Ahh, spring ‒ flowers are blooming, birds are singing, allergies are emerging, and clutter is accumulating! I’m not just talking about the junk in your closet ‒ public relations “clutter” tends to build up throughout the year and can inhibit your ability to produce effective PR results. Give the same attention to your PR strategy as you would your overflowing closet and do a little spring cleaning! Here are five suggestions for giving your PR strategy some deserved TLC this spring time.

1. Clean up your master press list

Remember that massive press list that you spent hours developing? With the dynamic nature of our industry, chances are some of those journalists have switched roles, moved publications or changed their contact information. Instead of wasting time pitching journalists with emails that will bounce, take an extra couple of hours to make sure the  master list is up to date. It will be well worth your time in the long run!

2. Dig around for some new publications

New publications are popping up on the internet on a daily basis. A plethora of new outlets that could be a perfect fit for your client are out there ‒ it is up to you to find them! If you find yourself pitching the same outlets over and over again, it might be time to find some fresh targets. A great way to do this is through Google searches, Cision and monitoring HARO for new outlets that are posting queries.

3. Take a new look at your key messages

Now is a perfect time to review your key messages to ensure they are still communicating the right messages to your target audience. In your PR spring cleaning, take time to evaluate the changes or rebranding that occurred in your client’s business within the past year to ensure that the key messages are relevant and reflect the business’ core values.

4. Analyze your media coverage

Looking at past coverage can help you determine if the target audience is reached with the publications you pitch. For example, if you are trying to reach fruit producers, landing coverage in The American Lawyer probably was not worth the pitching effort. It can also be helpful to examine the Domain Authority and the unique visitors per month of each publication that you have landed coverage in. This can help you understand the amount of web traffic your coverage is getting. For more on Domain Authority, you can read this blog post.

5. Consider switching up your pitching style

If you are anything like me, you probably have a go-to template that you use for every pitch. Not only can they be mundane to write, similar pitches bore your media contacts too! To make them a little more fun, try making a specific reference to something the journalist has written in the past. You could also spice things up by coming up with a silly or clever subject line that is sure to grab the journalist’s attention. A tried and true way to achieve coverage is to explicitly state why the journalist’s readers will value the information you are presenting ‒ don’t make the journalist do extra work by having to decipher why your pitch is relevant to them.

Cleaning out the extra crud in your PR strategy is sure way to get you on the road towards achieving the PR results that you want. Happy spring cleaning, PR pros!