AI, Data and Media Pitching to Win: Top Insights from the 2022-23 Academy

Published 03/04/2023 / THOUGHTS

Our cross-agency collaborative training programme ‘Thinkrs & Inkrs’ aims to provide ‘Big Agency’ training to anyone in the industry. The second year of the programme has just finished, and this blog summarises it’s many successes.  

At 3Thinkrs, we choose to do things that our industry has never dreamt of. Or, dared to do. And, then we invite our clients, competitors, and partners to join us and help us drive change.  

That’s why we created the ‘Thinkrs and Inkrs’ Academy. The Academy aims to address the industry training crisis, not only by training our grads but by opening our doors to anyone in the industry who wants to join. For free. Yes, collaborating with your competitors isn’t for the fainthearted – but we want to change the way training is delivered, not just for our team but for our community. It’s an approach that’s paying off: by the end of this year’s academy sessions, we’d trained over 200 individuals from 45 companies.  

The Academy has also developed into a collaborative training effort, driven by 3Thinkrs and friends. During the 2022-2023 Academy, we heard from our clients, our partners, our consultants, and our competition. Overall, 20 different practitioners in the second academy – from a broad range of PR, marketing, and sales – shared their craft for free. Along the way, we heard from these professionals on a multitude of topics, ranging from Big Data and AI to ‘Fresh Thinking’ and Workplace Wellbeing.  

The 2022-2023 Academy built on the success from the first Academy, providing a diverse range of topics catering to all levels of the industry. As a taster of what we learnt, here’s 3 key things we discussed during our sessions: 

Everyone wants in on the AI action! 

From CHATGPT to Bing, AI is currently big news – and it has the potential to change the face of PR and communications. AI can accelerate the work we do with the ability to create flawless videos, copywrite in seconds and even evaluate pitches. By scanning the internet for information AI can produce high quality, creative work. But it’s important not to disregard the ethics. And if you’re worried for your job, remember that robots are unlikely to duplicate our critical thinking skills, empathy, or moral awareness. As such, it’s unlikely they will ever replace us.  

Headlines and Hooks 

Want to grab a journalist’s attention? Use a killer stat in the headline of your email. That’s just one use of data in PR, which helps create interesting content and increase brand credibility. The benefits of storytelling using data are too great to ignore, but getting it right isn’t always easy. Step away from leading questions and make sure your data is fresh; no journalist wants to see outdated stats in their inbox!  

Ink in Tomorrow’s Papers 

Getting your client into the papers requires you to have your finger on the pulse of breaking news. The Academy gave us an insight into pitching to win, including how to think like a journalist and the benefits of personal pitching. We discussed how to ensure pitches are creative and impactful, including how to show the journalist how your client can add a new dimension and value to their story. 

The 2022-2023 ‘Thinkrs and Inkrs’ Academy encouraged these discussions, and more – all of which were enriched by inputs from our team members, our competitors, and our partners.  

Thank you to everyone who took part! 

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