When The Executive Centre (TEC) entered Dubai in 2018, flexible workspaces were still relatively niche in the Middle East market. For Chelsea Perino (then a Marketing and Communications Executive based in Hong Kong) and her team, the challenge was twofold: establishing brand awareness while learning how business is done in the region.
That changed after Covid-19. While many global markets stalled, the region rebounded swiftly. With the rise of hybrid working, the flexible workspace solutions provider fundamentally flipped its business on its head.
The pace of change in the Gulf region is something industry leaders have noticed. Georgina Woollams, Founder and Managing Director of Katch International and whom expanded her agency from London to Dubai more than a decade ago, explained how approaches to brand building and communications have changed over the years as the market transformed:
“The UAE is probably one of the fastest-evolving countries in the world, so we have to adapt to stay on pace continually. With the growth of the country and a recent influx of people from across the globe, we are always finding ways to reintroduce clients to a new audience while simultaneously storytelling to those in the UAE who already know the brand.”
Relationship building in the Middle East and pitfalls to avoid
Chelsea quickly observed that business culture in the Middle East is highly relationship-driven.
Unlike in many Western markets, meetings often begin with personal conversations about family, daily life, or current events before shifting to commercial discussions.
“Making small talk before discussing business details shows that you care about the bigger story behind an initiative. Not doing so can come across as pushy or insincere,” she notes.
Going hand in hand with relationship building is the grasp of cultural nuances and the exhibition of cultural sensitivity. Yet, an often-overlooked aspect for foreign communicators is the sheer diversity of the region, both in terms of language and personas.
Chelsea highlighted the common misconception of treating the Middle East as a homogeneous market. "Each territory has its distinct characteristics and media landscape: Dubai and Abu Dhabi, despite being part of the same country, maintain different business personalities; Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Oman on the other hand each possess unique cultural, economic, and media environments, with varying dialects of Arabic."
She added that success in regional communications requires understanding of both English and Arabic media ecosystems.
Georgina pointed out that a 'pay to play' dynamic is prevalent in certain territories, which might be hard to get around, especially if you are in the real estate or trade industries.
“A lot of international people forget that the majority of the wealth in that region is sitting within the Arabic family holding - it would be naive not to take that side of the demographics seriously,” Chelsea observed.
Tailoring communication to different demographics
Beyond building relationships in person, understanding audiences’ preferred communication platforms across Middle Eastern countries is crucial for successful engagement. Each market has distinct preferences shaping both B2B and B2C communications that brands must adapt to.
While longer-form storytelling and business outlooks would be interesting to audiences of traditional media, social media communication in the region is undeniably on the rise. “X (formerly Twitter) usage in the region is high - it’s actually one of the preferred communications platforms - which is why it is important to consider opening branded channels to drive more tailored engagement when an organisation is expanding into the region,” Chelsea exemplifies.
Georgina echoes Chelsea’s sentiment on the importance of localising communication channels and their content to different audiences.
On numerous occasions, Georgina has seen international brands enter the market and think one rule fits all, but that is simply not the case. “For our clients, this is a journey of education, understanding what competitors are doing and how they are doing it right. We then adapt one of their campaigns culturally to show them the great results we can achieve, so they let us continue with this strategy.”
On the other hand, young people aged under 30 constitute more than half of the population across the Middle East and North Africa region, with recent estimates from the OECD placing this figure at around 55%. In this context, Georgina also advises PRs to “be ready to adapt; Generation Alpha are tech-led, so find ways to communicate with them in a manner they will respond to. Generation Z want to know you care, so you need to speak with authenticity.”
Advice for first-timers
When asked what guidance she would offer to international communicators entering this market for the first time, Georgina honed in on localisation and authentic engagement.
“It is essential to localise the content, build genuine relationships with specific communities, not just by sponsoring something, but by truly finding a way to engage with the audience you are targeting.”
Chelsea encourages brands to inform their marketing and communications campaigns through a competitive audit. A test-and-learn approach is also highly beneficial, she has found. Rather than crafting an extensive year-long strategy immediately, she recommends focusing on shorter cycles:
“For Q1, focus on specific initiatives and channels, assess what works, and use those insights to inform your strategy for Q2. If you find success with certain activities, amplify them; if something doesn’t resonate, pivot and explore new options.”
She also urged brands to think carefully about where they launch within the UAE, rather than defaulting to Dubai.
“Each Emirate has its own identity,” Chelsea explained. “Some are known for luxury and glamour, some for financial strength and investment, and others are emerging as entertainment hubs.
“Don’t automatically assume Dubai is the best starting point for your initiatives just because it’s the most familiar to an international audience.”
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Every few years, someone declares the death of the media release.
Today, the arguments sound familiar. Journalists don't read them anymore. Everything is social-first. AI is replacing traditional media outreach. It's all about the pitch. Press releases are becoming little more than AI-generated filler.
And yet, when we speak with journalists across Asia Pacific and the Middle East, a different picture emerges.
Media releases aren't dead, but expectations around them have changed significantly.
We've analysed more than 10,000 Journalist Interest Survey responses in the Telum Media platform collected over the past five years, alongside insights gathered from conversations with editors, reporters, and producers across the region.
Key takeaways:
- Journalists still value useful PR content
- Relevance matters more than reach
- The pitch and the release serve different roles
- The best releases reduce friction for journalists
- Modern releases need to support multiple platforms
The conclusion is clear: journalists still value media releases, but they value them for different reasons than they once did.
The media release has evolved from a distribution tool into something far more strategic.
The media release is no longer the story
For decades, many PR professionals treated the media release as the centrepiece of media relations activity.
Write the release. Send it widely. Hope for coverage - “spray and pray”.
That approach was far from perfect, but you could get away with it in an era when newsrooms were larger, competition for attention was lower, and journalists had more time to evaluate incoming information.
Today's reality is very different.
Journalists are producing content across multiple platforms, often with smaller teams and tighter deadlines. Their inboxes are flooded with pitches, announcements, thought leadership submissions, and increasingly, AI-generated content.
As a result, journalists have become far more selective about what earns their attention.
The modern media release is no longer just about news stories. It has become a source-of-truth asset, a newsroom resource, and a content hub that supports broader communications activity.
The best PR teams understand this shift.
“The strongest message from journalists can be summarised in a single phrase: ‘Understand what I cover’. Relevance remains the most important factor in successful media engagement.”
What journalists are actually rejecting
One of the most revealing findings from our analysis is that journalists are not rejecting PR content altogether.
What they're rejecting is low-value outreach.
Across thousands of responses, the same frustrations appeared repeatedly:
- Irrelevant pitches
- Generic outreach
- Mass distribution
- Weak story angles
- Excessive follow-ups
In other words, this is less a rejection of media releases and more a rejection of poor media relations practice.
The strongest message from journalists can be summarised in a single phrase:
"Understand what I cover."
Relevance remains the most important factor in successful media engagement. In fact, our journalist surveys over the past two years have seen a sharp increase in a desire for both relevance and personalisation in pitches.
Journalists increasingly assess pitches within seconds. If the connection to their beat, audience, or current priorities isn't immediately obvious, the opportunity is often lost before the email is even opened.
The pitch and the release have different jobs
One of the biggest misconceptions in modern media relations is treating the pitch and the release as the same thing.
They are not.
The pitch exists to earn attention; the release exists to support the story.
The best pitches are:
- Brief
- Human
- Relevant
- Contextual
- Conversational
The best releases are:
- Structured
- Factual
- Complete
- Reusable
- Easy to reference
At a recent Telum Media event, a senior journalist described the fastest way to kill a pitch with a single word: “Respect”. Or a lack thereof.
A generic greeting. A story unrelated to their beat. A mass-produced email that demonstrates no understanding of their audience.
All signal a lack of respect for the journalist's time and expertise.
High-performing PR teams increasingly write pitches and releases for different audiences. The pitch is written for the journalist. The release is written for the journalist's audience.
That distinction matters.
Why journalists still value media releases
Despite predictions of their demise, journalists continue to actively request media releases.
But they want releases that help them work more efficiently.
The most common requests include concise writing, clear headlines, strong news angles, supporting data (with downloadable images and assets), spokesperson access, and easy-to-use formats.
These preferences reveal the modern role of the release: it functions as a workflow tool.
A strong release helps journalists:
- Understand the story quickly
- Verify information
- Access supporting materials
- Build content efficiently
The best releases reduce friction. And in today's newsroom environment, reducing friction is often more valuable than generating hype.
Think beyond media coverage
Another major shift is that media releases are increasingly serving multiple audiences.
A modern release doesn’t just support journalists; it might also support clients and prospects, employees, investors and analysts, partners, and search visibility.
Rather than creating a single-use document, leading communications teams are building content ecosystems.
The release becomes the foundation for:
- Media outreach
- Newsroom content
- Executive communications
- Social media content
- Email campaigns
- Sales collateral
- Thought leadership activity
This approach not only improves consistency but also increases the return on investment from every announcement.
The role of the modern media release
Not every story needs a release
Perhaps one of the most important lessons is recognising when a media release is the wrong tool.
Releases tend to perform best when there is:
- Genuine news value
- Multiple stakeholder audiences
- A need for factual consistency
- Strong supporting assets
- Broader business significance
They are often less effective for internal milestones framed as major news (or self-congratulatory announcements), generic thought leadership, and untargeted mass outreach.
In some situations, a targeted pitch, LinkedIn strategy, executive commentary programme, or direct relationship-based outreach may be more effective.
Good communications strategy isn't about defaulting to a media release; it's about choosing the right tool for the objective.
A framework for modern media releases
If there is one word that captures what journalists are asking for today, it is respect.
At Telum Media, we summarise this through the RESPECT framework:
R – Relevance
Make it relevant to the journalist, their audience and the moment.
E – Efficiency
Help journalists work faster through clear, concise, and usable content.
S – Substance
Provide genuine value through expertise, data, insight, or access.
P – Personalisation
Demonstrate that you've done your homework.
E – Ecosystem
Think beyond the release and consider how it supports broader communications goals.
C – Clarity
Make the key message immediately obvious.
T – Timing
Reach out at the right time, not simply any time.
What journalists are asking for in a pitch / media release: RESPECT
The future of the media release
The debate over whether media releases are dead misses the point.
The more useful question is how do we make releases work better in today’s media environment?
Journalists still value relevant information, credible sources, strong story angles, and efficient communication. Media releases continue to play an important role in delivering those things.
But success today depends less on the existence of the release itself and more on how strategically it is used.
The media release remains a valuable communications tool.
Just not in the way many of us were taught to use it.
FAQs
Are media releases still useful in 2026?
Yes. Journalists still value media releases, but these days want targeted outreach, relevance to their beat, alignment with their audience, and contextual pitching.
What makes a media release useful to journalists?
Journalists are looking for releases in a format that helps them work efficiently. Which means releases that are concise, factual, with a clear angle, contain usable quotes, and come with downloadable assets and supporting data.
What is the difference between a pitch and a media release?
A pitch earns the journalist’s attention in their cluttered Inbox. A media release supports the story by providing structured, factual, and reusable information relevant to their audience.
With more than 30 years’ experience spanning journalism, corporate communications and media intelligence, Reuben Aitchison is Telum Media’s Head of Insights and Communications.
Explore Telum Media tools that help PR teams pitch with precision.
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