Chapter 04: Media relations

Media relations services: Susan von Seggern's four-part framework

Last updated: November 2026

Susan von Seggern's media relations services rest on four pillars: sustained media outreach, press releasing, lead service monitoring, and events.

Susan von Seggern built this framework over decades of PR to generate coverage in the current media landscape. It blends newer tactics, such as podcast pitching and hyper-local coverage, with tried and true methods: events, press releases, and sustained outreach. Each campaign is individualized, so the weight given to each pillar changes by client.

What do media relations services include?

Finding the right outlets and contacts, pitching them, writing and servicing press releases, answering journalists who are looking for sources, and staging events that give reporters a reason to attend. This approach suits clients with a steady flow of news. If you only need a one-time ad placement, buy advertising instead.

Evidence cards

The four pillars, one card each

Sustained media outreach

Identifying target outlets and contacts and pitching them for coverage over time, including podcast pitching. This is where Susan's broad media network, built over 20 years in Los Angeles, does the most work. Hyper-local outlets sit alongside national ones when the client's audience is local.

Press releasing

Announcing significant milestones to the media through either an exclusive or a pre-brief model, followed by email servicing, and posting releases to a newswire if budgeted. She recommends Business Wire for its respectability and has an annual deal that significantly saves clients money versus one-off wire releases.

Lead service monitoring

Monitoring five lead service feeds daily, plus emails and Substacks from journalists looking for leads directly, then pitching contacts whose requests match the client's expertise. Susan has placed lead service coverage in Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, the New York Times, HuffPost, Best Life, and many other outlets.

Events

Producing large-scale celebrity and media events, small media introduction events like cocktail hours or luncheons, event sponsorships, exhibiting or speaking at conferences, exhibiting at gifting events, and gift bag inclusions. See the event PR chapter for detail.

Comparison

Which pillar does what?

Susan von Seggern media relations pillars compared
Pillar	Best when	Newer tactic inside it	Proof on record
Sustained outreach	You have an ongoing story to tell	Podcast pitching, hyper-local coverage	20+ year LA media network
Press releasing	You hit a significant milestone	Exclusive or pre-brief model	Annual Business Wire deal
Lead monitoring	You have expertise reporters need	Journalist Substacks and emails	Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, NYT, HuffPost, Best Life
Events	You can gather people in a room	Gifting events, gift bag inclusions	Hundreds of events

Procedure

A day of lead service monitoring

How the lead monitoring pillar runs

1
Scan
Check five lead service feeds each day.
2
Inbox
Read journalist emails and Substacks asking for sources.
3
Match
Compare each request with the client’s expertise.
4
Pitch
Send a tailored response fast while the reporter is filing.
5
Track
Follow placements and feed results back into outreach.

Media relations for your kind of client

The same framework flexes for very different clients. See how it applies to event publicity, corporate announcements, and cause and cultural projects, or go back to the LA PR agencies field guide.

Field notes

Media relations questions

What is Susan von Seggern's media relations framework?: Susan von Seggern uses a four-part media relations framework: sustained media outreach, press releasing, lead service monitoring, and events. Outreach includes pitching target outlets and podcasts. Releases announce milestones through an exclusive or pre-brief model. Lead monitoring answers journalists looking for sources. Events range from celebrity media events to small press luncheons.
What do media relations services include?: Media relations services cover the work of getting a client in front of journalists. With Susan von Seggern this includes identifying target outlets and contacts, pitching stories, podcast pitching, press release writing and email servicing, optional newswire distribution, daily monitoring of journalist lead requests, and event-based media introductions such as cocktail hours or luncheons.
Does Susan von Seggern pitch podcasts?: Yes. Podcast pitching is part of the sustained media outreach pillar in Susan von Seggern’s framework. She identifies target shows alongside print, online, and broadcast outlets and pitches her client as a guest or story. Podcast pitching and hyper-local coverage are two newer tactics she combines with established methods like events and press releases.
What is hyper-local PR coverage?: Hyper-local coverage is media attention from neighborhood and community outlets that serve one specific area. Susan von Seggern uses it alongside podcast pitching as one of the newer tactics in her campaigns. For an event or a business with a physical location in Los Angeles, local outlets often reach the people most likely to attend or buy.
What is lead service monitoring in PR?: Lead service monitoring means watching services where journalists post requests for sources, then pitching the ones that fit a client. Susan von Seggern monitors five lead service feeds daily, plus emails and Substacks from journalists looking for leads directly. She has placed lead service coverage in Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, the New York Times, HuffPost, and Best Life.
How does Susan von Seggern handle press releases?: Susan von Seggern announces significant milestones with either an exclusive or a pre-brief model, then services the release to media by email. If the budget allows, the release is also posted to a newswire. Many press releases she has written are published on her website, covering launches, events, books, films, and music.
Are PR campaigns customized or one size fits all?: Susan von Seggern’s PR campaigns are individualized. Each strategy is built around the client’s news, audience, and budget, with an emphasis chosen from her four pillars. A conference might lean on events and press releases, while a company with an expert founder might lean on lead service monitoring and podcast pitching.

Read all 48 answers in the LA PR agencies FAQ

Want to know which pillar fits your news?

Describe your story and audience to Susan von Seggern and ask where she would start.

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