Blog: Is a sugar hit in the media worth the high? Or are you better off with a slow burn?

The media has been contracting for some time, which is making it even more difficult at times for organisations to gain traction with relevant publications, and particularly mainstream media.  

We know how hard it can be at times to pitch a story, and organisations often need to balance their expectations with that changing landscape to temper the outcomes they are likely to achieve.  

Gaining traction in the mainstream media – or a sugar hit with a big publication - can mean success for some organisations, but others are happier and see greater value in slower burns and profile building via lesser-known publications. Remembering of course that reputations are built over time. 

Mainstream publications don’t always attract the largest audiences anymore, and these days the sugar hit can end up being more like fairy floss, which disintegrates as soon as it gets the faintest hint of moisture anywhere near it. 

A 2025 Meltwater review of media use among people aged over 16 found that 97 per cent of people accessed news on their mobile phones – which could mean they’re getting updates via Facebook, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Instagram or mainstream media apps. It’s instantaneous news, often delivered with a ping. 

The study found 90 per cent of consumers were accessing their news via their laptop or desktop, visiting news sites rather than apps, and probably while they’re at work. 

Online TV or streaming came in at 77 per cent, online press at 68 per cent and broadcast radio at 66 per cent. 

Physical print – the daily newspaper thrown on the front lawn, on your office kitchen bench or in your local McDonalds, came in at 62 per cent. However, research we’ve undertaken at Hughes shows fewer than 20 per cent of our clients are reading a hardcopy newspaper.  

While the way we consume news is changing, what we’re consuming is also different to what it was a decade ago, with newspapers being a case in point. 

As effective PR consultants, we are focussed on working to identify not just where organisations want their news to appear, but why they want it to appear there, and what their target market really is. 

One of our clients in manufacturing doesn’t sell directly to the public, and they have very little interest in mainstream media. That client values coverage in industry publications, knowing it will reach the specific business market which it can deal directly with, while growing its reputation with the right decision makers for their products and services. A win for them is a slower burn, rather than a stick of fairy floss. 

Another client needed to reach thousands of workers within the social services sector, and we knew mainstream or even industry media was unlikely to reach their target market. In that case we found that a social media campaign with a small amount of spending would be more effective, allowing us to reach specific demographics, job titles, industry sectors and locations.  

For that client, success meant an increased number of sector registrations, rather than mainstream media coverage.  

A front-page article might be a quick win, but it might not lead to the best results for an organisation.  

It can be difficult to manage expectations, but understanding an organisation’s needs and ensuring they in-turn understand the media is essential when it comes to helping them reach their target audiences. 

Verity Edwards

Hughes Consultant