Home
>
Public Relations
>
Media Relations: When Numbers Lie

Media Relations: When Numbers Lie

NUMBERS, NUMBERS EVERYWHERE

You just placed a terrific story on the local news. Your boss asks you how many people saw it.

"Well," you say, "The latest Nielsen ratings showed that 211,000 people watch the 11 o'clock news on Channel 7 each night."

"Terrific," your boss says. "Nice work."

But do those numbers really mean anything? Raw rating and circulation numbers make it easy for PR professionals to track the effectiveness of their work, but do they tell the complete story?

Too many of us media relations types are under the influence of numbers devoid of context, and we may be doing our clients a disservice in the process.

Why? Because just ten percent of the audience matter.

THE INFLUENTIALS

Okay?that's a bit of an overstatement. The other 90 percent do matter.

But the results of a recent survey make it clear that ten percent of Americans have a hugely disproportionate influence over what the other ninety percent do and buy. The study, released by the research firm NOP World, shows that the influentials persuade the rest of us to eat, drink, wear, like, dislike, watch, listen to, and read the things that they do.

Therefore, any organization seeking press attention needs that ten percent. Measuring media relations success based on raw rating and circulation numbers simply doesn't work, since those numbers may be comprised exclusively of non-influentials.

WHERE TO FIND THEM

The influentials get their news primarily from the written word. Of the four top mediums, they get their news in the following order: (1) Newspapers (2) Magazines (3) Radio and (4) Television.

The general public gets their news much differently, emphasizing broadcast. They prefer getting their news in this order: (1) Television (2) Newspapers (3) Radio and (4) Magazines.

Those findings have huge implications. They mean that although the general public may favor broadcast news, you're not going to reach the influentials with that story on the 11 o'clock news. Suddenly, that story seen by 211,000 people seems less impressive.

Instead of chasing big numbers ? the top rated radio station in town or the largest circulation newspaper, ask yourself who the people are who matter the most, and consider alternate ways of reaching them. Sometimes, the niche magazine that reaches only 7,000 people is better than landing a radio interview beamed into tens of thousands of homes.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information or to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training tips, visit http://www.phillipsmediarelations.com.

no-contract cleaning service Park Ridge ...

In The News:

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Electric vehicle maker Lucid adds hands-free driving through an over-the-air update for Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro package and Gravity SUV support coming later.

Protect your home network from hidden dangers, including router vulnerabilities, ISP tracking and smart device weaknesses with proper encryption, firmware updates and VPN technology.

Media Relations: When Numbers Lie

Public Relations