At Midnight, our commitment is to create positive meaningful impact in the world of B2B communications. The daily dynamics within our workspace mirror this promise. With two Managing Directors, a handful of former journalists, and a team of hotshot PR professionals with a range of specialisms from communication strategy to award-winning PR campaigns, we are well-equipped to achieve our goals for our clients.
We’re inviting you to peek behind the curtain and find out how we secure impactful press coverage and position our clients as industry experts.
Morning routine
By 8.30am the Midnight engine room is already humming with activity, punctuated by the sound of the coffee machine.
The office is split almost in half by early birds and night owls. Those who prefer the dawn are already at their desks, emails done and settling into the first tasks of the day. Our night watchmen are relied on to arrive a little later but will be the ones to lock the doors.
Team briefings kick off early, aligning priorities for the day. This includes reviewing press enquiries, developing new PR strategies, setting agendas for upcoming client meetings, and discussing current events in the news cycle. Our joint Managing Directors, Alex and Flo, each run a team so they’re front and centre in the morning meetings.
Any new press coverage is sent to the client first thing, along with ideas for social media posts for enhanced visibility. This proactive approach ensures that our clients are not only kept informed but also well-prepared to leverage any relevant stories.
Mastering B2B PR with newsjacking
Each Midnighter diligently checks the nationals in the morning. We’re always seeking comment opportunities for clients as we’ve found that a pithy punchy insight from a client sent to the media within hours of the story breaking has the best chance of traction. Commenting on where the story is likely to go next often results in national coverage.
Having worked as a reporter previously, I really enjoy newsjacking as a PR tactic – it’s varied, fast paced and means engaging with what’s going on in the world. And of course it’s a great way to land national coverage for our clients – we’ve had hits in The Times, The Independent and even secured a BBC Newsnight interview after pitching out comments.
Rose, Account Manager
When we’ve exhausted the papers it’s time for our mid-morning coffee and we’re deep into our chunkier writing tasks. Sam might be focused on drafting press releases and media statements, with Rose tackling features and blogs, while Andrea and Tommy might be writing social media posts or creating media lists. Chris, on the other hand, could be working on comprehensive whitepapers or brochure content, liaising with one of our senior copywriters or planning his next media training day with one of our clients.
Press releases are a staple PR tactic to communicate our client’s news, so it’s vital they are engaging and exciting, and most importantly – newsworthy.
Sam’s top tips for B2B press releases that pack a punch:
The first thing when writing a press story is to first figure out what the news is – what’s the most interesting thing that has happened and what is the angle on this which makes it even more interesting.
Samantha, Account Director
Language should be simple and straightforward with a rhythm that propels the reader through at speed.
Follow these rules and your press releases are more likely to be picked up by the media.
Press releases also have to be accompanied by a photo or video, after all a picture tells a thousand words, so the team will liaise with the client on the best visual elements.
With press releases written and signed off by the client, it’s time to pitch to media. Journalists as busy as we are, so it’s important our pitches are clear, concise and newsworthy – just like the press release. Pitches are tailored to specific journalists, so our team spends time researching the best contacts, developing relationships with key journalists and freelancers, monitoring the issues and stories they cover and keeping in touch with them.
We then approach relevant journalists directly, using a combination of existing contacts, media databases and searching for bylines. We will also load up the story and the photos / videos to our online press room so that journalists can easily access and download more content if they wish.
Lunchtime
Pitching done, it’s time for lunch. Seaside working has its advantages, during the summer we take our client lunches to the seafront, indulging in Brighton’s vibrant atmosphere. Winter sun means windy walks along the promenade, gloves and hats on of course. Midnight’s stock of hot water bottles is well used this time of year.
Afternoon hustle in the world of B2B communications
Our afternoons at Midnight are just as bustling as the mornings, filled with dynamic tasks that keep the momentum alive. We shift our focus to reviewing content, applying edits and incorporating feedback. This is the time when the team dives into the creative process, planning upcoming social media and PR campaigns and content for our clients’ specific objectives. The energy is high and there’s lots of collaboration happening.
PR and social media campaigns start with a brainstorm of angles for upcoming stories and posts that align with client’s business objectives and key messages. Having secured quotes, images and background information from the client we’ll create post and story outlines and send to the client for approval.
Our team follow emerging trends, audience behaviour and industry innovations to ensure our campaigns are ahead of the curve.
Social media and press coverage metrics allow us to better understand audiences and who interacts with the accounts we’re leading. They help us to decide who to curate the posts and stories towards, which in turn impacts language, tone, images, and even emojis!
Andrea, Senior Account Executive
Debrief
Our office winds down for a 5.30-6pm finish, but before that it’s a quick reflection on the tasks completed throughout the day. Account managers and executives meet on Mondays to debrief on any wins or challenges throughout the previous week, sharing knowledge and journalist contacts.
Midnighters often take advantage of this time to think creatively – to get new perspectives and expertise on any upcoming stories for our clients. As we wrap up the day, these sessions are a great way to debrief and wind down.
Then it’s tools down, bicycle helmets on and we’re off home to relax before another busy day at the office, unless we’ve got an evening networking event or team night out booked!
If you’d like to see any more behind the scenes of the Midnight office head to our Instagram @MidnightComms, we’re a PR agency in Brighton who are constantly innovating and we’d love to see you there.
