You can spend months planning the perfect announcement, only to see it pushed aside by a political headline.
That’s the reality of communicating during an election year. Political coverage dominates newsrooms, creating more competition for attention and fewer opportunities for organizations across industries to break through.
We’ve seen firsthand that success during election season requires more than a strong story. It requires thoughtful planning, targeted outreach and the ability to adapt when the news cycle changes.
Election Years Require Strategy—and Flexibility
Election years don’t just create more competition for attention; they create a constantly shifting news environment.
With reporters covering campaigns, debates and breaking political developments, organizations need to think beyond simply having news to share. Successful communications strategies require understanding how a story fits into the broader conversation and preparing for moments when media priorities may change.
That planning starts well before an announcement is ready. Communications strategies should account for major political moments, anticipated news cycles and the possibility that unexpected headlines could reshape coverage. Staying aware of what’s happening—in politics, in the news, in the broader conversation—is part of how we prepare. It doesn’t mean we can predict every headline, but it means we’re rarely caught flat-footed, and we can react quickly and thoughtfully no matter what the day brings.
One example that stands out is the groundbreaking of the Roma development in Detroit’s Brush Park. On the morning of the event, former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced he was leaving the gubernatorial race, and media priorities changed immediately.
The story itself had not changed, but the environment around it had. Our role was to help the client adjust expectations, maintain communication with reporters and stay engaged as the news cycle evolved. While coverage timelines shifted, consistent follow-up with media and a flexible approach allowed the story to continue moving forward.
That experience reinforced an important lesson: successful public relations isn’t just about executing a plan—it’s about knowing when that plan needs to evolve.
Relationships Matter More When Newsrooms Are Stretched
Effective media relations isn’t simply sending a pitch when an announcement is ready. It’s building trust over time, understanding what reporters cover, respecting their deadlines and knowing what stories align with their audiences.
We maintain ongoing relationships with journalists so we understand their priorities, the stories they’re pursuing and how the news cycle is affecting their capacity.
For example, during this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference, we knew specific reporters would be focused only on political candidates and election coverage. Instead of broad outreach, we relied on our understanding of the media landscape to identify journalists who had the flexibility to cover business, community and policy issues beyond the political headlines.
By tailoring our outreach and focusing on the right reporters, we helped clients earn meaningful coverage in one of Michigan’s busiest news environments.
When outreach is built on credibility and an understanding of what matters to journalists, organizations have a stronger opportunity to break through even during the busiest news cycles.
What Organizations Can Do to Stay Visible During Election Years
After more than two decades in Detroit newsrooms, I know that no reporter wakes up intending to ignore a good story. Journalists are constantly making decisions about what matters most to their audiences at any given moment.
Now, working on the communications side, I see the other half of that equation. The strongest public relations strategies are built on an understanding of how newsrooms operate: what makes a story relevant, what information reporters need and how timing can shape whether an opportunity moves forward.
During an election year, organizations can’t control the news cycle, but they can control how prepared they are for it. That preparation starts by asking the right questions before a campaign begins:
- Is this the right time to make an announcement?
- What happens if breaking political news shifts reporters’ priorities?
- Which journalists are most likely to find this story relevant regardless of the political climate?
- If coverage is delayed, how can we keep the story moving through other communications channels?
Organizations that think through these questions before news breaks are better positioned to adapt when it does. Because while election years make the media landscape more competitive, preparation and a thoughtful strategy can help ensure important stories still get the attention they deserve.
Craig Fahle has spent over two decades reporting on, talking about, working in, and working to improve the city of Detroit and its neighborhoods. Craig started his career as a journalist and talk show host as WDET-FM, Detroit’s NPR affiliate. In his time at WDET, he was a reporter, news anchor, editor, talk show host, and finally General Manager for programming.
Craig has won numerous awards for both his reporting and his daily public affairs program, “The Craig Fahle Show,” which aired for seven years on WDET. Craig’s career has been spent on interviewing newsmakers, including artists, musicians, author, politicians, and public officials, which included interviews with six Detroit mayors, and six Michigan governors. Ove the course of his talk show, Craig conducted more than ten thousand interviews.
Craig also served as director or public affairs for the Detroit Land Bank Authority, where he was responsible for media and public relations, marketing, government relations, community affairs, and customer service. He has also worked at NPR affiliate WFAE in Charlotte, NC, and at the Michigan Public Radio network in Lansing, Michigan.