Steve Lambert

Secondly, keep the human side of media relations. It's definitely harder to get journalists on the phone than it used to be, but if you can speak to someone properly, do it. If you can't get them on the phone, look at where else they're active. I've found LinkedIn increasingly useful in recent years, particularly with regional and trade journalists. Sometimes a quick message or conversation will get you much further than another follow-up email sitting in an inbox.

And lastly, spend time actually getting to know the client. They'll often come to you with an idea of what they think the story is, but that isn't always where the strongest angle sits. Have a proper conversation. Ask what's changing in the business, what they're struggling with, what customers are asking about, what's coming up and what they're excited or worried about. Some of the best stories I've worked on have come from a fairly informal conversation rather than a formal briefing.

A lot of good PR still comes down to being curious, being specific about who you're trying to reach and actually talking to people.