Why Scrappy PR Agencies Often Find Better Media Opportunities

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Mark Macias

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.

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Who Really Controls Your Media Story? Inside the PR Ecosystem

Posted on August 15, 2026 by Mark Macias

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

Every company wants to be the one getting all the attention.

The CEO wants the interview. Investors want to see the company in respected business publications. Marketing wants the exposure. Competitors notice when another brand suddenly seems to be everywhere.

But there is an entire ecosystem between wanting media coverage and actually getting it.

The image accompanying this article is playful, but the hierarchy behind it is real. The client may be at the center of the story, but reporters decide whether to pursue it. Editors and producers determine whether it makes the cut. Audiences ultimately decide whether it matters. And competitors are always watching to see who is winning the conversation.

Before founding MACIAS PR, I worked inside this ecosystem as an Executive Producer with NBC and later at CBS. I reviewed and approved story ideas, worked with reporters and producers, and saw firsthand why some pitches moved forward while hundreds of others disappeared.

Understanding those different players—and what each of them needs—is one of the most important lessons in public relations.

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What Journalists Actually Look For in a Startup Story

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Mark Macias

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

“How do I get reporters interested in my company?”

It’s a popular question from all startups. Our conversation usually begins around a product launch, funding announcement or new partnership. These milestones are exciting for founders, but journalists rarely care about those topics.

Before founding MACIAS PR, I spent years approving story ideas as Executive Producer with NBC and CBS. Every day, we evaluated hundreds of pitches competing for a limited number of broadcast segments. The overwhelming majority never made it to air—not because the companies lacked innovation, but because they lacked a compelling story.

Understanding how journalists evaluate news is one of the biggest advantages a startup can have. Once founders begin thinking like reporters instead of marketers, media coverage becomes much more attainable.

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

Posted on October 9, 2025 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.

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🎯 Why the Best PR Stories Aren’t Pitched Where You Think They Belong

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Mark Macias

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

When I wrote the book, Tao of PR, I wanted to strip away the mythology around the media and show how real stories are born—and sold—inside the newsroom.

The insider truth? One size does not fit all when it comes to getting a journalist’s attention. If you want to win the PR war, you have to typically stop thinking like a publicist—and start thinking like an editor.

The Danger of the Obvious Pitch

Too many publicists take the safe, predictable path. They pitch the fashion section for a clothing designer, or the sports desk for a high school football coach. And when their emails are ignored, they frequently blame the media.

But the real problem is the pitch. Safe pitches are forgettable pitches.

The most successful campaigns I’ve led didn’t land in the section you’d expect. They broke the pattern. They forced the reporter to stop and say, “I’ve never heard this story told this way before.”

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Big Media Experience for Startups at Friendly Rates

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Mark Macias

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

Startups run lean. Every dollar is scrutinized. I understand that as both the founder of a startup and by working with boot-strapped entrepreneurs. You can’t afford to gamble on a junior PR associate learning on the job when your business is at stake.

Before I launched MACIAS PR in 2009, I spent years making editorial decisions inside the newsroom. As Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS, I approved the stories that were broadcast — and which were cut. This insider media experience shapes the DNA of MACIAS PR.

It’s also a driving differentiator for our startup clients. You get senior-level media expertise without the big agency price tag.

Why That Matters for Startups

Most large PR agencies will pitch you with their senior team. It’s a great sell with all of those publicists behind you and a beautiful 20-page deck that lures you in. But the reality – you will be passed off to junior account executives once the contract is signed.

With MACIAS PR, you will always work with an experienced media strategist. You won’t be passed off to a junior publicist and your team will remain consistent. As long as MACIAS PR is in business, your team won’t change.

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