Want More Media Coverage? Industry Experts Are Your Secret Weapon

Media coverage is the holy grail for any public relations professional. There’s nothing more rewarding than crafting a killer pitch or press release that journalists can turn into a great story. It’s good for their readers and, importantly, gives exposure to your brand.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule to guarantee press coverage, but according to Cision survey data there might be a secret weapon to help boost your chances: industry experts

According to the 2025 State of the Media Report, journalists are keen to add these expert voices to their stories. Consider the following stats

• 38% of journalists want PR pros to help them secure interviews with industry experts
• 35% said an ideal pitch includes direct access to an interview with an expert
• 30% want quotes from subject matter experts, executives or other credible sources

Moreover, 2025 Comms Report data puts corporate executives among the most effective influencers behind employees and everyday consumers.

It’s clear that PR pitches can be strengthened with voices that can speak to the importance of your stories. With that mind, here’s how to position your brand or client to increase credibility and gain more media opportunities.

Develop a Thought Leadership Strategy

Before you start making use of your industry experts, you’ll first need to identify who they are. Your brand or the clients you work with will have a wealth of knowledge related to your industry, so why not tap into it?

Conduct a review of your brand’s senior employees and their specific areas of expertise. How does their knowledge stack up against emerging industry trends and newsworthy topics? Can they speak about bigger challenges affecting all organizations right now, like misinformation or artificial intelligence?

This internal review will not only help you identify your most compelling experts but also find angles to ensure your pitches align with what the media needs. There are several different types of assets you can produce, either with your spokespeople as authors or contributors, that will enhance their authority, These include:

• Whitepapers and reports
• Brand-owned blog and website articles
• Social media (think in-depth LinkedIn posts)
• Webinars
• Podcasts

Each of these types of owned media will give you a platform to position your employees as experts in their field. Think about using this content as part of your pitches to journalists, helping to drive media coverage of your brand and industry awareness.

But remember, reporters don’t want a pitch that’s a hard-sell about you or your client’s brand – that's just asking them to write a free advertorial – instead ask where your product, service, or expertise fits within a wider story (and what makes it relevant and appealing to journalists and their audiences.)

It’s also worth exploring other ways to generate press coverage through speaking opportunities or industry events. For example, if you’re operating in the tech sector there are plenty of technology conferences in the calendar to put your experts forward for. Plus, PR-centric awards and conferences are an effective way to position them as thought leaders in their sectors.

Get Brand and Client Buy-In

Some senior leaders may hesitate when the media spotlight shines on them. It can certainly be viewed as a time-consuming or risky pursuit, but your job as a PR professional is to convince them of the tangible benefits of becoming a recognized industry voice.

For instance, do you have concrete proof points  to demonstrate media coverage’s impact on the bottom line? Do you have case studies that show competitors gaining market advantage through media presence? Can you highlight how thought leadership directly influences customer acquisition and retention?

If you can quantify that a well-placed interview or speaking appearance can deliver worthwhile exposure, that’s the first step in securing brand and client buy-in.

To make an even stronger argument, use media monitoring and social listening tools to source metrics that show competitive positioning. For example, share of voice will illustrate where your brand currently ranks against competitors in media mentions and industry conversations. This data often reveal gaps that thought leadership can address – and gives you an opportunity to show how share of voice can change after using your subject matter experts to secure press coverage.

Once you have buy-in, preparation becomes crucial. Confident executives will deliver better interviews and are more likely to participate in future opportunities. Think about investing in professional media training that covers everything from message development to handling difficult questions. This is also an opportunity to work out responses to current industry trends and challenges, where you can naturally weave in your brand’s perspective without sounding overly promotional.

The key takeaway here: Comfortable spokespeople can become repeat sources for journalists, who increasingly value and rely on industry expertise to build out their stories.

Identify Media Outlets and Journalists

Media databases are a great way to unlock media coverage by helping you connect your industry experts with journalists. According to the 2025 State of the Media Report, 63% of reporters say PR pros provide value by connecting them with relevant sources, while 57% cited facilitating access to key people or places.

A good media database can help you identify and engage relevant, influential journalists who can amplify your brand’s message – it can also match your subject matter experts with reporters seeking a story. With a quality media database, you can:

• Search for journalists by outlet and region: For example, you’ve just hired a new Chief Financial Officer and want to use a media database to find reporters covering financial news or executive leadership and pitch them a profile or introductory interview. 
• Find the reporter’s social media channels and recent bylines: You're building a media list of freelance journalists who may be looking for expert commentary on a specific topic and want to know who they contribute to – media databases can quickly point you to their social feeds and links to recent work.
• See average engagement on the journalist’s social media posts: You want to position your Chief Technology Officer as a leader in the tech space and go-to source for commentary. Media databases can show you which reporters have high social media post engagement data and can potentially raise your CTO’s profile.
• Build media lists of reporters relevant to your brand or client: Your tech spokesperson is available to comment about the newest smartphone launch – a media database will help you locate sector-relevant reporters to contact.
• Craft personalized pitches, email to journalists, and track responses: You're launching a sustainability initiative and need to pitch your resident ESG spokesman to environmental reporters. Media databases enable personalized outreach with templates, generative AI assistance, and response tracking to measure campaign effectiveness.

By using a media database, you can quickly create and send pitches that highlight the value of your industry experts and put them in front of relevant journalists.

Monitor and Refine Your Efforts

Once you’ve started generating media coverage, don’t take that as a sign to stop. There are opportunities to extend the lifespan of your coverage by repurposing it into various formats such as videos, podcasts, or blog posts.

You should also be tracking effectiveness and refining your outreach strategy to maximize opportunities. Media monitoring platforms like CisionOne can track metrics that show the impact of your press coverage.  Both volume and brand sentiment can tell you where your experts are being quoted and if it’s leading to positive coverage. Further, share of voice data shows whether your thought leadership efforts are helping you gain ground against competitors in industry conversations.

By regularly reporting on these metrics, you’ll provide senior leadership with the proof points you need to maintain buy-in and make the most of your subject matter experts.

Stay alert for newsjacking opportunities by monitoring industry news and trending topics. When breaking news hits your sector, your experts can quickly provide commentary that positions them as go-to sources for the media.

Review which journalists consistently respond to your pitches and which outlets provide the best coverage. This intelligence helps you prioritize outreach efforts and build stronger relationships with receptive media contacts.

Take the time to analyze what's working (and what isn’t) so you can adjust your strategy based on real numbers rather than assumptions.

Final Thoughts

Industry experts can be a valuable part of your PR toolkit. By positioning them strategically, you're not only meeting journalists' needs but building lasting relationships that generate ongoing coverage opportunities. Start by identifying and preparing your experts to speak to the press, then look to tools like CisionOne to understand where your brand sits in the market, find the right media outlets to pitch your experts to, then track your efforts.

To learn more about how CisionOne can help you generate more media coverage with industry experts, get in touch and speak with one of our team today.