Respect individual markets as unique to truly connect with local audiences

Lau says: “If you want a global reach, you need to treat each market as unique, creating tailored strategies that actually resonate locally.

I see the lack of this a lot when working with international clients. For example, we talk about digital PR in the UK or Spain, and then there’s digital PR in LATAM for Latin America. But LATAM isn’t one market – it’s 33 countries, each with its own set of cultures and nuances to consider.

Every country deserves the respect and time needed to understand it, and when you give each one that focus, the potential is huge. Think of it this way: asking if I do digital PR for ‘English-speaking countries’ is like ignoring how different PR would be across U.S. states. Culture, media landscape, audience preferences, and current events vary hugely and can make or break a campaign.

If you’re already investing in campaigns for different regions, why not do it right?”

Are niches also different in specific local areas?

“When you start working in international markets, especially Spanish-speaking ones, you quickly realise there aren’t as many niche publications as in the UK. In the UK, you’ve got super-specific niches (I once had to put together a hiking media list!), but you’d struggle to find that in Spain or much of LATAM. In these regions, national and regional newspapers will make up 90% of your media list, so it’s crucial to keep this in mind when ideating and distributing.

Understanding these nuances is key. You might have a campaign crafted for a specific niche, only to find that it barely exists in another country. For instance, business publications in Spain? Good luck finding many.”

What do you mean by ‘transcreate, don’t just translate’?

“Transcreation means adapting content to a new language while preserving its original intent, tone, and style – not just directly translating it. I can always tell when a campaign has been put through a tool like DeepL or ChatGPT without real adaptation. Sure, it might get links, but if you’re going into a new country, it’s worth that extra effort to make the content resonate.

For example, in Chile, they recently introduced a law to reduce weekly working hours because they were among the highest compared to other OECD countries. I recently worked on a campaign highlighting the countries with the highest working hours and therefore the most expensive free time, and Chile ranked high on the list. But if I ignored that they’re actively working to address this issue, the campaign would lack local relevance.

Including these kinds of details – or at least acknowledging them – makes the content far more relatable. Otherwise, you’re losing the opportunity to speak directly to what matters locally. By not adapting your content, you miss the chance to connect.”

How much does content need to change to feel hyper-local and relevant?

“It’s about tuning into what’s on the audience’s mind and how they’re talking about it – but also avoiding any risk of being inappropriate. I often compare ideating and distributing a campaign in a new country to storming into a room full of strangers and cracking a joke. Imagine they were having a serious conversation, like at a funeral – you’d ruin your chance at a good first impression and you might come across as very inappropriate.

A real example of this is when I nearly distributed a campaign on the ‘safest’ and ‘friendliest’ cities without realising one of those cities was experiencing a surge in violence. Thankfully, I caught it in time because I did my research. A few minutes of reading can save you from a major mistake.

If you are using humour or specific terms, check that they will be understood. A pun might be funny in one place but fall flat or offend somewhere else.

Sometimes you’ll have data that can be relevant across multiple countries. That’s great – it’s less work – but make sure that you 1) understand how that data will be contextualised locally and 2) avoid offending anyone.

It’s the bare minimum really.

Obviously, read the news. Read what’s going on. Make sure that you’re understanding what is timely and what could, on the other hand, be offensive.”

Why is understanding the local media landscape so important?

“Before you even start ideating, just looking at the context and media landscape helps you know which campaigns are likely to work. For example, if regional publications have very low DR, they may not be worth targeting, and a regional campaign might not be the best choice. Instead, you might want to focus on a national campaign in a popular niche like sports, if there are many sports publications.

Understanding the media landscape also means recognising that not every country is like the UK. In Spain, there are fewer digital publications, but you also have the chance to land on TV or radio quite organically. Knowing this opens up new opportunities and helps manage expectations – both for yourself and your client.

It also helps you understand how to target journalists. Is there something timely or relevant that you could connect to your campaign? Has a new law been announced that might relate? If so, making that connection can strengthen your campaign.

You don’t need to read every newspaper, but familiarising yourself with what’s happening in that niche – like job market trends if you’re discussing working hours – can make a big difference. This kind of insight helps at every stage, from ideation to content creation and distribution.”

Is it worth trying to build relationships with the local media to help with content distribution?

“Absolutely, 100%. Sometimes we forget that we’re not just sending press releases; there are actual people on the other side who might remember us. When you’re distributing campaigns in a country and get responses from journalists who recognise you, that’s a success. In a way, you’ve already won.

Building relationships with those journalists not only opens doors for potential coverage but also helps in shaping the content itself. When you’ve got that connection, you can ask them what kind of content works best in their region, what they’re interested in, and what types of stories they publish.

Personally, I don’t think you can succeed in a new country without some trial and error. That’s been my experience every time I’ve entered a new market, whether in Spain, Mexico, or Chile. The process involves a lot of navigating and adjusting as you go along – and the same goes for the UK PR landscape, which has changed dramatically since I started. It’s a continuous learning curve. If you’re testing out a new market, I’d recommend avoiding starting with an expensive campaign. Try a data-focused piece with accessible data that you can easily distribute, just to see how it goes.”

How do you do a better job of understanding who the ultimate reader of the piece is going to be?

“It ultimately comes down to reading the media that’s out there. At the end of the day, journalists are not writing for us, they are writing for an audience. Whatever they are writing about, they know that people care about this topic.

But there are other routes.

I once had to turn around a Star Wars-related campaign quickly. I haven’t watched Star Wars, but I needed three solid ideas fast. Asking ChatGPT to summarise it wasn’t enough because I needed to know what fans actually care about. So, I turned to the community – places like Reddit and Quora are goldmines for insights. Searching for a topic there lets you see what people are really talking about.

If you’re writing about the job market in Mexico and Chile, to follow with the same example, go to their subreddits, find articles on the topic, and check out the comments. If there’s an article on Facebook, read the discussions underneath. That’s where you’ll find what people genuinely care about. They might say, ‘Why isn’t anyone talking about commuting times?’ which tells you that commuting is a huge issue in Mexico and Chile, but it often gets overlooked.

Social media gives you all the answers. This practice isn’t just for international markets – it’s helpful in general, especially if you’re unfamiliar with a topic.”

If an SEO is struggling for time, what should they stop doing right now so they can spend more time doing what you suggest in 2025?

“We’re so focused on churning out campaign after campaign, constantly creating new content. Instead, take a look at what you’ve already produced—repackage it, update it, and relaunch it.

It’s better to run 2–3 fewer campaigns in a year. You don’t need to have a campaign every month. Pause, breathe, put together a solid strategy, and invest in research. That research will do far more for your campaigns and SEO than launching campaigns blindly without a clear goal. Plus, it’ll help you manage expectations across different markets.

The number of campaigns doesn’t matter. I have campaigns from 3 years ago that are still bringing in links and coverage. A well-executed campaign has lasting rewards. Stop forcing out a shiny new campaign every month and look at the content you already have. I guarantee you’ll find data or insights that can be used again.”

Lau Miguez is a Freelance International Digital PR Specialist, and you can find her at LauMiguez.com.