercharge this effort
- Bring non-marketing people into the marketing brainstorm. You’d be surprised how creative the lawyers, CPAs, and officer managers at your business can be. Seriously.
- Use AI to brainstorm—we don’t advocate turning the marketing program over to ChatGPT, but it is fantastic for coming up with a bunch of ideas very quickly. Just practice with different prompts and fine-tune from there.
- Have a third party facilitate a brainstorming and team-building session. We offer an Innovation Lab that brings a company together to solve one big challenge through a proven method of creative ideation. This approach takes you away from the traditional brainstorm around “our next marketing campaign” and brings in more expansive thinking – like “how might we evolve the customer experience to attract Gen X and digital natives.”
Pick One Social Media Platform and Crush It
Social media can be stressful and hard to manage because upkeep requires constant attention and new content. Other than the largest consumer brands, why would you even bother trying to be everywhere, all the time? Instead, make a choice and do a great job with curated, thoughtful, two-way communication on one main platform. And stop worrying about everything else!
To figure this out, do a little research about where your audience spends time and meet them there. B2B decision makers are likely spending the most time on LinkedIn; young consumers are probably on TikTok and Instagram; people looking for long-term care insurance are probably on Facebook 🙂 (guilty!) Let yourself off the hook while building brand value by going all in on one platform.
Leverage AI but Never Lose the Human Touch
It’s probably unreasonable to write a post about marketing experimentation in 2025 and not mention AI so here goes. Note: the following three paragraphs (but none of the other content in this post) were written by ChatGPT following a long prompt about what I’m working on that I fine-tuned a few times…
AI offers powerful tools to enhance strategy, efficiency, and engagement. At Abel Communications, we embrace AI for brainstorming and idea generation, helping us develop fresh campaign concepts and uncover new angles for storytelling. It also assists with trend prediction and content optimization, making our work smarter and more impactful.
However, while AI can generate content, it lacks the human touch needed for authentic storytelling and relationship-building. Securing top-tier media coverage, crafting compelling brand narratives, and managing reputation in high-stakes situations require emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and trusted connections—things AI simply can’t replicate.
The key is knowing where AI adds value and where human expertise is irreplaceable. We leverage AI to work smarter, but we rely on experience, creativity, and relationships to drive real results. In an era of automation, the brands that stand out will be the ones that blend AI-driven insights with human-led strategy to create meaningful, lasting impact.
OK! That was long, I know, but once in a while I think it makes sense to Go Big, you know? I hope this has been helpful and please drop me a line if you have any questions or if we can partner to help with your next campaign.
Greg Abel
