By Mark Macias Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer
PR and media campaigns rarely unfold exactly as planned.
A reporter who expressed interest can get pulled into breaking news. A product launch that appears important internally may not generate enough news value for a national publication. An editor may like the subject but reject the original angle. Sometimes a company simply doesn’t have an obvious announcement to pitch.
These situations are where PR strategy, creativity and experience become important.
At MACIAS PR, we describe this approach as being scrappy. That doesn’t mean cutting corners or sending more pitches. In public relations, being scrappy means understanding the objective, recognizing when an approach isn’t working and finding another credible route to media coverage.
My experience as an Executive Producer with NBC taught me that journalists aren’t evaluating how much work went into a PR campaign. They are evaluating the story in front of them. Does it reveal something new? Is it timely? Does it affect their audience? Is there credible evidence supporting it?
Successful media relations requires answering those questions—even when the original PR plan doesn’t.
By Mark Macias Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer
One of the more popular questions I hear from potential clients is: “How many media placements can we expect each month?”
I understand why people ask it. Businesses want measurable results. But if I were in their shoes, I can tell you a better question to ask based on my time as Executive Producer with NBC, CBS and years as a PR agency owner.
The better question is: “What types of media coverage can we expect?”
The media landscape has shifted with the war, and that means your PR and communications team should be adapting with it. Here’s some insight on how to rework your narrative for times like this.
By Mark Macias Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer
If you’re pitching feature stories right now, you might feel like you’re speaking into a black hole. That’s because the news cycle has shifted — fast.
Today, a New York Times reporter told me she’s backed up almost entirely on war-related angles tied to Iran. And it’s not an isolated case. Across top-tier media, reporters are being pulled toward hard news — geopolitics, national security, economic fallout, and global risk. Every major Tier One media interview we’ve secured over the last two months has been tied to the Iran War. That’s not a coincidence.
The media doesn’t just adjust — it reorients completely. The best publicists adapt to the news climate.
The Editorial Shift: From Feature Stories to Hard News
When global conflict enters the new cycle, editorial priorities tighten.
Stories that once had momentum — lifestyle, business profiles, trend pieces — get pushed aside. Not because they’re bad stories but because the most urgent stories take priority.
This is the key insight many brands miss. Reporters don’t stop needing sources — they change what they need sources to discuss.
🧠 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.
