5 tactics for mastering the DC media machine

These days, all eyes are on Washington, D.C.

From the follow-up surrounding the highly anticipated Mueller report to the border wall and even to the FAA grounding of Boeing jets, stories from the nation’s capital are front and center, dominating media headlines every single day.

That means there’s plenty of opportunity to get your organization and its leaders involved in national news stories, but your hook and response time are crucial.

Here are tips to get into this quick moving news cycle:

1. Be a media consumer.

Every PR professional knows it is essential to be familiar with the outlet and reporters you are pitching. To best understand the D.C. media landscape, start subscribing to newsletters and reading publications that focus on Washington, policies and campaigns.  There’s a lot out there, but you can’t go wrong by starting with POLITICO Playbook, Axios AM, The Washington Post and The Hill. Publications like POLITICO and The Washington Post also have specialty newsletters on issues like aviation, cybersecurity, 2020 presidential campaigns, etc.