The Importance of Hyper-Targeting

We’re less than a month away from the election and in the middle of a devastating hurricane season, and that’s just some of what’s happening on the national front. The news cycle is not slowing down folks. And still, life, and business, go on.  

Your campaigns and messages still need to reach the audiences they are meant for. But how, when they are competing for mindshare and space?

Hyper-targeting, that’s how.

In public relations, hyper-targeting is a strategy we use to reach the media and influencers that are most likely to carry your message to their audiences. 

Journalists receive between 6 and 150 pitches per day. So the likelihood of someone reading your company’s pitch, considering they also have to interview sources, file stories, share their work on social media, and probably attend as many internal meetings as we do, is slim. Hyper-targeting is how you ensure your message is the one 1 in 150 that is opened,  and, most importantly, acted upon.

In the next few months, and heck probably for the rest of time, you need to be sure that your company’s messages are targeted. That means your team – you, your staff and your agency, are doing the work to find out  which journalists cover your specific industry, which influencers align with your brand values, and what topics resonate with their audience. Doing this not only increases the likelihood of coverage but also helps build relationships with the media. And, it means your messages reach the people that matter to you.

To be clear, hyper-targeting takes time. While it only takes about 20 minutes to log into a media database and download a list of journalists who cover “Food and Bev,” or “consumer technology” or “online marketplaces” it can take several days to build a list of relevant reporters and freelancers who cover grocery shelves or supply chain or spirits. The first list is going to be 10x the size of the latter lists. But the latter, will be 10x more effective.

Now is not the time to cut corners. Now is the time to hone in, be relevant as hell, and focus on the right people and the right message. And that is how you will be heard moving forward.