Engaging AI Reporters During a Hype Cycle

By Ashley Paula-Legge

If you’re in a communications role for an AI company that doesn’t have the brand recognition of Big Tech or let’s say Perplexity, Nvidia or OpenAI, how do you break through to reporters without AI-washing? How do you get their attention and keep it? It’s not easy, especially if your organization is B2B focused, a relatively unknown brand, and/or delivering a niche application of AI.

For me, it all comes down to grounding myself and clients in three core fundamentals:

1. Think audience-first. And I don’t mean, “my CEO wants to be in TechCrunch talking about AI, so I’m going to pitch Kyle Wiggers.” I mean, who is the reader/audience you’re trying to reach and why? What is the key takeaway you want them to come away with? Then, craft a story that would resonate with that reader and identify the right reporter to tell that story. Also keep in mind that almost every beat covers AI now. If you’re pitching an executive who is trying to reach the CFO audience for example, tell a story that will resonate with that audience. And tell it to the reporter writing to that audience. Same goes for the CIO and IT. How is your AI story serving that audience? What is the key takeaway for IT leaders and teams?
2. Establish strong relationships with reporters. This is key. Many of the more significant stories I’ve landed for clients come from discussions with a reporter who is working on a specific story and Big Valley and our client gathering the resources the reporter needs for that story. Yes, reporters are busy and often don’t have time for “deskside coffee chats” with companies. But, as a communications professional, I’ve found casual check-ins and introductions to learn about what reporters are focused on are tremendously valuable to both parties. And reporters will take the time.
3. Take educated and calculated risks. Pitching AI stories when we’re at the height of the technology’s hype cycle is no walk in the park. Especially if you’re pitching a smaller or relatively unknown company. It requires creativity and diligence in mining for interesting stories that will resonate with top AI reporters. These reporters are bombarded with hundreds of nonsense pitches every day, and they’re also highly skeptical of companies just slapping the word AI on their pitch. But, it’s important not to get jaded by this. Sometimes we need to take a bit of a leap. I recently pitched an AI survey that was pretty niche, and had several interpretations of the data. I went with the most provocative one and was able to drum up some interest and coverage. In the process, a top technology reporter, who is notorious for their silence, took the time to thank me for my pitch and share the feedback that our interpretation was a bit of a stretch. That was a win in my book. And concrete feedback I was able to bring back to my team.

Getting through to the media in the middle of a hype cycle is and always will be a challenge. Right now it’s AI, in five years I suspect we’ll be going through a similar experience with quantum computing. But, no matter the situation, a good story grounded in audience, relationships and courage to take calculated risks, will go a long way.