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Successfully launching a Digital PR campaign in Germany takes more than just translating a successful campaign from another market. Germany’s media landscape is unique, with its own cultural nuances, high standards for content quality, and a strong preference for locally relevant and original stories. Many brands discover the hard way that what resonates elsewhere often falls flat in Germany.
In our latest blog post, Sophie Wolge, a freelance German Digital PR specialist and founder of Lumia Comms, shares her expert insights on crafting campaigns that truly connect with German journalists and audiences. Drawing from her extensive experience, Sophie highlights the key elements of successful German campaigns, from cultural relevance to the importance of originality and authenticity.
If you’re looking to expand your campaigns internationally, don’t miss our other blog posts, where we’ve explored Digital PR strategies for the US and Australia. Together, these guides offer a comprehensive view of how to tailor your campaigns to diverse markets around the globe.
What we’ll cover in this blog post:
So, you’ve launched a successful Digital PR campaign in one market and have been asked to do the same in Germany. Easy, right? Just translate the successful campaign and send it to relevant journalists. Not so fast…
While it might seem logical to recycle a winning idea, many agencies and brands discover the hard way that what works elsewhere doesn’t necessarily work in Germany. However, Digital PR in Germany has some unique features and cultural nuances that are worth considering.
Why a straightforward translation might not be the best idea with German Digital PR
A simple translation often doesn’t capture the elements that make a story appealing to German journalists. Firstly, there are certain topics that are compelling in one country that may not have the same impact in another.
And secondly, German journalists typically look for content that feels specifically tailored to their readership. A mere translation can feel generic, and miss the mark. Even if an idea translates well conceptually, it is still important to adapt it to the cultural and editorial expectations of the German market.Understanding why simple translations often fail highlights the need for content that not only speaks the language but also resonates with the cultural and market-specific interests of the German audience.
Why originality and quality are so important in German Digital PR
If I had to give just one tip for Digital PR success in Germany, it’d be this: make your content feel like a hidden treasure that journalists would struggle to create on their own.
So, what does that mean in practice? It means creating original data, expert commentary, or fresh and relevant angles that have real substance. German journalists prioritise quality and credibility, so your content needs to be excellent. Think well-researched, fact-checked, and rock-solid material.
The Three Core Elements of a Successful Digital PR Campaign in Germany
As a rule of thumb, I think most campaigns that are successful in Germany have one of the following three core elements:
Timeliness: How Reacting Fast Can Amplify Your Campaign's Reach
Newsworthiness is a key factor in whether a story gets picked up by journalists or not. If your campaign can tie into a current event or trend, it increases the likelihood of catching a journalist’s attention. Germany has an active news cycle, and being reactive can make a difference. Whether it's a political event, a cultural celebration, or a seasonal topic, being timely can help your campaign land.
Data Is Your Best Friend
Although data-driven material is popular in digital PR worldwide, Germany places a special focus on reliable, intelligent, and well-sourced data. Your information gains credibility via statistics, study findings, and survey results. Always be explicit about your sources and technique when working with data because German media often rely on credible experts to lend weight to their stories.
Expert Commentary
Your story will gain authority and newsworthiness by working with expert insights. This could entail working with researchers, opinion leaders, or specialists in the field of the subject of your campaign. German media often relies on authoritative voices to add weight to a story, making expert commentary a crucial component.
Combining all or some of the three of the above in a way that feels cohesive and relevant to the German audience is a recipe for success. If you get all three on a topic that is genuinely intriguing to journalists, you’ve essentially hit the jackpot.
Why brand relevance is so important in digital PR for Germany
Brand relevance is another important consideration in digital PR for Germany to keep in mind. I’ve had it happen plenty of times that a journalist came back to me being confused about why a brand has authority over a clearly unrelated subject after me sending a somewhat unrelated story. The more the campaign's topic aligns with the brand's essential identity, the more powerful it will be. Authenticity is highly valued by German journalists and audiences. campaign that lacks coherence or feels only marginally related to the brand risks coming across as inauthentic.
Case Study: Preply - Anglicisms in everyday working life
This campaign conducted a survey amongst Germans in full-time work, analysing how often they use anglicisms within the workplace and secured 30+ backlinks. So, what made it work so well?
Unique Survey Data: The campaign conducted a survey on the use of anglicisms of people working in Germany - this meant Preply had unique survey data they could present to journalists.
Interesting topic: The topic of anglicisms is one widely discussed in Germany, so it was a topic tailored to the specific market. And so even though this campaign was not necessarily reactive, it did tap into an ongoing cultural conversation. This indirectly provided it with a sense of relevance, making it feel like a timely contribution to a significant national discussion.
Expert Commentary: By adding quotes from a language expert, the content gained authority, and it was tied back to the topic of the brand - language, adding another layer of trustworthiness.
Brand relevancy: The topic stays closely aligned to the brand. Since Preply is a language-learning platform, discussing the influence of English on German professional communication made perfect sense. This coherence between the brand and the campaign topic gives the campaign a sense of authenticity, which is a highly valued quality in the German media landscape.
This campaign shows how using relevant data, culturally interesting topics, expert insights, and a strong brand connection can make content interesting to journalists and readers.
Why you should always collaborate with native speakers
I’d always recommend getting a native speaker on board for at least the ideation phase, to review how the data is collected, and to assist in outreach. The more they are involved, the better!
They can help refine your pitch to ensure it really resonates with the German audience, navigate nuances in tone, cultural references, and formalities that might otherwise be overlooked. Even small adjustments can make a big difference in how your campaign is perceived.
There is considerably more to running a successful digital public relations campaign in Germany than simply translating content. You need to adapt your story to fit the unique expectations of the German media while offering original, value-driven content. By focusing on timeliness, reliable data, and expert commentary-and collaborating with native professionals -you’ll be well-positioned to deliver campaigns that truly resonate with German journalists and their audiences.
Key Steps for Digital PR Success in Germany
Research the Market: Understand cultural nuances and trending topics relevant to German audiences.
Localise Your Campaign: Ensure campaigns are relevant to local or regional audiences, as many German outlets serve specific regions.
Prioritise Quality: Use unique data, credible sources, and expert commentary to add authority.
Be Timely: Tie your campaign to current events or seasonal themes to increase newsworthiness.
Collaborate with Natives: Campaign topics must directly tie to the brand’s expertise - misaligned campaigns risk being rejected by German journalists.
Stay Authentic: Native speakers are invaluable for refining tone, navigating cultural nuances, and ensuring pitches feel authentic to German media.
Make sure you follow Sophie on LinkedIn and Twitter, and if you need someone to help with campaigns in the German market, have a look at her website.
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