Publications in International Media: How to Gain Real Benefits Beyond the Article

According to statistics, 90-95% of emails sent to international media outlets go unanswered. We've identified the main reasons why many attempts to secure international media coverage fail and what you can do about it.

Since 2022, Russia has faced an unofficial "information blockade" in the international press, making it difficult to secure positive coverage, especially for private matters.

Currently, many international media outlets don't accept payments from the Russian Federation for commercial placement, making it difficult to publish articles abroad, even in the form of advertising.

Every day, international media outlets receive hundreds of requests for coverage. Editors simply can't process them all, so the chances of your request even reaching a journalist, let alone being published, are extremely slim.

Media outlets compete for readers' attention, so they prioritize the most relevant topics. Each publication also has its own specific focus, which you must align with to secure coverage.

Furthermore, many clients believe that securing international media coverage is expensive, time-consuming, and requires significant effort, which may not be worthwhile.

We're here to address those concerns and show you how to effectively engage with the international press.

Language barriers, a lack of experience working with international media, and a poor understanding of how to engage with the international press often lead to unsuccessful attempts to secure coverage.

The challenges described above often await those new to international media relations who try to secure coverage independently. The situation is different when you entrust this task to experienced professionals.

Avagard Global specialists have secured over a hundred international media placements in the past year alone. Our expertise and proprietary methodologies play a key role in our success.

First, we operate globally, securing publications in English and many other languages, even less common ones like Serbian, as we did in a recent case. This allows Avagard Global to solve specific client problems without restrictions and place news in any global media outlet.

Second, we provide placement services not only in top-tier international media but also in niche industry publications covering finance, banking, IT, marketing, entertainment, science, and other areas. This allows you to target the desired audience based on the client's specific goals.

Third, and most importantly, our Avagard Global team goes beyond simply placing publications in international media, as most PR agencies offering similar services do. We ensure that the article rises to the top of search results for relevant queries containing the company name and the individual's full name.

Even publications in top-tier international media outlets are unlikely to rank high in search results unless they cover a major, widely discussed global event.

News about specific people and companies is often posted in specific sections of global media websites, not on the main page, which is regularly updated. This means that even a publication in a widely read outlet like The New York Times doesn't guarantee that your target audience will see the news you distribute. After all, most people find information through search engines like Google.

If an international media publication doesn't appear at the top of search results, few people beyond the publication's dedicated readership will see it.

Studies show that most users only review the first, or at most the second, page of search results.

Promoting a publication to the top of search results addresses this problem. When international media publications appear on the first and second pages, anyone interested in the company or person will see them.

Unfortunately, PR agencies that offer international media placement services often don't explain the algorithms for online information distribution. They fail to warn clients that comprehensive digital profile management extends beyond simply publishing articles. It's equally important to ensure that these international media publications are accessible to a broad audience, which requires a specific methodology for promoting publications in search results – something our Avagard Global team does successfully.

Often, international media publications are needed by individuals or companies planning to enter foreign markets. These publications help them establish their presence, promote their products and brands, and provide high-quality PR support in new markets.

This is also relevant for entrepreneurs who do business in Russia but actively cooperate with foreign companies as suppliers, contractors, or clients. Foreign organizations prioritize an impeccable business reputation and the absence of financial and reputational risks when choosing partners.

Scandals, damaging information, or legal proceedings reported in the international press can end cooperation with foreign organizations.

Positive publications about a person or company in global media, which rank high in search results, will create a favorable image and push any previous negative information out of sight.

Often, our clients only consider publishing in international publications after experiencing negative consequences from negative or outdated coverage. Based on our experience, we can highlight typical situations like difficulties with compliance and sanctions/PEP risks.

Banks, private companies, government agencies, and immigration services abroad conduct compliance checks before starting a relationship with any individual. For many institutions, this is a legal requirement. As part of the compliance procedure, the top search results for the person's full name are reviewed to identify potential risks, such as involvement in illegal activities, money laundering, or corruption.

Compliance checks aim to ensure that information in open sources about the person matches their submitted documents and current status. For example, if a person appears in international media as an active official, but they haven't been involved in public service for some time, this will raise questions for compliance officers or even doubts about the accuracy of the documents.

That's why it's essential to remove unreliable or irrelevant information from the top search results and fill it with accurate and relevant information. This ensures compliance officers don't have questions about discrepancies between online data and submitted documents.

World-Check, LexisNexis, and Dow Jones, the most well-known international risk assessment databases, collect information from open sources to create personal profiles. These databases, along with open sources, are the primary compliance tools.

Since 2022, Russia has been considered a high-risk jurisdiction in international compliance, leading to more thorough verification of Russian citizens. We're also seeing a general tightening of compliance in relation to Russians and domestic companies.

The compliance procedure for Russian citizens abroad is becoming more complex and time-consuming, and the risk of failing compliance is increasing. A negative compliance check result can lead to significant restrictions abroad: banks may not open accounts or conduct transactions, immigration services may not issue residence permits or citizenship, and foreign companies may refuse to cooperate.

You can be placed on a sanctions list or receive PEP status based on a few online publications that connect a person or company to Russian government agencies or state-owned companies, even if the information is untrue or outdated.

For example, a former top manager of a large company that transitioned from private to state ownership contacted us. Although he left his position long before the nationalization, he was listed in foreign media as an employee of a state-owned company, leading to his inclusion on PEP lists. We published articles with correct information and promoted them to the top of search results to provide grounds for removing his PEP status.

The respected international publication Politico found that Russian citizens were included on sanctions lists based on information from questionable sources, including Wikipedia articles, chatbot-generated text, anonymous blogs, and tabloids.

New, high-quality publications in international media, combined with comprehensive management of top search results in foreign languages, allow us to neutralize negative, irrelevant, and false information, opening the possibility of removing PEP status.

In conclusion, publications in international media don't always require a large budget or insurmountable effort. If you contact Avagard Global, we'll help you place your article in the international press and ensure it gets noticed online.