Month: October 2025

🧠 Do Relationships Matter When It Comes to Media Coverage?

Posted on by Mark Macias

🧠 Do Relationships Matter When It Comes to Media Coverage?

Short answer: not as much as you think.

Every potential client asks the same question: “Do your media relationships help secure coverage?” or “Can you get access to producers?”

The easy answer would be “yes.” But the honest one is more nuanced — and more revealing about how PR really works in 2025.

The Truth About Media Relationships

I’ve spent more than two decades inside the media — with NBC and CBS in New York, and another 15 years leading MACIAS PR, speaking with reporters and producers every day.

So yes, I know a lot of journalists. They text me, share personal stories, and sometimes ask me for background info or insights.

But here’s the truth: relationships alone don’t drive coverage.

They may get your pitch read, but they don’t guarantee a story. Even close friends in the newsroom can’t bend editorial standards or override a weak news angle.

The Changing Media Landscape

The media environment is tightening fast. As I wrote in a recent blog post, soft feature stories are harder to sell, and reporters are under enormous pressure to file multiple stories a day.

Just this week, CBS’s parent company announced 1,000 layoffs, many of them journalists — part of a wider trend across Amazon, Microsoft, and other major media employers.

That shrinking newsroom means fewer opportunities for coverage — and even greater competition among publicists to get stories placed.

What This Means for PR Strategy

If your PR strategy depends on an old friend or former colleague “getting you in,” it’s time for a reality check. That approach didn’t work when newsrooms were full — and it definitely doesn’t work now.

The best PR agencies win coverage because they:

  • Develop solid editorial angles that align with newsroom priorities.
  • Use insider tactics that make stories easy to approve and quick to publish.
  • Employ enterprise thinking — understanding how stories evolve across beats and formats.

That’s exactly how MACIAS PR continues to secure top-tier media placements — even in a world where every newsroom is stretched thin.

🏁 Key Takeaway

Relationships can open a door, but strategy and storytelling get you inside. The journalists who respond today do so because your story helps them do their job — not because of who you know.

💡 Call to Action

If you want to see how a data-driven and editorially-led PR strategy can outperform connections, try our PR Cost Calculator to get a custom PR estimate for your business.
You’ll see what’s possible when strategy — not relationships — drives results.

ABOUT MACIAS PR

MACIAS PR was founded in 2009 by Mark Macias – an Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS in New York. City & State Magazine named Macias one of the top 50 best PR pros in New York in 2022 and 2024. Finance Monthly named MACIAS PR the 2017-2020 Strategic PR Firm of the Year, and PR Firm of the Year. Message us if you’d like to get a customized strategy.

Case Study: Launching New York’s First-Ever Korean Festival

Posted on by Mark Macias

Client Background

KOOM 2025 marked the first Korean festival of its kind in New York City — an ambitious initiative merging K-culture, K-tech, and entrepreneurship. Backed by Noom Co-Founder and Chairman Saeju Jeong, the festival aimed to create a “Korean CES” that would spotlight Korean innovation, startups, and creativity on the global stage.

When MACIAS PR joined the project, the festival had no branding, no media visibility, and no awareness in the U.S. market. Our team was tasked with building recognition from the ground up — positioning KOOM as a major cultural and tech event worthy of national attention.

Strategy

Our strategy focused on bridging cultural storytelling with business relevance. MACIAS PR crafted a dual narrative:

  1. Cultural Angle – Highlighting the global rise of K-culture (K-pop, K-beauty, K-fashion) and how it connects to creativity and innovation.
  2. Business & Innovation Angle – Framing KOOM as a launchpad for the next generation of Korean founders expanding into the U.S. market.

We leveraged the founder’s credibility, his mission to “give back” to the next generation of Korean entrepreneurs, and the festival’s one-of-a-kind blend of K-culture + K-tech to secure national, business, and cultural media interest.

Media Results

The campaign generated international coverage across 10+ outlets, including Forbes, Patch, Asia Tech Daily, The Chosun Daily, Korea Times, Korea Tech Desk, Maeil Business, and SBS Star.

Highlights:

Outcome

KOOM successfully sold out its first festival, attracting more than 10,000 attendees and 1,200 entrepreneurs from Korea and abroad. The festival became a global showcase for Korean creativity, elevating both its cultural and startup ecosystems.

The campaign transformed KOOM from an unbranded idea into a globally recognized event covered by major business, tech, and entertainment outlets.

Key Lesson

A compelling cross-cultural story — when rooted in both human mission and market relevance — can cut across borders and media categories. MACIAS PR turned an unknown Korean startup festival into a cultural moment embraced by U.S. and international media alike.

Ready to elevate your next event or brand launch?
MACIAS PR specializes in turning first-time initiatives into national stories.


👉 Get a Free PR Estimate or schedule a strategy call to see how we can help you build buzz from the ground up.

ABOUT MACIAS PR

MACIAS PR was founded in 2009 by Mark Macias – an Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS in New York. City & State Magazine named Macias one of the top 50 best PR pros in New York in 2022 and 2024. Finance Monthly named MACIAS PR the 2017-2020 Strategic PR Firm of the Year, and PR Firm of the Year. Message us if you’d like to get a customized strategy.

Case Study: How MACIAS PR Helped a Congressional Challenger Gain National Attention

Posted on by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

The Challenge

When Vangie Williams ran for Congress in Virginia’s First District, she faced long odds. The district spanned three distinct media markets — Washington DC, Norfolk, and Richmond — each with different news priorities, audiences, and levels of national attention.

Her campaign also had no financial support from the DNC, forcing her team to run a competitive race with limited resources in a solidly Republican district.

Williams needed a media strategy that could break through both local and national noise, humanize her platform, and position her as a serious contender.

The Strategy

MACIAS PR designed and executed a comprehensive political media campaign that elevated Williams’ visibility across all three markets.

Our team:

  • Created a unifying message that resonated across small-town papers and major city TV stations.
  • Identified hyper-local issues that connected with each community while aligning with her broader platform.
  • Coordinated and scheduled every interview and press opportunity.
  • Media-trained the candidate to communicate confidently across print, TV, radio, and digital channels.

Despite operating on a bootstrapped budget, MACIAS PR delivered a full-scale communications strategy that rivaled better-funded opponents.

The Results

The campaign earned prominent placements across national, regional, and local outlets — including:

Major Media:
The Washington Post, WTOP, Essence, Deutsche Welle

Regional & Local News:
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Daily Press, Virginia Mercury, Fredericksburg.com, Potomac Local, Fauquier Times, Inside Nova, Prince William Times, Virginia Gazette, Blue Virginia, The Blue & Gray Press, Gazette-Journal, WTVR.com, Digital Journal, People’s World

This wave of coverage helped narrow the race to single digits, marking one of the strongest Democratic performances in the district’s history. The DNC took notice of the campaign’s earned media success, even without providing funding support.

Key Takeaway

This campaign proved that strategic media storytelling can level the playing field, even without national party funding.
By focusing on authenticity, consistent messaging, and local engagement, MACIAS PR helped transform a first-time candidate into a competitive challenger who captured headlines — and voters’ attention — across Virginia.

Continue reading “Case Study: How MACIAS PR Helped a Congressional Challenger Gain National Attention” →

The Media Is Changing — And It’s Making PR Harder Than Ever

Posted on by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

🧭 The Media Landscape Has Changed — Fast

The media is changing quickly, and it’s having a direct impact on how your stories get covered. I’ve watched this evolution closely over the past two years as my agency has run media campaigns across tech, healthcare, AI, and finance.

But lately, the pressure inside newsrooms feels heavier than ever. Journalists aren’t just busy — they’re overwhelmed.

🗞️ What I’m Hearing From Inside the Newsroom

Throughout summer 2025, I spoke with producers, reporters, and Executive Producers from Newsmax, CNN, PIX11, New York Post, News 12 Brooklyn, CNBC, LA Times, San Francisco Standard, and the Washington Post.

It’s a diverse mix of media outlets, yet the same message came up in every conversation:

“We’re overloaded. We’re all doing more with less.”

Even my former colleagues — many of whom now run newsrooms — described burnout and confusion as priorities shifted daily. Several missed scheduled calls with clients, not from neglect, but because stories were falling through the cracks.

📉 Why This Matters: Hard News Wins, Soft News Loses

The rules of engagement have changed:

  • Hard news is in; soft news is out.
  • Complicated stories struggle; simple, visual stories get greenlit.
  • In-depth features are shelved; one-day turnarounds get priority.

Need proof? One of our clients was approved for a TV morning show segment — confirmed by the Executive Producer herself. But the day before the live appearance, she called to apologize: the segment was double-booked. They simply didn’t have enough people to handle the schedule.

That’s the new normal. Even approved stories can fall apart in the chaos.

Continue reading “The Media Is Changing — And It’s Making PR Harder Than Ever” →

Case Study: Launching MDAcne into the U.S. Market

Posted on by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

MACIAS PR has successfully run media campaigns for some of the largest names in digital health—including Noom, WellRx and Lifesum. But our team also has a strong record of helping early-stage startups break through their competitive markets.

One example is MDAcne, an Israeli health-tech company that approached MACIAS PR to launch its AI-powered acne treatment app in the United States.

The Challenge

MDAcne faced steep hurdles from day one:

  • No U.S. presence — The company had no employees in the United States.
  • Founders fully occupied — The father-and-son founders were busy running operations, leaving little time for PR support.
  • No spokesperson — Without a dedicated media representative, every story had to be carefully shaped and delivered through our team.
  • Complex market — The U.S. consumer health and telemedicine space was already saturated with apps and new entrants.

In short: the responsibility for messaging, positioning, and execution fell entirely on MACIAS PR.

Our Strategy

MACIAS PR developed a multi-pronged campaign that positioned MDAcne as a personalized acne solution powered by AI—a disruptive narrative that resonated with women, teens, and parents navigating skincare challenges. To strengthen credibility, we targeted a mix of consumer lifestyle outlets for downloads and B2B health trade media to attract potential partnerships with dermatologists and clinics.

Our Approach

MACIAS PR developed a campaign that:

  • Positioned MDAcne as an AI-powered solution for teens, women, and parents struggling with acne.
  • Targeted lifestyle media (to drive downloads and consumer trust).
  • Engaged B2B health trade outlets (to build credibility with dermatologists and potential partners).
  • Shaped all messaging without a local spokesperson, ensuring consistency and authority.
Continue reading “Case Study: Launching MDAcne into the U.S. Market” →