Strategies for pan-European media relations: The PRWithoutBorders™ point of view

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From working with global companies such as Remote or the FIDO Alliance, among others, we have learnt a few things when it comes to orchestrating and delivering Pan-European announcements which resonate across different countries. Here is what to keep in mind:   

1. Crucial to the success of any Pan-European PR campaign is the need to move away from the “one-size-fits-all” mindset.  

It might seem obvious, but it is worth repeating: Europe is a diverse region, culturally, politically, and economically. It is therefore not surprising that one unified, European media landscape simply doesn’t exist. This means that each announcement issued across the continent needs to be adapted to each country’s own media characteristics.  

Let’s dive a little deeper into moving away from this generic ‘European PR’ concept in the next point. 

2. When it comes to spokespeople, using local stakeholders for media announcements works best.   

Following on the above point, the presence of a local spokesperson often makes or breaks the success of an announcement in a particular market. They can give a unique perspective that media outlets are looking for and tap into interests relevant to their readers.  

They can also easily overcome language barriers as in some cases, some journalists may not speak English. In doing so they can deliver successfully on putting across key messages clearly. 

This is the approach we took when working with FIDO Alliance, on one of their global campaigns. We tailored our approach to each market, offering interviews with local spokespersons which resulted in articles in top tier publications, such as The Wall Street Journal in the US or Security Insider in Germany.  

3. But beyond the overall strategy, different tactics need to be taken into to account to ensure the announcement rings true to journalists, no matter where in Europe they are from:   

  • Any type of content put out needs to be thought of as almost independent from any other. This means that content should not only be translated but localised to ensure relevancy across the different countries. More on the art of localisation here!   
  • The way the news is presented to journalists may vary in the UK, France or Germany. While it might make sense to pre-pitch most news in the UK a few days before the actual announcement date, it is not always necessary in France. Similarly, in Germany, following up with journalists on a news story they have not covered can be frowned upon.   
  • Timing is everything! Ideally, to ensure the news is covered by journalists in EMEA, the embargo should be lifted early enough on the day of the announcement, ideally before 8am GMT for a greater coverage of the news. 

There are many differences between the French, British and German media landscapes and these are only a few examples of what to keep in mind when planning an announcement across Europe. Our PRWithoutBorders™ has demonstrated enhanced efficiency and agility for this European ecosystem.