The Inner Circle Round Up: Media News You Can Use July 2019
Welcome to July’s Inner Circle Round Up. July brings heatwaves and of course, new PR opportunities for you to consider.
Follow us on Twitter and share any opportunities you came across this month at @ScottCircle.
NowThis: “KnowThis” Newsletter Launched
NowThis, known for its explainer type videos on Facebook, has launched a new daily newsletter. This will be the site’s first written product and will summarize the top five stories of the day. According to NowThis, the newsletter will feature “exclusive interviews with presidential candidates and deeper coverage of key issues important to young people.”
The Inner Circle Take: NowThis became wildly popular for their Facebook videos, so it will be interesting to see how KnowThis will compete with other daily newsletters. Either way, the chance to reach younger audiences and pitch your leadership for exclusive interviews should be on your radar.
Mandela Media: New outlet focusing on Racism, Human Rights and Social Justice
Mandela Media, a new content, event and video platform created by the family of Nelson Mandela and DMA United, an advertising agency, will aim to raise “discourse and action around topics like racism, gender equality, mental health, food security and social justice.” The platform will house editorial content, podcasts, and video content, along with live events.
The Inner Circle Take: While many details are still to be determined, this could be a great opportunity for mission driven organizations to raise awareness about the social issues they work with. The variety of content, editorial, audio and video, leaves plenty of options for PR pros to consider.
Washington Post: Spanish Language Expansion
Washington Post is creating dedicated content for a Spanish language audience. They’re launching a twice-a-week Spanish language podcast and will publish Spanish pieces in the opinion section. They plan to publish three to five op-eds per week. While they have translated articles before, the new content aims to better serve Spanish speakers. They hope to address issues and reach Spanish speakers both domestically and internationally.
The Inner Circle Take: Spanish is the second-most spoken language in the United States so it is likely you will need to reach a Spanish speaking audience to really make an impact. If your organization is at the frontlines of the border crisis or other issues facing Spanish speaking communities - or you have Latinx leadership, the new Post Spanish language content is definitely a great new option for PR pros to try and utilize.
Better News: New podcast from the American Press Institute
Better News, a project from the American Press Institute and Knight-Lenfest Newsroom Initiative, announced the launch of a new podcast series. The series will follow the way featured newsrooms are transforming, how job roles have changed and how they reach out to audiences. The episodes will feature interviews with newsroom staff, starting with a conversation with Steve Yaeger and Suki Dardarian of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The Better News Initiative is a resource of best practices and guidelines for newsrooms.
The Inner Circle Take: In media relations, it is important to understand how newsrooms work and how they are changing. This podcast would provide the opportunity to learn about the challenges newsrooms are facing and how we can adjust our practices to better accommodate (and reach) journalists.
The Recount: Video Focused Political News Platform
Journalists John Heilemann and John Battelle are launching The Recount, a new video-driven political outlet. The goal behind The Recount is to fill a void in the current media landscape: concise news and analysis that you can watch on the go. Their first product, “The Daily Recount”, provides a five minute or less mashup sampling, remixing traditional coverage.
The Inner Circle Take: While there is no shortage of political news outlets - for PR pros, this is always welcome news as it is another outlet where your organization can potentially be featured. We’ll keep a lookout for their new programming and keep you updated!