While a lot of people are on leave over summer, there are usually a few people who either choose, or need to work through.
We spoke to managers and leaders in our network about some simple ideas to keep people energised and motivated over the slow summer months.
We’ve deliberately gone with ideas that could be delegated to summer interns, or taken up a level by a more senior practitioner.
Media Relations
If you’re coming up to Christmas wondering why you didn’t get the cut-through you had hoped for this year, this project is for you.
In the past we advised clients that summer is a fantastic time to get up stories that might not otherwise get traction. However, after a year where newsrooms and journalists have been through the wringer, we advise you to press pause on the pitching and recalibrate.
In 2025, you will need to hone your efforts in mainstream media more than ever. You need to know that if you are resourcing media relations, it is with intent and accountability.
This summer, we recommend you run a media audit of your organisation’s performance in 2024 to give yourselves a clear steer for 2025:
How to run a media audit
Delegate a lead. You need the buck to stop with one brain on this.
Take time on the scope. Get the team to input into story selection criteria and metrics for measurement.
Be reasonable: If you are a medium-size organisation we recommend up to 100 stories, reflecting a broad spread of content across the year (not just one exceptional campaign!)
Don’t get stuck in the weeds: This isn’t about organisation and CEO mentions (unless you were trying to increase your share of voice in 2024). You need to look to your organisational strategy and think about the messages you were really trying to land and whether your media work enabled that.
For example, at Austen Advisory, we come to work to lighten the load on leaders taking on complex problems. If we had a media strategy for a client, success might be seeing their CFO crush an interview with Business Desk, so the CEO could take a breather.
If you are an organisation that has a flagship research project each year, success won’t simply be that the research was picked up, but that coverage spoke to the reason you invested in the research in the first place (perhaps to demonstrate industry stewardship, or highlight new pathways for innovation across the sector).
Once you know what you need to measure, get a matrix going, run a spreadsheet or put AI to work. There are 100 ways to do this, lean into your in-house expertise.
In the past, we’ve had success with custom story-rating tools that look at things like publication, placement/position, sentiment, share of voice and strategic message cut-through.
If you are using AI in cool ways to do work like this - please comment and share your tips and advice!
Take time with the work. If you are using AI, make sure to put a brain on the analysis. The good stuff will be in reflecting on the way your work in 2024 unfolded in the real world.
What lessons can you learn for the timing of your work programme next year? For the suitability of media relations at all? Should you have poured more time into digital? Do your spokespeople need training? Whatever you do, make sure the insights are clearly articulated and then reported back in a way your leadership can use in 2025.