Today organisations have a wealth of tools at their disposal to reach their target audiences; the marketing mix can be extremely varied and it can be easily and quickly adapted to respond to the constant changes in any given market's landscape.

"If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR" famously said Microsoft's Bill Gates. There is no doubt about it: among the various marketing components, PR is the most cost-effective. A successful PR program blends a selection of activities, from speaker profiling, to copy writing and placement, in order to ensure that the organisation's brand is regularly seen by its existing and future customers in a favourable light, one that positions the company as an appealing, reliable and suitable choice.

A news strategy can help an organisation showcase its leadership in the market by introducing new products, services and people; by announcing milestones that can create trust and loyalty such as number of customers, awards, social initiatives, industry firsts. The IT industry is awash with companies relying on PR and news to secure column inches in relevant media, increase marketshare and ultimately add value to their brands. So with hundreds of press releases hitting your media targets' desks on a daily basis, how do you ensure that yours is not among the vast majority that ends in the bin, sometimes even before it has been read?

A₃ Communications recently polled 50 top European journalists to find out their preferences when it comes to news and interviews. The contacts we surveyed write for publications including StorageWelt (Germany), Computer Dealer & VAR (Italy), Microscope (UK), Financial Sector Technology (UK), Storage Newsletter (France), CIO Magazine (UK), Storageportal.pl (Poland), TechWorld (UK), Storage News (Russia), Storage Magazine (Netherlands) and Computer Weekly (UK); experienced freelancers such as Bryan Betts, Antony Adshead and Danny Bradbury also took part in our survey.

This survey will help you understand how to maximise your chances of news coverage. To request a copy of our whitepaper 'Have I Got News For You? The European Media's Take on News: When, Where and How' click here now!