The events of 2020?have?hit newsrooms hard – journalists?are?grappling?with a turbulent news cycle, from relentless pandemic developments to reporting political unrest in APAC. On top of these, they?are required to?generate stories with leaner resources such as downsized staff and declining revenue?–?and?deal with?digital disruption.??

Cision, PR Newswire’s parent company, recently released its State of the Media Report (APAC Edition)?that examines?today’s media landscape – from the lens of journalists. It surveyed more than 2,800 journalists from 19 markets around the world?to uncover the?shifts in the?inner workings of journalists, from their editorial strategy, pitching?their?preferences?to?challenges faced.???

The report’s APAC edition?offers deeper insights into how journalists work in APAC, which spans?Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.?

Here are the key takeaways from?the full 2021 State of the Media Report?(APAC Edition)?that you can apply when you are planning your next pitch.??

1. Understand the struggles?that journalists?face??

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38% of journalists expressed fatigue over?covering?COVID-19 related news. From?new virus strains, cancellation of travel bubbles?to vaccination woes, COVID-19 news is showing no signs of slowing down?– more than one year after the outbreak.?

3 out of every 10 journalists find it more challenging to get in touch with their sources for stories, given that many are?working remotely.?What PR pros can do is?to ensure that they or their clients can be readily contacted by phone or video calls?(especially when a client?has been?pitched for interviews).

Also, ensure that your clients are comfortable doing interviews via video calls.?Given that arranging face-to-face interviews?these days is challenging, the next best alternative is video or phone interviews – instead of settling for email interviews. It is much easier for journalists to ask follow-up questions or seek clarifications over a phone or video call.?

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2. Anticipate?the types of stories that?journalists?are looking?for?

After a year of disruption and division, the public and journalists are hungry for positive news.

Close to half of the respondents are looking for “new angles” in their COVID-19 coverage. As the pandemic is far from over, there?are still?many?topics to expand upon?– from feel-good stories on how companies and communities are helping others to?how new technologies are impacting businesses and consumers in the new normal.??

Know the types of stories that journalists are prioritising and how they?fit into?the media outlet’s relevant columns and sections. Thereafter, you can start preparing a list of relevant story ideas?or trends?that are aligned to the media’s editorial strategy?or?put forward?clients?who?are?subject-matter experts and?available for interviews.??

?3.?Time?press releases?right?– fridays and weekends are fine too?

Pitching?on Mondays and Tuesdays?offers a higher pick-up rate among journalists, especially when most media outlets have editorial meetings?in the earlier part of the week.?Journalists?get?busier as the week goes?by. However, do not neglect Fridays and the weekends too.

A significant number of journalists prefer pitches on Fridays (28%) or the weekend (14.3%). This is because some may use the weekend as a breather to catch up on their emails?or?scour for story ideas for that dreadful editorial meeting next week.?Or these emails may land on top of their inboxes?on Monday?morning.??

?4.?Provide content that journalists can incorporate in their stories

Forget email interview responses?filled with marketing spiel or long lists of company achievements.?Time-pressed journalists?are looking?for content that can?be?used?in their articles at short notice. 78% of journalists want to receive press releases, which is a source of?official and verifiable information.??

Original research reports (67%) are also very much welcomed as trends and market?analysis and industry data?can add weight and justify points made in their?articles.?Other in-demand content?includes?invitations?to virtual events (especially when newsmakers can offer comments) or initial ideas for story development that can kickstart their brainstorming process for upcoming articles.??

??Get?Cision’s 2021 State of the Media Report?(APAC Edition) for more journalist insights on pitching preferences, and trends and challenges in today’s complex media landscape.?

This article is written by Kenneth Goh, Senior Marketing Executive at PR Newswire. A former journalist, he relishes keeping track of breaking news as much as telling stories with trends and data. Connect with him via?.