Many organisations have stories they believe are worth telling, but what makes it newsworthy to local media? You may be building new technologies, creating jobs, solving infrastructure challenges, improving access to essential services or bringing fresh thinking to long-standing social issues. Yet even strong stories can fail to land with your target broadcast, print or online local and regional media channels.
Why? Because media coverage is not secured by reaching a business milestone or having something to say. It depends on whether that story feels relevant to the publication’s readership and target audience, arrives at the right moment (why is it relevant at this particular time? What is the news hook?) and is supported by evidence journalists can trust.
For innovators, entrepreneurs and impact-led organisations working across African markets, effective media relations require more than a polished press release. It means understanding what journalists need, how newsrooms work and what makes a story useful to the readers they serve.
1. MAKE IT LOCAL, NOT JUST INTERESTING
A story may be important to your organisation, but that does not automatically make it important to an outlet’s audience. They are looking for stories that connect with the conversations and concerns shaping their local context.
As Fabrice, an experienced local media consultant we work with in Senegal, notes, “media is about now”. Reporters are looking for stories that feel timely and close to their readers, geographically and culturally. A regional announcement, for example, is much stronger when it is made relevant to a specific market: what it means for local businesses, communities, policymakers, consumers or investors.
The more clearly you can answer “why does this matter here?”, the more useful your story becomes.
2. LEAD WITH THE NEWS, NOT THE MARKETING MESSAGE
One of the most common reasons good stories fail to secure coverage is that they sound too much like a sales pitch. Journalists are not there to amplify a brand message. They are there to inform, explain, to educate their readers/listeners/viewers and, of course, scrutinise.
That does not mean organisations should avoid talking about their work. It means the story needs to be framed around a wider issue or shift in the market. What problem are you helping to solve? What trend does your work reveal? What new evidence, insight or perspective can you bring?
Fabrice puts it simply: if you want a story to be interesting, it should not look like marketing or sound too sales-led. The strongest media stories give journalists something their audience will find genuinely useful, not just something the organisation wants to promote.
3. BRING PROOF, NOT JUST HOPE OR AMBITION
Journalists need confidence that the information they are using is accurate. Claims about innovation, growth, impact or market leadership should be backed by clear evidence and credible sources.
This is especially important for organisations working in technical or fast-moving sectors, where complex ideas can easily be overstated or misunderstood. Good media pitching requires discipline: check the facts, simplify the message and make sure every claim can be supported.
Nike, a media expert in Nigeria, reminds us of the importance of originality and careful factchecking when speaking to journalists. In Nigerian media, reporters specialise in particular sectors, from finance and technology to energy, health, education or agriculture. These journalists understand the landscape and will quickly recognise whether a story has substance.
Strong evidence helps them do their job well. It also protects your organisation’s credibility.
4. CUT THE JARGON
Complex work does not need complex language. In fact, jargon is often what prevents a strong story from travelling beyond a specialist audience.
Journalists are sometimes generalists, not specialising in one specific sector, and the public are not always experts in your field, nor should they need to be. Clear, concise language makes it easier for reporters to understand the significance of your work and explain it accurately to their readers.
This does not mean oversimplifying the substance. It means translating technical or organisational language into human terms and clear, plain English. Replace abstract claims with concrete examples. Explain what has changed, who is affected and why it matters now.
5. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS BEFORE YOU NEED COVERAGE
Working well with the media is about pitching stories and building trust over time.
Nike’s advice to innovators is to “make friends with journalists” over time, not in a transactional sense, but by being responsive and accurate. When journalists know you can provide timely information and reliable context, they are more likely to come to you for your own announcements and for expert perspective on a wider issue.
Arnold, a seasoned PR and local media consultant in Tanzania, makes a similar point. The media is hungry for accurate and informed content. Organisations that position themselves as authoritative sources can become valuable, trusted sounding boards for journalists, helping to improve the quality and accuracy of coverage.
And that strong relationship can make all the difference for successful reputation management in more challenging moments. If you have invested in trust before a crisis, you will be better placed to communicate quickly and clearly when scrutiny is higher.
6. SHOW WHAT IS NEW, AND WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Novelty is rarely enough on its own. A new product, service or initiative becomes media-worthy when there is context. it connects to an urgent need, a live debate or a visible shift in the market.
Before approaching the media, ask: what is genuinely new here? Why should a journalist cover it today? What wider conversation does it contribute to? What evidence shows that this is more than an internal milestone?
The stories that land are usually those that combine innovation with relevance. They help audiences understand a problem, a solution or a change that is already shaping their world.
MAKING MEDIA RELATIONS WORK
Good media relations in Africa, as in any market, is not about chasing coverage for its own sake. It is about helping journalists tell accurate, timely and relevant stories. Be local. Be current. Be useful. Bring proof. Build relationships. And above all, remember that the strongest stories are not always the ones that say the most about an organisation. They are the ones that connect human interest with impact, showing why its work matters in the wider world and giving audiences a reason to care.
