In this episode, Matisse chats with Samiha Fariha about all things media relations.
About Samiha Fariha
Samiha Fariha is a senior associate at Golin, a global public relations agency. Previously, she worked as a senior consultant at FleishmanHillard HighRoad, a global PR agency, and before that, for three years as an account executive at Torchia Communications, a mid-size PR agency with offices in Toronto and Montreal. Before pursuing a career in PR, she worked in marketing roles in real estate and consulting roles in digital marketing in healthcare, jewellery and luxury goods. She holds a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Toronto, a post-graduate certificate in public relations from Humber College and a certificate in digital marketing management from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. In her free time, she enjoys writing about industry trends. Some of her past stories have been published by leading trade publications such as PR NEWS, Ragan Communications, Agility PR’s Bulldog Reporter and Daily Dog’, Talking Influence and Marketing Magazine Australia.
Connect with Samiha:
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Host: @MatisseNelis
In this episode, Matisse chats with Samiha Fariha about all things media relations.
About Samiha Fariha
Samiha Fariha is a senior associate at Golin, a global public relations agency. Previously, she worked as a senior consultant at FleishmanHillard HighRoad, a global PR agency, and before that, for three years as an account executive at Torchia Communications, a mid-size PR agency with offices in Toronto and Montreal. Before pursuing a career in PR, she worked in marketing roles in real estate and consulting roles in digital marketing in healthcare, jewellery and luxury goods. She holds a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Toronto, a post-graduate certificate in public relations from Humber College and a certificate in digital marketing management from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. In her free time, she enjoys writing about industry trends. Some of her past stories have been published by leading trade publications such as PR NEWS, Ragan Communications, Agility PR’s Bulldog Reporter and Daily Dog’, Talking Influence and Marketing Magazine Australia.
Connect with Samiha:
Connect with PR & Lattes:
Website: PR & Lattes
Instagram: @PRAndLattes
Host: @MatisseNelis
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 00:00
Hello and welcome back to PR & Lattes, the podcast where you can fill up your cup on everything PR and communications. I'm your host Matisse Hamel-Nelis. And I am so thrilled to have you join me today for a brand new episode. Before we get started, make sure you are subscribed to this podcast wherever you're listening to it to get notified each week during the season when a new episode drops. You can also subscribe to our newsletter by visiting our website PR and lattes.com. On the website, you'll find our podcast episodes plus our amazing blogs with new ones being uploaded every Monday morning. And of course make sure you're following us on social media on Instagram@PRAndLattes and on LinkedIn PR & lattes. On today's episode, I'm chatting with Samiha Fariha, a senior associate at Golin a global public relations agency began her career in public relations Samiha has always been in the agency space, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto, a graduate certificate in public relations from Humber College and a certificate in digital marketing management from the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. A mouthful for sure. In her free time Samiha enjoys writing about industry trends, with some of her stories being featured in leading trade publications like PR News, Ragan Communications, Agility PR's Bulldog Reporter ad Daily Dog, Talking Influence and Marketing Magazine Australia. I am so excited to have her on today's episode to talk about all things media relations. So grab your latte, sit back and enjoy. Hello, Samiha, I am so excited to have you on today's episode. How are you doing?
Samiha Fariha 01:44
I'm doing great. Thank you for having me.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 01:47
This is going to be such a great discussion about media relations pitching and the relationship with journalists. I can't wait to get into it. But before we do, can you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and your own PR journey?
Samiha Fariha 02:00
Yeah, sure. So you know, I started my career as an account co-ordinator, midsize PR agency called Torchia Communications where I did media relations for a wide variety of clients from you know, industries such as retail, non-profit, and tech. And when I got promoted as an account executive, I was able to manage accounts and take more ownership over the earned media plans for you know, the different clients. And after my third year at Torchia, Communications, you know, I felt I had really grown as a PR professional, and I wanted to get more experience working at a bigger PR agency. So I ended up working at FleishmanHillard HighRoad, for a short time, before eventually starting my role at Golin as a senior associate. And that's where I now work. And I work on a multitude of different clients from you know, clients, such as Avino, Staples, and a wide variety of clients in tech and corporate.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 03:00
Amazing, I'm not gonna lie, I got really giddy when you said Staples, that is like my go to shop stationery and all things that staples sell my heaven, my little slice of heaven.
Samiha Fariha 03:12
They're a really fun client.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 03:14
For me, it would be like the ultimate. So you mentioned earned media, which, to those who are listening, who are maybe just getting into PR, we're talking about media relations, essentially, and working with journalists and publications. So when did you realize that media relations or earned media was really one of your strengths that you wanted to make a specialty?
Samiha Fariha 03:34
Yes. So you know, when I was working at Torchia Communications, I had to write all the time, from press releases, to pitch notes to building extensive media lists from, you know, including media, both nationally and local outlets. And I realized I was very good at writing and thinking very creatively. And not only when it came to like drafting pitches or building extensive media lists, but also, you know, I was able to use my creativity a lot when it came to building those MR plans. That's probably when I realized that media relations could be my strength. Writing was a, you know, a skill that I was very good at. And I loved thinking creatively and MR could be so much more.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 04:21
Amazing. All right, so let's dive into this passion, the strength of yours all things media relations. So obviously, before we contact media, we have to work with the client, especially when we're working agency side. So how have you been able to help your clients level set the media exposure and what they can expect when you're reaching out to media? Because usually everyone's like, I want to be in Forbes, I want to be on MSNBC or CNN and you're like, huh, maybe. So how do you level set?
Samiha Fariha 04:53
I would say set realistic KPIs with clients, you know, don't promise them 237 stories, 76 million impressions when you know, it can be extremely difficult to you know, reach that goal. And also set your KPIs really low. So when you exceed it, you can, you know, tell the clients, you know, this is, this is what the team did. And this is how we were able to, like, you know, reach our goal. So I would say start with the KPIs and set realistic KPIs.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 05:25
And what would you say are typical, shall we say, level set KPIs that if somebody is just entering the field, as you know, an intern, and they're just kind of being asked, like, here's a campaign, think about a KPI, what is something that is more realistic in terms of setting those versus, you know, like you said, 77 million impressions, 250 clips, that sort of thing?
Samiha Fariha 05:50
Yeah, I would say first, look at a similar campaign, talk to your team looking at a similar campaign, what the KPI was for that. And, and then based off of that, you could set that, so maybe start with like, maybe 20 stories, depending on, you know, how innovative the campaign is, and maybe 26 million impressions, that's realistic, compared to like 76 or 87 million, sometimes you could reach that level of impression, butyou know, it, that campaign would have to be really great for you to, like, reach that kind of goal. So start with, you know, what the past KPIs were for other clients, and then kind of work off of that, and set it for this specific account.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 06:37
That's an excellent tip, usually people just kind of will start pulling numbers from, you know, from out of the clouds and be like, Yeah, this will work when, you know, look at similar campaigns or something that is inside or in innovation, similar, right, and then kind of from there, that's, that's very showing, I've seen people who just like pull numbers from out of thin air, and you're like, I'm okay. That can be KPI for sure.
Samiha Fariha 07:05
Yeah, sometimes talking to your teams, you know, you get an idea of, you know, what worked, and the type of campaign that they were able to work with. And if it were similar, and that's how you kind of get an idea. You can't really create that perfect KPI in isolation, you have to talk to people, your team, your manager, and, you know, don't have that idea.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 07:27
Yeah, you're not, you know, a one-person show, it's a team effort, for sure. And getting those numbers. So when we're looking at those KPIs, in order for us to achieve them entails a lot of media pitching, right? So how has pitching to the media evolved nowadays, particularly with the social media landscape, and things like X, or formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram and Tiktok really taking off particularly with influencers, how has pitching media and what media is involved?
Samiha Fariha 08:00
I would say the best way to pitch in this current time would be by email. Because, you know, pitching by phone is really tough. It's very hard to get a hold of a reporter in the newsroom, and, you know, pitch your story and get their attention. So and also follow up by email, if you follow up by email, you'll get a quicker response from the reporter, they'll let you know if there's someone else in the newsroom that you could send it to. So email is definitely your best bet if you're trying to pitch your stories or even follow up about a previous story. Also, you know, if your pitch is time sensitive, or news related, you could still call the newsroom and pitch your story and see if there's an interest there. But sometimes, it's very hard to do that. So even if it's a time sensitive story, you know, email the reporter, the reporter in the newsroom, they're going to forward it to the right person who might you know, who might be interested in your story and follow up with you for additional context. So I would say email has become a bigger part. Before it was phone, it was much easier to get a response right now. It's not the case right now.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 09:13
Yeah. Do you think there's a special timing, if you will, in terms of when to pitch media and then when to follow up? So how many days later if there's a time of day that you'd recommend what have you found works for you?
Samiha Fariha 09:29
I would say you know, if you sent out a pitch follow up a week later. Yeah, chances are, you know, they'll get back to you and they'll let you know if the story is a fit. Also, if the pitch is really timely, so if you're pitching a story around Labor Day, or holiday, you know if or you know any kind of like timely moments like that. Chances are you know chances of getting coverage is really high because these are timely moments, and this is when reporters are looking to, you know, write content around. But if you're pitching around other key moments, that's, you know, other moments that are not so timely, maybe I don't know, national plan for vacation day or, you know, other moments like that. There might not be that angle might not catch on. So timely moments like Labour Day, holidays, that's when you know, the interest is high. And if you have a report, if you have a certain relationship with a reporter, chances are you have their cell phone number, so you can call them up, pitch them, and see if there's an interest there. So having a relationship really helps, as well.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 10:42
Any tips on how to build those relationships? I know, we were taught in school, you know, oh, you ask them for an informational interview and all this stuff, it's like, but they're also very busy dealing with it just so what what are some tips that you have for building up that media relationship?
Samiha Fariha 10:59
Yeah, so I would definitely invite them to media previews that your clients might be holding, maybe back to school, holidays, or certainly, you know, previews around product launches, invite them build that relationship, send them a mailer, also, with products that your clients have launched, or, you know, products that your client is prioritizing, you know, just as a nice gesture, and that's also another way to build it, you could also, you know, invite the media and media to, you know, out for coffee, to see, you know, what they're working on and how you could be, you know, help that way. And that's another way to kind of build that relationship. So I would say, definitely start with those three things and see where it goes.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 11:51
I love it. Love it. And I love the idea of like you said that mailer just kind of making it as easy as possible for the journalist, right? If you're making their job easier, they're gonna love you for it. And you'll build that relationship. I love that. What other strategies? Have you found most effective in getting a journalist attention when there are so many pitches coming in from all over the place? To make your standout?
Samiha Fariha 12:18
Yeah, so you know, to get your story covered, I would say your email pitches need to be clear and concise. So you know, if your, your subject line needs to be clear and specific, if you're sending story pitches, so you know, if you're sending a pitch to a print on web media outlet, right story ideas in the subject line, if you're pitching TV or radio mentioned segment ideas in the subject line. And, you know, if you're sending out a press release to, you know, media, like specific media, I would say right release in the subject line, it's very clear, very concise, they know what that is. And also summarize the main key messages from the press release in your pitch. So the reporters don't have to, you know, go read the whole press release to get the idea. But what the campaign is about, the most important key messages are in the pitch. And if they need additional context, they could just go down and read it. So I would say start with the subject line make it as clear as possible, they get so many emails, sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between what is a junk mail, or spam to what's, you know, what's an actual pitch, and starting with the subject line, and making that as clear as possible, kind of makes their life easier.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 13:34
Interesting. So aside from the subject line being very clear and encapsulating in the actual pitch, the key points of the release that's most likely attach, how important is it to also tailor the pitch to different media outlets? And what are some key considerations people should take into, should think about when they're writing the pitch, because you don't want to necessarily spread the exact same email to 100 people, right? You want to tailor it a little bit, but how important is that, in actuality.
Samiha Fariha 14:06
I would say it's very important to tailor your pitch. So you know, you don't want to pitch a story into a radio show and have language and they're saying, I hope this you know, we feel this story will be really great for your readers. And this was a pitch that was meant for a print on web outlets. So you, you it's very important to tailor that pitch. Make sure the language is correct. Definitely tailor the subject line make it as clear as possible. You know, if you want interviews, of you know, write interviews on the subject line. So it's very clear if you want to segment opportunities in you know, morning shows, right segment ideas in the subject line if your pitches regarding a specific segment, idea, so definitely tailor the language, tailor the subject line so that it's clear as possible and the chances of getting coverage is really high. If you don't do that, than it'll just fall through the crack.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 15:05
I really like the idea of putting in, you know, for segment for interview, release whatever the case is in the subject line, because I think in what I used to see, when I was an agency a lot of times and my husband who used to work in as a journalist, he would get it would be all these really fancy fun subject lines, you're like, Okay, but what am I opening? What is this going to be about? And I think having those one to two words really just kind of stating this is the intention is gonna, it saves so much time effort and makes it easier for everybody. So I am absolutely in love with that tip.
Samiha Fariha 15:47
Even if your subject line is fun, right story ideas, you don't want you don't want to you don't want to have a fun segment. I mean, have a fun headline. And you know, people don't understand what that is. Yeah, it's a newsletter. Is this a spam? Like? What is this?
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 16:03
Yeah, fun headline. And then they're like, Yeah, this might be spam. I'm just gonna delete No, no, this is my pitch. Yeah, I totally get it, I totally get it. Are there any other aspects when you're pitching a campaign or an idea, that should be considered when differently if you will, if you are going for a broadcast, so radio, or television versus web or print, that is sort of known, but tends to be forgotten about when we're pitching?
Samiha Fariha 16:37
I would say the pitch is really going to matter. So if you're pitching radio or TV, you know, right, right, like, you know, in the pitch, you have, like a spokesperson available, you know, offer up the topics that they're able to speak to, and then you know, ended off by saying, you know, if you need more information, feel free to reach out to me. So if you're pitching, if you're pitching, you know, radio or TV, definitely include the name of the spokesperson. So that they know, like, if you're, you know, if you're pitching these types of media, they're going to want an interview. So you want to make as clear as possible, who the spokesperson is, what topics they're able to speak about. And if they want to explore other areas, those topics have to be vetted. And you probably want to write that in the in the pitch, as well, as you know, again, the subject line. So if you want interviews, definitely write interviews. If it's a segment idea, definitely write segment ideas, and try to make the pitch really, like interesting and fun. So that, you know, from the get go, the reporter knows what the idea is. And if they're interested in exploring this topic, who the spokesperson is that they could interview? I would say that's very important.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 17:57
Excellent, excellent. So everybody's favorite topic, influencers or content creators, there seems to be a bit of a shift in lingo around that. So how has the rise of the influencer or content creator changed the media relations game for you and what you've experienced? And what tips do you have for effective influencer collaborations?
Samiha Fariha 18:18
Yeah, so you know, collaborating with influencers will allow you to create like, engaging content you can later use on your brand's newsroom on the website, amplify your brand's key messages, increase your social media followers, since they're mentioning your brand, you know, in their content and sharing it with their large audience. And also influencer collaboration can you know, help your brand increase the chances of getting better editorial placements in morning, afternoon and weekend shows on TV, radio, and even print on the web. And there are several ways that brands can collaborate with influencers. So you know, if your brand wants more wants to raise more awareness about its new campaign, then they can partner with an influencer, who's doing media tours, you know, these influencers, they usually have other usually regular brand experts on like, popular morning shows, and also these influencers have like good relationship with these producers. They can also offer a better rate to be part of their, you know, segment or their media tour, it could be around three to 4,000 if you were to do you know if you were to do a segment on your own with an with a specific show, you'd end up paying more than that, like 7-8,000 But you can pay around three to 4,000 for like a media tour across like seven cities or something. So there's definitely benefit in that. Another way you know brands can like collaborate with influencer is by hiring an influencer to be a brand ambassador or a spokesperson. So you know, oftentimes when we're pitching like morning and afternoon show producers, our pitch can become very advertorial advertorial because there's, it's more focused on the brand's products. But you know, if you hire an influencer, to be a brand ambassador, you know, your, your pitch will be more editorial focused. Because, you know, the story will add value instead of like, focusing on the brand's key messages. So definitely partnering with influencers, there, there are some benefits there for the brand to get earned coverage.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 20:28
Do you find that there's been more of a push to work with influencers versus traditional media lately? Or is it balanced? Or is it still more traditional media over influencer? What have you found?
Samiha Fariha 20:40
I would say it's balanced depending on the brand's like priority. Some brands, you know, they prioritize earned media because they see the value in that. So they're going to, they're going to invest in like traditional PR, coming up with more ideas, creative pitches, to support their news engine efforts, other brands, you know, they find that some brands, it's harder to get earned coverage for so they'll have to like invest in influencer marketing, as a way to kind of create more content, raise awareness about their brands. Sometimes I find that's the case for like, toddler baby related products, like some category, you know, it's going to be a bit challenging, but other categories like travel and skincare skincare for adults, you know, you can easily get like, or and coverage. Other categories are very difficult. And you might have to explore another avenue and that could be influencer marketing. That's what I found.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 21:47
Interesting. And how do you measure the success? I know you mentioned KPIs, but how do you measure the success of your media pitching or campaign in today's environment where there's so much going on?
Samiha Fariha 21:59
Yeah. So I would say impressions are what really matters when it comes to MR. You know, if you're able to score like syndicated stories in Postmedia, Metroland Media or in an Ontario publication, like BlogTO or Daily Hive, then you will exceed your KPIs. Because you're going to have a very high impression, because Postmedia stories at syndicates to hundreds of outlets, Metroland Media, the same blog to which is now owned by Zoomer Media, they have Daily Hive, which sometimes indicates to other Daily Hive outlets across like other major markets. So you know, the impressions are going to be really high. And this will allow you to ask for more budget from the client. If you have a higher impression if you exceed your goal, and put forward other ideas around new campaigns or media pitches to support like the news engine efforts, the client might be prioritizing. So impressions at the end of the day, it does play a big factor.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 23:06
I remember my first big campaign that I was in charge of MR or media relations, and I Sheryl Ubelacker from Canadian Press that she would write something and I nearly cried out of excitement, like syndication. It's going to go places. So I completely agree with you if you're able to get into one of those syndicated publications, golden from an impression standpoint. So yeah, that's, that's really interesting that you, you raised that as well. But also, I didn't realize that blog to you had been purchased by Zoomer so interesting.
Samiha Fariha 23:40
Yeah, yeah. If you're able to get featured in BlogTO which is like, three, 4 million impressions, it's, it's amazing. It's gonna give you a big boost.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 23:52
For sure, for sure. So we've talked about pitching, and we've talked about influencers and all that stuff. But it all comes down to the basics of creating a solid media list. Right. So what are your top tips for building and maintaining that media list so that it is up to date current and you are getting results from it?
Samiha Fariha 24:13
Yeah, I would say when creating a media list for your press release or story pitches, it's important to make the media list very targeted. So you know, you should have like three or four media contacts from each media outlets on your list, if you really want to interview is for your spokesperson, you know, try to add the morning shows, afternoon and evening shows on TV or radio to your list to increase that chances of getting those interview opportunities. If you are doing a national distribution for your press release, so it's going across, you know 10 provinces and territories or something like that. But the release is like noteworthy. Try to just add the newsrooms, newsrooms will forward your press release to the appropriate reporter that might be interested in in, you know, in covering your topic. Also, when you're creating a media list for your press release or your story pitches, try to read through the documents to see what beats that you will need to add to the media list. You know, for example, do the business you need community? Newspapers? Do you need automotive, so read through to make sure you have like the appropriate media contacts on your list. So I would say definitely start there. That's the those are some tips you could definitely follow. When building that extensive media list.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 25:35
Do you find that you have a master list that then you just sort of pull from based on beat or role within an publication or outlet, or is it for each campaign or launch or press release, you start from scratch with your media list,
Samiha Fariha 25:54
I would say we do have a master media list that we definitely pull from. Sometimes we'll have like, specific beats missing. So if the pitch is very sustainability focused, we don't have any sustainability focused media, then we might have to go into a platform like MuckRuck, or even Agility PR, to pull those contacts and add them to the campaign media list. So that we get, you know, we get those coverage with those key contacts, those key reporters. So sometimes we'll be missing contacts. But otherwise, we're just working from a master media list. Sometimes you might need to even talk to your team members. Because if you really want to get coverage and National Post or Financial Post, you might not have those key contacts. And that master list that you're keeping for that specific client might not have those contexts. But if you speak to your colleagues, they could recommend other contexts that you could add to your list that can increase the chances of getting coverage in those media outlets. So definitely also speak to your colleagues as well.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 27:03
Excellent, excellent. How with everything changing so rapidly, it feels in media relations, in particular with you know, again, the rise of the influencer, and so on and so forth. How have you adapted your media relations strategies to keep up with everything that's changing?
Samiha Fariha 27:21
Yeah, so we do a lot of media monitoring. So you know, this allows us to understand key trends in our clients industry, some of which, you know, we can leverage for time sensitive pitches to support the news bureau pitching from our media relations efforts, we can understand, you know, why certain pitches might not be doing so well. So for example, you know, if a client's had a grand opening, and we don't have a huge media turnout, sometimes from speaking to the media, we'll understand why that was the case. You know, with the media, landscape changing, and media being short staffed outlets, being short staffed, it's not always to have always possible to have those contacts, those reporters turn out at the events. But you know, if we do what if we like go through another approach, which is do a photo and caption after the event, those of those reporters that were not able to attend the, you know, grand opening, they might still be able to include, do a short news story, including the photo and caption of their story. So, sometimes, you know, key insights from media monitoring or pitching usually helps us to adapt to our media relations strategies. And so it's better and effective for next time. I will say.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 28:42
Awesome, and I feel like this next question sort of ties into that as well. What type of innovative storytelling techniques have you used in making your media pitch stand out?
Samiha Fariha 28:55
Yeah, you know, there are a few storytelling techniques that you could use to make the pitch stand out, for example, you know, send a listicle pitch on a significant holidays so you know, send a listicle pitch on a roundup of with a roundup of like top four or five story ideas with details on the brand's campaign. Sometimes, you know, busy reporters, covering like local news and lifestyle or they're always on the lookout for like, story ideas I'm sending like these listicle pitches, kind of helps them to inquire about like, editorial opportunities, like figure out, you know, what stories they can pursue, and listicle pitches could be one way to go. Another one would be interjecting with journalists writing about specific beats. So you know if you're a brand for example, if you have a brand and like consumer food tech or retail space, in addition to like growing your media list through media monitoring, also make a habit of like regularly interjecting with the reporters that are covering those beats, so for example, you know, during your media monitoring, you'll come across like a reporter writing about the state of retail landscape, you know, consider reaching out to them, tell them that you enjoyed their story. And also let them know that you have a spokesperson available that can that can speak to them, should they be interested in covering that specific topic again. Also, another way, you know, another pitch, another type of pitch you could send out is on a specific industry-wide celebration. So, for example, again, if you have like a brand and a retail or food space, you know, and if they're celebrating like Small Business Week in May or Convenience Store Week in September, you know, you could send out like a pitch highlighting why small businesses matter and how they serve the community they're in, and specialized pitches, focusing on like, industry wide celebrations not only provide like, another story angles to these reporters, but also, it's an easier way to get coverage for your brand.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 31:04
Wonderful. Are there any trends in media relations that PR professionals should be aware of that are that you see sort of taking hold? And 2024?
Samiha Fariha 31:17
Yeah, definitely, you know, in today's changing media landscape, it's really harder to get like, editorial opportunity. So many media outlets have moved to a pay-to-play business model, where, you know, brands will have to pay a cost to secure like sponsored segments in morning shows on TV, radio, or an advertorial opportunity and print to our publications. So if your client has a budget, a few ways they can collaborate with media outlets would be by leveraging sponsored segments on morning or afternoon shows on TV, or sponsored episodes on podcasts, or, you know, sponsored segments on talk shows on radio. And, you know, sponsored editorials in print and web, you know, in business, lifestyle, community or local publications. Another trend is definitely, you know, pitches, leveraging timely key moments and survey data will increase your chances of getting, you know, quality coverage.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 32:21
Interesting, interesting. And to wrap things up, this has been a fantastic conversation. I have loved every second of it. I love talking media relations to anybody, so does somebody who specializes in it. Win! Absolutely win for me. What would be one piece of advice that you would give your younger self as she embarked on her PR career?
Samiha Fariha 32:43
I would say join different PR associations, to network so that you, you know, meet these industry professionals and have a better chance of getting into a good PR agency. I feel like I didn't do enough of that. And if I were to like, you know, venturing into this industry again, I would definitely that's one top advice I would give myself.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 33:07
All the associations, they are fantastic for networking that is for sure. As a member of IABC and CPRS. I find it very, very useful, especially the you know, the different webinars and things like that that they host but the networking is key for sure. Well, thank you so much for being on today's podcast before I let you go I do have to ask this is PR lattes. So what is your favorite go to caffeinated beverage?
Samiha Fariha 33:32
I would say matcha tea latte from Starbucks. Love that.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 33:37
Delicious, dull. I will second that that is delicious. If people want to get a hold of you or get in touch and ask you more questions, or just to be able to follow you on social media, where can they find you?
Samiha Fariha 33:49
You can definitely connect with me on LinkedIn. Go on LinkedIn search my name Samiha Fariha. You'll see me there. You can also follow me on Twitter. My handle is @FarihaSamiha.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 34:00
Perfect. And we'll put that information in the description of this episode again. Samiha, thank you so much for being on today's episode. I can't wait to chat with you again soon.
Samiha Fariha 34:08
Thank you for having me and enjoy the rest of your day.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis 34:11
You've been listening to the PR & Lattes podcast. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you can get notified each week when a new episode drops. You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter by visiting our website prandlattes.com. On the website you'll find our podcast episodes as well as amazing blogs with new ones being posted every Monday morning. And of course make sure to follow us on social on Instagram @PRAndLattes and on LinkedIn. I've been your host Matisse Hamel-Nelis. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you next week with a new latte and guest bye for now.