Time was, media relations at an association was a matter of writing press releases and media training meant some coaching of the CEO and board chair. But as the avenues for communication have diversified, so has the association PR role, which now encompasses designing infographics, editing podcasts, prepping subject-matter experts (SMEs), and responding to surprise viral moments.

Last month, International Society of Automation Managing Director of Strategic Engagement Liz Neiman received the first Women of Impact Award in the association/nonprofit category from the Public Relations Society of America. Specifically, the award honored the work Neiman did around the 2024 launch of its LLM tool, Mimo (which Associations Now covered). But it also speaks to the breadth of considerations an association PR pro needs to address.

Neiman shared a few tips from her experience for how associations can successfully send a message.

Know when your story matters. Some association CEOs may dream of front-page coverage for every move it makes, but it makes more sense to focus on who a story impacts. “What’s a big deal to your organization may not necessarily be a big deal to industry or trade verticals,” Nieman says. “Whoever’s in the communications seat, that person needs a really strong relationship across the leadership team level, so they can articulate the value [of an announcement] at the beginning.”

Give PR a seat at the table. Siloing an association’s PR person in the marketing department means they’re missing the backstories and rationales for leadership decisions. That makes it harder to respond on the fly to immediate challenges, and deprives them of context to spread the word on long-term projects. “The most successful situations have been when I’m an honored and respected member of the broader leadership team,” Neiman says. “Then I’m sensitized to any political concerns, and I can be helpful in mitigating those. If people are looking for a new role in PR leadership, look at what the reporting line is. Where do you sit within the organization’s structure?”

Prep your people. At ISA, Neiman works with an outside communications firm to provide media training to the CEO, board officers, and SMEs. Sometimes the work involves coaching speakers to discuss complex ideas at the sound-bite level; sometimes it means prepping a leader for a grilling by a national outlet on a hot-button topic. Regardless, it means knowing what people are comfortable with. “Our content experts come in with technical areas where you know staff is on shaky ground,” she says. “Then you really want that SME, and you really want that person to be on solid footing.”

Know what you’re measuring. A thousand likes on your Instagram post means little if they’re not from people you’re hoping to reach. Rather than measure a campaign’s overall reach, Neiman pays attention to the kinds of connections a campaign creates. Did it gain visibility in a publication members pay attention to? Did it give ISA a tie to an influencer it can reach out to in the future? “Fifty media mentions is maybe not sufficient,” she says. “What I want to see is that I got three interviews with reporters in leading verticals. Metrics are important and part of the mix, but I care much more about the more personal connections I was able to make.”