Media Relations Agency
Strengthen your message and get it seen and heard where it matters most.
Coverage in a trusted publication does something advertising cannot: it lends your brand someone else’s credibility. That is the heart of media relations, and it is harder to earn than ever. Journalist rosters are shrinking, inboxes are overflowing, and a single quote now shapes not just what readers think but what AI search engines say about you. Red Shoes helps you earn that coverage, and make it work long after the story runs.
Your Story, Our Strategy
At Red Shoes, we deliver award-winning PR strategies that connect your brand with the right audiences through earned media. As a full-service PR and marketing agency, we have a dedicated earned media department that stays on top of fast-moving trends, stories, and beats. Our team includes former television and print journalists, among them an Emmy award-winning reporter, so we know what earns a “yes,” because we have sat on the other side of the pitch.
That newsroom instinct matters more than ever. Media relations is still the core of the job for most communicators, yet it is getting harder: recent industry research found that roughly seven in ten PR professionals now cite low journalist response rates as their biggest challenge, and media lists in relevant beats keep shrinking. Cutting through takes relationships and relevance, not volume. That is exactly how we work.
What We Do
We build targeted, results-driven campaigns that raise your visibility and move your business goals forward.
Strategy Development
Customized, data-driven PR plans built around your specific objectives, not a template.
Media Outreach
We use real journalist relationships to earn coverage that puts your message in front of the right audiences.
Campaign Execution
We manage and optimize each campaign to maximize reach, engagement, and results.
Media Monitoring
We track the reach and sentiment of your coverage and stay alert for unexpected mentions of your brand.
24/7 Crisis Support
Our team is on call around the clock for real-time crisis communication support when the story turns.
Why Earned Media Matters More in the AI Era
Search is changing how coverage pays off, and it works in your favor. When people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI for a recommendation, those tools build answers from sources they trust, and independent journalism sits at the top of that list. Analysis of more than a million AI-cited links found that the large majority of citations come from earned media rather than brand-owned content or ads.
The practical takeaway: a strong media relations program no longer just reaches readers. It shapes how AI describes your brand to the next customer researching you. Coverage has become a compounding asset, and the brands earning it now will own that visibility as AI search grows. It is one more reason earned media belongs at the center of your public relations strategy.
Our Approach
We start with discovery sessions to understand your priorities, whether that is brand awareness, reputation, or sales, and we agree on clear success metrics and the audiences that matter most before any pitching begins.
From there, we build a tailored media list and a press kit that reflects your brand’s voice. Every release, media alert, and pitch is timed and crafted for impact, so your message gains traction and builds over time. When the moment calls for a spokesperson, our media training makes sure they walk in prepared, clear, and on message.
The Red Shoes Difference
Most PR shops pitch and hope. We bring a newsroom perspective, real relationships with local and national journalists, and the discipline to measure what works and adjust. As an Appleton-based agency, we also understand the Wisconsin media landscape in a way a national firm cannot, while regularly earning coverage well beyond it. One partner, a full team of experts, and a track record of turning stories into results.
Do You Have a Need? We Can Help.
Let’s turn your story into coverage that builds trust, traffic, and leads. Let’s partner and get your message seen and heard where it matters most.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Media relations is the practice of earning coverage in trusted news outlets through relationships with journalists, rather than paying for placement. It matters because that third-party credibility builds trust, visibility, and business growth in a way advertising cannot, and because earned coverage now also shapes how AI search tools describe your brand.
Advertising is space you buy and control. Media relations is coverage you earn when a journalist decides your story is worth telling, which is exactly what makes it credible. Both have a role, but earned media carries a level of trust paid placements cannot match, and it tends to keep working long after it runs.
It varies. Reactive opportunities, like offering an expert source on a breaking story, can turn into coverage within days. Building a feature or a steady presence in your target outlets usually takes weeks to a few months. Media relations rewards consistency over time, and we set realistic expectations up front.
We track media placements, audience reach, engagement, message pull-through, and brand sentiment, and increasingly how your brand shows up in AI-generated answers. You get clear reporting that ties coverage back to your visibility and business goals, not vanity metrics.
Yes. Relevance, credibility, and timing matter far more than size. A prepared expert who can respond quickly, share original data, or offer a fresh angle can earn meaningful coverage, and starting with trade and regional outlets often builds toward national placements.
Our Success
Growing and protecting brands ®
