Precision Strategies director of digital Krishana Davis talks about how thinking outside traditional channels can help communicators connect with a diverse range of audiences in the latest “PR’s Top Pros Talk” video interview with Doug Simon.

One way that Davis breaks with tradition is in her approach to approaching journalists. Her suggestion is to shift your focus to freelance reporters. “Freelance reporters have this drive and need to get paid at the end of the day,” she tells Simon. “I actually think that they're more likely to hear and listen to a pitch that may be a little bit nontraditional.”

She also talks about the lessons that PR pros can learn from political communicators. “When you're looking at politics,” she says, “There's a stake in the ground somewhere that says this is what we care about. If you're always so focused on what the customer wants and not focused on that moral compass, a lot of times you end up on the wrong side of history.”

Some groundrules for companies that want to have a social impact also come up for discussion. She says that many companies “end up commodifying some of these issues more than doing them with an approach that really feels like it's embedded on the ground.”

To enter the social sphere successfully, she says, such strategies as donating a portion of a company’s proceeds go much farther than simply changing up a logo or putting out t-shirts.

Davis also stresses the need to talk to your audience on their terms. She says that brands need to focus on “creating ads that like look and feel and dovetail to the things they're watching, they're already using for entertainment.”

Creating a more diverse PR industry, she says, requires more than just giving a wide range of people a seat at the table. She says that firms need to “pay them and get out of their way and make sure they have the resources to thrive and truly do the work. And also, you can't micromanage them in the process.”

View all of the interviews in the “PR's Top Pros Talk” series. Subscribe to get notified when new episodes are available.

Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected]

D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing content to the media. The company also produces live social media events.