PR insights from the Nordics

What’s the best way to engage with the media in the Nordics? These are the questions we put to Jonas Eklund and his team at ABLE PR , our trusted partners in the Nordics as part of our Global PR insights. Here's what Jonas and his team shared with us:

💡 Facts and stats - news reporting in the Nordics is very fact orientated, so any supporting stats, research and supporting insight you can provide to support a pitch will increase your chances of press coverage, especially if your info is new and exclusive. Just make sure all your facts and stats are ready for potential scrutiny from the journalist - they will ask questions!

💡 Skip the commercial - a bit like with the BBC in the UK, interviewees on state media are not allowed to mention brands and companies. So if you’re lucky enough to land a broadcast interview for a client, steer clear of obvious commercial plugs and land your messages as part of wider news narratives instead.

💡 Free of charge - as a rule, journalists in the Nordics will not accept any gifts, treats or payments from companies, and that even applies to travel costs to and from events and interviews. If you take journalists out for after work drinks or dinner they’ll also prefer to pay for themselves.

💡 Do your läxor (that’s ‘homework’ in Swedish) - if you represent a foreign organisation aiming to catch the attention of a particular journalist in the Nordics, do your research - find out about the reporter, what they like to write about, their latest pieces etc, and also about current country trends and key topics. This will ensure that what you’re bringing to the table is tailored, insightful and locally relevant.

💡 Think local and personal - local spokespeople are important for Nordic media, and preferably ones who speak the local language, even if the majority of journalists speak and understand English very well.  Make sure your spokesperson is available when you pitch your story, because if a journalist decides to make that call and no one picks up, there won’t be a second chance.

Keen to talk about how we can help you make an impact in the Nordics? Please get in touch!