One of my favourite pieces of recent coverage didn't come from a big launch or months of planning. It came from a news story, a clear point of view and a couple of hours.
The problem
Pally Talk is the professional network for executive and personal assistants. Like most growing businesses, it didn't have a big announcement in the diary, and without one it's hard to get a busy business journalist to pay attention.
At the same time, the people Pally Talk represents were facing a loud and unsettling question: if AI can manage diaries and organise meetings, what happens to assistants? Pally Talk had a strong answer, but no obvious moment to say it.
How I solved it
Rather than wait for a reason to talk to the press, we waited for the press to give us one.
In October, news broke that Anthropic, the company behind the AI assistant Claude, was hiring a human personal assistant in London on a salary of £145,000. An AI company paying six figures for a human assistant was exactly the moment Pally Talk needed.
Within hours, I worked with founder Anna Bailey on a short, sharp comment: if AI could replace a great PA, an AI company would be the first to do it. We backed it up with Pally Talk's own survey data on the responsibility assistants carry, and sent it straight to the reporter covering the story.
It ran in City AM the same day, putting Pally Talk's view in front of London's business audience at the moment the conversation was happening.
The learning
The story was going to be written with or without Pally Talk. What made the difference was being ready to add something useful while the journalist was still writing it. A few things made that work:
Speed beats polish. News moves in hours, not days. A good comment sent this morning is worth far more than a perfect one sent tomorrow, when the story has gone.
Have a point of view. Anna didn't just say AI was interesting. She argued that AI can manage a calendar but can't read a room or make the call when a deal is on the line. That's a quote a journalist wants to use.
Bring something new. Pally Talk's own survey data gave the reporter facts no one else had, which made the comment more than an opinion.
Know the fit. The story touched AI, jobs and London business, which is exactly where Pally Talk has authority to speak. Not every headline is yours to comment on, and choosing well matters as much as moving fast.
Why it matters
Many businesses think PR means waiting for a big announcement: a launch, a funding round, a new hire. Those moments matter, but they don't come along often. Reacting to the news gives you a way to be part of the conversation all year round.
It builds credibility, too. Being quoted alongside a story about one of the world's leading AI companies puts a brand in that conversation. Each piece of coverage also lives on in search results, telling customers, investors and future hires that you are a voice worth listening to.
How to be ready
You don't need a big team to do this well. You need a little preparation:
Know your subjects. Agree the two or three topics your business can genuinely speak about.
Prepare your views in advance. Write down what you think about the big debates in your sector, so you aren't starting from scratch when news breaks.
Agree fast sign-off. Decide who can approve a comment, and commit to doing it within an hour or two.
Keep your facts handy. Survey results, data and examples turn an opinion into a story.
Watch the news, and journalist requests. The opportunities are there every day for anyone ready to take them.
If you'd like help turning your expertise into coverage like this, get in touch. I'd love to hear what you're working on.
