Shrink vs. Shirk

Media outlets are shrinking, quite literally. Or simple vanishing. Or evolving into vehicles that no longer offer opportunities for coverage or announcements related to or about your clients or accounts.

What’s a p.r. pro to do?

Tough call because many clients seem oblivious to the changes and are expecting – even demanding – coverage that seems limited to Swine Flu updates or IKEA store openings. It’s clips against hits and nothing beats a standard tearsheet to bring a tear to a client’s eye or a smile to their face.

Bottom line is you still need to pursue those outlets but you must also be on the outlook for others and you absolutely have to re-think how, when and whether to pitch an idea.

In other words, there is no free pass that allows you to bypass traditional work standards and practices.

Fewer outlets for news mean fewer or more limited results for clients. But you can still initiate contact, continue to build awareness and keep the client’s profile raised enough that when the right opportunity comes along, you may be the first to get a crack at it.

Then there are the alternatives that should be explored even if your clients think they won’t deliver their anticipated desired results. Those include, but are not limited to: blogs, twitter, email outreach, search engine optimization or dynamic web sites vs. dull web sites are among the other ways you can communicate.

So better get busy. The more things change, the more you need to do to keep up with it all.