Between 2009 and 2019, more than 300 local newspaper titles closed in the UK, with surviving titles usually working with fewer journalists and resources. In the past two years alone, a further 22 print local newspapers have closed.
Arguably even more disastrous is the shift in ownership. The number of independent owners has declined significantly in recent years, with the three largest companies (Newsquest, Reach and National World) now controlling almost 70% of all local newspaper circulation between them. And one of these, Reach, cut more than 700 jobs last year.
Under new ownership, many of these local news outlets are working to a new editorial vision, one which often doesn’t include much that could be considered ‘local’ (or indeed ‘news’ in some cases). Quality is also an issue, with articles poorly written and not fact-checked.
Aside from the much discussed impact on local communities, this is also a blow to businesses that get a lot of their PR coverage from local newspapers and websites. It’s not always realistic for small companies to consistently secure coverage in national papers, and while there are niche publications for just about every industry, if you operate predominantly in your local area, the chances of each reader being a genuine potential customer become quite small.
So what do you do when faced with either difficulty gaining local coverage (either because there is no local paper or they just aren’t interested), or having to accept the reality that even if you do get interest, your story may be sensationalised and riddled with errors?
If I was a local business owner, here are some alternatives I’d look into:
Local radio – Many businesses overlook radio in general, let alone local radio, but it’s the same audience you’re targeting with local newspapers and websites, and in many ways, an even better method of reaching them. While it’s easy to flick to the pages you’re most interested in in a newspaper, or only click on certain stories online, if someone has the radio on, they’ll hear your interview. Yes, radio comes with additional requirements, such as an available spokesperson who’s confident talking on air, but hearing someone’s voice directly also makes it easier to create a connection with your audience. As well as local BBC stations there are a number of local independent stations in most counties.
Local divisions of wider news – if your story isn’t quite worthy of national news, it might still get picked up by the online regional sections of national news companies such as the BBC. Get to know your local news correspondent(s), what they typically cover and when.
Seek out the smaller independent papers – luckily there are still some great local news outlets available – particularly online. In fact, amidst all the closures, 20 new digital news sites were launched in the past two years. It may take a bit of research to identify the better outlets, but it’s worth taking the time to build strong relationships once you find them.
Promote your sector coverage using social ads – as touched on above, if you have sector publications you regularly feature in, but you only operate locally, then it might be worth promoting this coverage using locally targeted social ads. You’re still getting the benefits of PR, because it’s still a third party featuring you, you’re just ensuring that people in a certain radius also get to see it.
Work with local influencers – in many ways a local influencer plays a similar role to a local paper. Many will first hear about news in the local area via those with a large social following, and their credibility within the community sways people’s opinions. Make sure you do your research first and ensure their values and processes align with your own, and remember that you don’t necessarily need to be working with huge numbers to get good results.
All things considered it’s not all doom and gloom, but you may just have to be a bit more creative to keep your name prominent in the local area.
