Four common PR mistakes you must avoid in the Nordic region

There are many things to consider when starting up a PR program in the Nordic region, especially for companies that have not previously had a PR presence in the Nordics.

At first glance, the Nordic countries may look like one relatively small and similar region. But when it comes to PR, the differences matter. Each market has its own language, media landscape, journalist expectations, and local business agendas.

There are many ways to succeed – but equally a lot of mistakes that can make your PR work unsuccessful. In this blog post, we will cover the most common mistakes – and guide you on how to avoid them. We will also give you some necessary background information about the Nordic region before considering launching a PR programme in the Nordics.

Mistake #1: Choosing one agency that claims to cover all the Nordic countries from one location

The five Nordic countries have many similarities and several differences when it comes to culture, languages, media landscapes and how to work with media relations.

A successful PR approach will take all these matters into account. Therefore, it is essential to have local PR professionals with in-depth knowledge and a strong network. They will be much better at advising you on local agendas, trending topics, media tactics and how to create results.

Mistake #2: Considering the Nordic region as one market – and allocating your budget accordingly

If you consider the Nordic region as one market, you might end up seriously underestimating the required budget.

PR in the Nordic countries can be quite expensive. First, the Nordic countries are among the most expensive countries in the world due in part to free education, free healthcare, etc., and the high tax level is reflected in agency fee structures.

Second, you need to localise each project to fit the specific culture and language of each Nordic country.

When allocating budgets for the Nordic region, it is advisable not to work with very small country budget. It is a better approach to do a really great job in two Nordic countries than getting mediocre or no results in four countries. An alternative tactic could be to focus on some of the countries in some of the quarters of the year. It all depends on your objectives.

Mistake #3: Expecting the same amount of media coverage as in large European countries

As Communications Manager across Europe, one might be tempted to compare the Nordic region to countries such as France, Germany and the UK. However, the media landscape in the Nordic region is much more limited compared to those countries.

Typically, each of the Nordic countries have 2-3 dailies, 1-2 financial or business dailies, very little channel media – yet quite a few trade publications and verticals. This means you should typically not expect a huge number of press articles on stories in any of the Nordic countries. Instead, it is better to base your KPIs on the quality of the coverage:

• Is it in a tier-1 publication that is relevant to your target group?
• Does it include one or more of your key messages. Are there any quotes?
• Does it include a photo? Other measurable factors that indicate the quality and value of your clippings may apply.

In the Nordic region, it is typically better to have, one strong piece of relevant coverage than a long list of low impact mentions.

Mistake #4: Attempting to build a thought leadership position for the company, without having a local spokesperson

We’re not saying it’s impossible to build a thought leadership position without a local spokesperson in the Nordic countries. But it certainly helps. Without a local spokesperson, you will most likely only get coverage based on relevant press releases and bylined articles. This means that your company is not building a relation with local journalists, and they will most likely go to different sources and experts for commentaries, and insights.

When working with local spokespeople, it is important to establish and build relations between them and the relevant journalists. This paves the way for rapid responses to current agendas.

A way of doing this is to monitor the local media closely, and when the opportunity arises to comment on a current matter within your field of expertise and then reach out and offer interviews with your spokesperson. This is an excellent way of building strong media relations and a strong thought leadership position.

If you have local spokespeople who are not used to giving interviews, it is always a good idea to offer customised media training and message training sessions to prepare spokespeople for their media encounters – both the proactive and the reactive ones.

What you must understand about the Nordic region

The Nordic countries are generally high-trust societies with strong welfare systems, high living standards, and digitally mature populations. They are often early adopters of new products, services, and technologies, particularly in areas such as healthcare, technology, and fintech.

But shared characteristics do not remove local differences. The region still consists of different countries, languages, cultures, and media habits. PR tactics, journalist expectations, and even influencer relations can vary significantly from one market to another – what is considered appropriate media relations in one country may offend journalists in another country.

That is why successful Nordic PR requires two things at the same time: a coordinated regional strategy and strong local market knowledge.