Pop culture dominates the media landscape. From the latest movie releases to the newest trends on social media, pop culture is the lens through which many people view the world, and as a result, it is a crucial part of our daily lives. As public relations professionals, it’s essential to find ways to tie our media pitches into pop culture to capture the attention of a wide audience in addition to our clients’ target audiences.
We all know that pitching is an art form. It requires understanding the outlet, the client, what’s trending, and even what will be trending. It also requires standing out from the crowd of other publicists pitching their own clients, so if there’s anything in your arsenal that you can use to help with your pitch — use it! Right now, the emphasis is on telling a story. One of the best ways to tell a story is to relate it to something the mainstream media is interested in or covering heavily.
Relating Your Brand to Pop Culture and Current Events
One of the most effective ways to relate your brand to pop culture is to find ways to tie your pitch into current events. By keeping up with the latest news and trends, you can find ways to connect your pitch to what is happening in the world around us. For example, if your pitch is about a new fashion line, you could tie it into the latest fashion trend popular among celebrities.
Another way to relate your brand to pop culture with current events is to tap into social media trends. Social media is an excellent tool for keeping up with the latest trends and memes. By staying on top of these trends, you can find ways to connect your pitch to what is happening in the social media world. Say your pitch is about a new food product — you could tie it into the latest TikTok food trend that is taking the internet by storm.
Think Outside of Your Client’s Industry Using Pop Culture
One of the benefits of garnering publicity outside of your client’s target industry using pop culture references is that it can help expand their reach and connect with new audiences. Conversely, when you focus only on your client’s target industry, you may miss out on opportunities to connect with new audiences interested in your client’s product or service.
By tying in pop culture references, you find common ground between your client and the new target audience. Look for connections and overlaps between your pitch and the pop culture trend. Connecting your client’s brand to what is happening in the world around it establishes them as a thought leader.
Expanding your client’s audience helps build their reputation and establish them as an expert in their field. Quality is essential, but quantity helps solidify clients as the expert, leading to the client being the trusted authority, which will then garner new business opportunities and partnerships.
Start Using Pop Culture References in Your Pitches
The general audience is much more well-informed than in the past. They have everything at their fingertips, and they can become micro-experts on virtually any topic within seconds. There are four strategies you can quickly start today to tie media pitches into pop culture:
- Tie your pitch to a popular trend — Find a way to connect your pitch to a current popular trend in pop culture. For example, if your pitch is about a new tech product, you could tie it into the growing remote work trend.
- Use pop culture references — Use pop culture references to make your pitch more relatable and engaging to the audience. If your pitch is about a new beauty product, you could reference a popular celebrity known for their beauty routine.
- Use social media — Social media is an excellent tool for tying your media pitches into pop culture. Use platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to stay on top of the latest trends and connect with influencers who can help spread the word about your client’s product or service.
- Create engaging content — One of the most effective ways to tie your media pitches into pop culture is to create engaging content. Engaging content pertains to the client and tells a story. You can create a video, get your client on a popular podcast, or write a few guest blog posts. Use pop culture references and trending topics to create content that resonates with your audience and helps build buzz around your client’s product or service.
Tying media pitches into pop culture can be a highly effective way to capture the attention of your target audience. By staying current with the latest trends, finding common ground between those trends and your pitch, using pop culture references, leveraging social media, and creating engaging content, you can make your media pitches more relatable and engaging to your target audience. With these tips and strategies, you can take your media pitches to the next level and stand out in a crowded media landscape.
