How Tyto’s Golden Circle Approach Builds Stronger Media Relationships

Every PR agency talks about building relationships with journalists and other industry influencers, but very few explain how they actually do it.

In most cases, it is pretty high-level. Stay close to contacts. Engage regularly. Build trust over time. That is true, but it doesn’t help when you’re running a programme across Europe and need to decide where to focus and how to measure progress.

This is the gap that Tyto’s Golden Circle is designed to fill. It takes something that is often treated as intangible and makes it structured, measurable and repeatable.

Starting with the right people

At the centre of the Golden Circle is a carefully curated group of individuals who have the greatest influence on your category. Typically, this means focusing on about 15-20 journalists or industry influencers per market, spanning national, business and technology titles, as well as podcasts, newsletters and other platforms.

Getting to that list requires more than instinct. It demands a clear understanding of how influence really works across the European media landscape, and how that influence increasingly crosses borders.

This is where the Tech 500 plays an important role. Tyto’s proprietary dataset maps the journalists and influencers shaping the technology debate across Europe. It provides an evidence-based way to identify who really matters today, rather than relying on static media lists or outdated assumptions.

With that focus in place, the approach becomes more disciplined. You’re no longer trying to be visible everywhere but building relevance with a clearly defined group.

Turning relationships into a process

Tyto’s Golden Circle differs from traditional approaches to media relations because it treats relationships as something that can be actively developed and tracked.

Instead of measuring success solely through coverage, it looks at how relationships develop from awareness to collaboration. This follows the same logic seen in sales and marketing models, which my colleague Silke Rossmann explores more here.

This progression matters more than any single piece of coverage. It shows whether someone simply knows who you are or actively seeks out your perspective.

It also creates a level of clarity that is often missing in media relations. You can see where momentum is building or slowing, and what needs to change to move forward.

Building relationships with intent

With a focused group, the emphasis shifts from volume to quality.

Every interaction needs to contribute to building understanding. That might mean sharing insight that is genuinely useful, providing access to the right people at the right moment, or creating opportunities to see the business in context.

What it avoids is constant, unfocused pitching.

This is where many programmes fall short. Outreach becomes the default, and relationships turn into a series of transactions.

The Golden Circle approach is more deliberate. It’s about building familiarity and trust over time, so that engagement becomes more natural and more valuable.

That means there will be instances where interactions don’t deliver an output immediately, but this is often a sign that the relationship is still developing.

What good looks like in practice

When the Golden Circle is working well, the difference is clear, although it’s not always immediate. Like all aspects of life, relationships take time to build.

In PR, it’s often through a series of valuable interactions. An initial conversation. A comment on a breaking story. An interesting announcement or piece of research. Or an opportunity to speak with an expert, hear from a customer, or attend an event.

Often, several of these steps happen before anything is published. Then something shifts. A story starts to take shape. It might be triggered by a specific moment or interaction, or by some external factor, and the depth of engagement changes.

At that point, you’re no longer trying to convince someone there is something worth covering. They already have a view. Our role is to deliver the right access and input.

Over time, that develops into a different kind of relationship. Journalists and content creators respond more quickly, engage more deeply, and get in touch proactively for comment, perspective or participation in wider discussions.

Why Tyto’s Golden Circle approach is effective

The Golden Circle isn’t about increasing the volume of media relations activity. It’s about making that activity more efficient and effective.

By focusing on the right people, tracking how relationships develop, and aligning engagement with how conversations are evolving, it creates the conditions for stronger, more meaningful connections with the media and other influential voices.

Ultimately, those connections lead to better outcomes. More relevant coverage, more influential stories, and a clearer, more distinctive position in the market.