By Mark Macias Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer
There is a formula behind successful media coverage, and it isn’t as simple as writing a strong pitch and sending it to the right reporter.
A story can have a compelling headline and still fail because the timing is wrong. An executive can possess deep expertise but lack the evidence needed to establish authority. Proprietary data can be genuinely revealing, yet never generate coverage because no one identified the larger trend hiding inside the numbers.
Earned media is the intersection of multiple variables: story, timing, news value, credibility, audience, reporter, evidence and execution.
Understanding how those variables interact is where MACIAS PR has an advantage. Our approach wasn’t developed from a PR textbook. It was shaped inside newsrooms, refined through journalism, and tested over 17 years of securing media coverage.
By Mark Macias Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer
“Our sources are everywhere.” Yes, it’s playful, but there is a serious approach when it comes to newsrooms.
Successful PR requires access—to journalists, information, trends, industries and the conversations shaping the news. But access alone doesn’t get a company media coverage. You also need to know what to do with it.
I founded MACIAS PR in 2009 after spending years inside newsrooms, including as an Executive Producer with NBC and CBS in New York. That experience shaped a different approach to PR and media relations. We don’t begin campaigns by asking, “What does the client want to announce?” We start by asking the question I heard every day inside the newsroom:
That distinction influences everything we do.
MACIAS PR Approaches Publicity From the Newsroom Perspective
Most companies understandably approach PR from their own perspective. They want to promote a product, announce a funding round, introduce a new executive or tell reporters about a partnership.
Journalists don’t approach stories that way. A reporter wants to know why the development matters to readers or viewers. An editor wants to know why the story deserves space. A television producer needs to understand why audiences won’t change the channel. I sat on that side of the editorial table.
As an Executive Producer, I reviewed and approved story ideas while reporters and producers competed for limited airtime. That experience taught me how quickly journalists evaluate stories—and how quickly they reject ideas that sound like marketing.
Today, MACIAS PR applies that newsroom perspective before we ever contact a reporter.
By Mark Macias Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer
Great stories rarely begin with a press release. They can come from a conversation with a customer, an unexpected piece of internal data, a cultural shift, a competitor’s mistake, a frustrated employee, a changing regulation or even something happening thousands of miles away.
The challenge isn’t finding information. Every company is surrounded by information. The skill is recognizing which pieces contain a story.
Before founding MACIAS PR, I spent years inside newsrooms, including as an Executive Producer with NBC. One of the most important lessons I learned during that time was that journalists see the world differently. A reporter can walk into an ordinary situation and notice the one detail everyone else overlooked.
That same curiosity should drive public relations.
The best PR professionals don’t sit around waiting for companies to announce something. They constantly look at business, culture, data and the news cycle and ask: Where is the story hiding?
By Mark Macias Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer
The Big Picture: Fewer Reporters, Tighter Newsrooms
Comcast announced last year it would spin off MSNBC and CNBC into a new publicly traded company that goes into effect November 15th. And earlier this year, Skydance Media purchased the parent company of CBS for $8 billion, consolidating legacy brands like CBS News, The CBS Morning Show and their digital platforms.
For entrepreneurs and business owners trying to get media coverage, this matters: fewer resources, new leadership, new content priorities = new hoops to jump through.
With NBC and Paramount Skydance already beginning large-scale layoffs (2,000 jobs announced in October) and shifting editorial focus, your story better be aligned with their new watch-list of “timely, high-impact coverage” rather than the old “feature angle” playbook.
This might seem like inside-baseball corporate move, but the effects are real — and they’re hitting the media world hard.
Layoffs across NBC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC have reduced newsroom staff. Producers are juggling multiple stories. Reporters are covering different industries at once. And that means one thing for entrepreneurs in search of coverage:
It’s getting harder — not easier — to get your story told.
Why it Matters for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
Every founder wants their story told — whether it’s a product launch, funding round, or thought-leadership feature. But when networks have fewer people and smaller budgets, they simply can’t cover as many stories.
That’s not just theory — it’s what we’ve seen firsthand at MACIAS PR this year, and from my time inside the media. Reporters we’ve known for years have told us they’re overloaded, covering double the work with half the help. Some have even reached out to me after losing their jobs during restructuring.
This environment makes it essential for business owners to think differently about how they approach the media.
What’s Changing in the Media Landscape
Here’s what you need to know about the newsroom shift happening right now:
Fewer people to pitch. The teams behind shows are getting reshuffled, especially at CBS where entire newscasts are getting cut. Staffing is leaner than ever.
Shorter deadlines. News producers are prioritizing quick-turn, hard news stories that are easy to produce.
Less room for features. Soft or human-interest stories — especially those without a timely hook — are being cut first.
More competition. With fewer open slots, only the sharpest, most relevant pitches get airtime.
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.
By Mark Macias Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer
When Mick Jagger hired Andy Warhol to design an album cover, he sent him a now-famous letter. Jagger didn’t dictate the design or micromanage the process. Instead, he gave Warhol full creative freedom.
That simple letter offers a powerful lesson for CEOs, CMOs, and entrepreneurs: if you want bold, breakthrough results from creative talent, you must give them space to create.
Most people know Andy Warhol was eccentric and unpredictable. He wasn’t “easy” to work with—but he was brilliant. He elevated his art through both vision and publicity, turning each project into a masterpiece. That freedom was the foundation of his success.
What This Means for PR Strategy
Over the years at MACIAS PR, I’ve worked with CEOs, CMOs, entrepreneurs, and marketing teams of all sizes. The companies that achieved the best media results were the ones that trusted our expertise and let our creative strategies unfold.
The opposite was also true. Clients who micromanaged, second-guessed, or assumed they knew the media landscape better than us rarely saw the same results. In PR, as in art, creativity thrives when leaders create the conditions for it—not when they restrict it.
