As a PR professional, getting your client recognition for awards or honors like "Best Place to Work" is a huge win. However, turning these accolades into compelling media stories can be tricky. While these achievements are significant, they don’t automatically make for great news stories. Journalists see dozens of similar pitches each week, and most of them fall flat because they lack the elements that resonate with a wider audience.

If you have a client who's been honored in some way, here's how to craft a pitch that goes beyond the "self-congratulatory" and lands in the "story worth telling" category.

🔸 Context is Key: Show the Bigger Picture

The fact that your client won an award is important to them, but why should the average reader or viewer care? To appeal to a broader audience, you need to connect the dots. Frame the award in terms of larger industry trends, local community impacts, or cultural relevance. Did they implement innovative policies that others can learn from? Was this recognition the result of overcoming a major obstacle that speaks to resilience or adaptation?

By grounding the story in a broader context, you create a narrative that extends beyond your client’s success and highlights something others can relate to or learn from.

🔸 Humanize the Achievement

At its core, a "Best Place to Work" story isn’t about policies or recognition—it's about people. Identify individuals within the organization who have personally benefited from the company’s practices. Have any employees experienced significant life changes due to their work environment? Maybe a flexible work policy helped a single parent manage both work and family. Maybe the award speaks to a culture that supports diversity, inclusion, or mental well-being.

By telling the stories of real people behind the achievement, you make the story more relatable and engaging for a broader audience.

🔸 Tie the Story to Current Events or Trends

Journalists are always looking for stories that are timely and relevant. Does your client’s recognition align with any larger societal or economic trends? For example, if they won an award for workplace wellness, and there’s a larger conversation happening around burnout or mental health in the workplace, that’s a great angle.

Link the client’s achievement to a trend or discussion that’s already capturing the media’s attention. This makes the pitch more relevant and increases its chances of being picked up.

🔸 Focus on Impact, Not the Trophy

The fact that your client received an award is not the story—what they did to earn it, and the impact of that achievement, is where the story lies. Did their innovative practices set a new standard in their industry? Are they helping solve a problem or create an opportunity that extends beyond their business?

For instance, if your client was recognized as a leader in sustainability, focus on how their practices are reducing environmental impact and influencing others in their field. Or if they’re a "Best Place to Work," highlight how their policies are creating measurable positive change in the lives of their employees.

🔸 Create Data-Driven Angles

Statistics and data help bolster your story and give it weight. Instead of leading with the award itself, show the measurable results of the policies or innovations that earned it. Use data points that are relevant to the audience. For example, if your client is recognized for employee satisfaction, include specific retention rates or employee productivity improvements. If it’s an industry award, discuss market growth, increased demand, or other quantifiable successes.

Journalists love statistics because they can add credibility, depth, or relevance to a story.

🔸 Leverage Thought Leadership

Turn the recognition into a thought leadership opportunity. Instead of making the award the centerpiece, position your client as an expert or innovator in their field. Offer them as a source for commentary on broader topics related to their award. For instance, if your client is recognized for workplace diversity, they could share insights on best practices that others in the industry could adopt. Pitch them as a guest for radio shows, podcasts, or industry panels where they can discuss these strategies more deeply.

By positioning your client as a thought leader, you elevate the conversation beyond the award and give them ongoing visibility as an expert.

🔸 Avoid the Hard Sell

Keep in mind that while awards are great for your client’s internal team and morale, the media generally isn't interested in promoting their success without value to their audience. Your job is to craft the narrative in a way that’s useful to the audience. If you send a pitch that’s all about how wonderful the client is without considering the value for the journalist or their target audience, your story will likely be ignored.

🗞️ 🎥

While it may be tempting to blast out a press release every time your client wins an award, it’s essential to remember that accolades don’t automatically translate into news. By focusing on the broader context, human stories, industry impact, and relevant data, you can elevate a standard "award announcement" into a story that resonates with both journalists and the public. Your goal is to make the client’s achievement part of a larger conversation—one that extends beyond the recognition and taps into themes and trends that truly matter.

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