Nowadays, there are almost 300 local regional and national daily newspapers in Greece. Even though the media landscape is not as diverse as in the UK, there are numerous niche Greek publications of high authority you can target during your outreach efforts.
Each day (and sometimes even at weekends!) journalists’ inboxes in Greece are filled with dozens of press releases, and most simply get ignored due to the fact editors are so busy.
However, by taking the correct approach and offering newsworthy and relevant material to the journalist, it is possible to ensure that your campaign will get picked up by the relevant people.
So, here are our top tips on how to get links in Greece.
Top tips for digital PR outreach in Greece
Unlike most Western countries, Greeks tend to prefer or even trust pure digital news outlets more than traditional mainstream media. This has led to the creation of plenty of online publications, which gives PRs a higher chance of getting coverage.
Currently, there are approximately 20 national daily newspapers (including TA NEA, Kathimerini, and Ethnos), 11 national daily sports newspapers (Sportday and Goal News), four national business newspapers (Imerisia and Naftemporiki), 16 national Sunday papers, and 10 national weekly papers, most of which are located in Athens but cover an array of subjects.
So how would you go about targeting these?
1. FIND THE CORRECT DATA SET
Even if some journalists might still be interested in evergreen concepts or an index not including any Greek-specific data, it’s almost certain that a campaign based on a country-specific data set will perform better.
Some of the best ways to find local data for your campaign include:
- Google Data set
- Numbeo
- Statista
- gr
- Edpb
- Worldbank
- Hellenic Statistical Authority
Depending on the campaign’s subject, it’s often best to create a tailored angle that leads with the Greek findings. Indexes and rankings tend to perform really well with the local media, especially if Greece ranks higher up on the list.
Campaigns with a unique data set, which is relevant to regional publications in Greece, will always be of interest to Greek journalists and are much more likely to get picked up.
2. MAKE SURE YOUR CAMPAIGN IS RELEVANT TO THE REGION
Relevancy continues to be a major topic in digital PR and search, and it should always be part of your main focus during international campaign ideation. Before creating a campaign, you should search for trending topics around your targeted audience. Some of the best ways to do this are:
- Using social listening tools
- Performing Keyword Research
- Exploring Google Trending Topics
- Reading the news from local publications
- Changing your location on Twitter’s trending page to Greece and finding what’s trending over there
On top of this, by working with native language speakers who can create content that appeals to local publications, you’ll be able to increase brand awareness for clients in international markets while earning valuable top-tier links.
Remember, in order to succeed in any foreign market, it’s crucial to have native speakers who not only understand the language, but also the cultural nuances.
3. DO YOUR RESEARCH ON WHICH NICHES WORK BEST PER COUNTRY
To maximise your opportunity for success, it’s important to launch campaigns that include more than one story or headline alongside your country-specific data. Even the best stories aren’t for everyone, and not every journalist will get on board with the main headline alone.
This makes creating a successful targeted outreach strategy that will appeal to the Greek media just as important as the campaign itself
Data shows that the subjects that perform the best with Greek journalists are lifestyle, sports, or celebrity-focused pieces. Of course, if you’ve created a relevant evergreen concept, there are likely plenty of journalists who will be interested in covering it, depending on the current media agenda.
What’s deemed as newsworthy in Greece tends to follow a similar trend to many other European countries. ‘Awareness days’ are not really popular, often being overshadowed by national and religious holidays.
You can find here some of the most notable days in Greece here.
4. KEEP IN MIND OF THE DIFFERENT TIMEZONES
So, what about pitching your digital PR campaign to a Greek journalist? It goes without saying that UK and Greek cultures diverge from one another in general, as do journalists’ preferences, which can bring with it its own challenges.
First and foremost, you need to have a detailed seed list of journalists who are relevant to your stories. But once you’ve built a detailed targeted media list of Greek publications and journalists relevant to your campaign, how do you actually go about outreaching to Greek journalists in order to achieve links?
When outreaching a campaign, it’s advisable to send the release to the journalist early in the morning so they’ll have time to pitch it to their editor. Greece is two hours ahead of the UK, so make sure you’re outreaching at the appropriate time and are aware of their lunchtime hours, which are 2 to 3 pm.
What’s also interesting is that many Greek journalists tend to work later in the evening and are likely to respond to a pitch then. However, bear in mind that during August most journalists are out of the office as it’s the summer holidays season.
Finally, another notable characteristic of Greek media is that there’s a strong Sunday press and almost all dailies have their Sunday edition. Most of the Sunday papers offer a supplement or increase their number of pages in order to cater to the interest of a wider readership, especially younger readers. So, don’t hesitate to schedule your emails to go out on a Saturday morning.
To learn more about news outlets and journalists’ working hours and their subject focuses, make sure to follow them on Twitter. Also, don’t shy away from contacting journalists directly – almost all journalists are fluent in English and will be happy to answer your questions.
5. TONE AND LANGUAGE
Even though the majority of journalists are fluent in English, translated content will always outperform non-translated email pitches. Having said that, it’s worth noting that subjects such as celebrities, the rankings of countries, and evergreen concepts revolving around worldwide known brands are usually more likely to get picked up, even if it’s sent to Greek journalists without translating it.
When outreaching Greek content, or any content for that matter, it’s always highly important to send an email with a polite tone. So, when you’re emailing a journalist, the best practice is to use ‘Kalimera sas’ or ‘Kalispera sas,’ which is an honorific plural.
International link-building is a skill that doesn’t come easily to many, but by expanding your outreach efforts in new countries, it can be highly successful. The future of digital PR is certainly international as it allows businesses to trade on a global scale, so it’s important to get your foot in the door as soon as possible.
Here at c3, our team of seasoned international experts have the tools, knowledge, and strategic thinking to deliver results through global outreach. Reach out to us today to find out more, and for more digital PR tips, head over to our blog. You can also find out about connective3’s international growth plan right here.
