From leaders in sustainable housing to champions for affordability, the multifamily industry has stories to tell. Whether you’re a developer or operator, investor or strategic partner, honing your public relations strategy for optimal impact is key to growing you firm’s – and leaders’ – share of voice and showcasing company impact. Ready to start? Here are a few tips:
Have an Expert Source List at Your Fingertips
It sounds simple, but who are the company’s spokespeople? While a founder, president or CEO may take the lead on most media opportunities there may be specialty subject matter experts who step in from time to time. Having a list of key spokespeople with titles, short bios and contact information can help both improve your speed of response to media and ensure the basic information media needs is pre-approved and ready to go when opportunity strikes. And, for organizations looking to secure more air time on TV, radio and podcasts, consider having a couple of sound bites handy to give media a better sense of who they’ll be speaking with and how they present.
Embrace the Unconventional
Groundbreakings, grand openings and personnel announcements all have their place in a multifamily real estate public relations program, but they don’t always yield the unique, in-depth feature stories that clearly differentiate one multifamily developer from another. Whether it’s a scratch build, adaptive reuse project, major renovation or new addition to your management portfolio, dig deep for the stories that will stand out in reporters’ inboxes.
As you’re building out a list of compelling and creative story angles, consider whether the project has any significant historical community ties, is first or best in a class, is the last of its kind and more.
Think Beyond the Buildings
From charitable giving to initiatives that support a vibrant company culture, a strategic multifamily PR program should reflect the diverse strengths of an organization. Whether it’s an innovative career advancement program for staff, a first-of-its-kind flex-lease program or a mission-driven aspect of the company that is often overlooked, the features and attributes that make your organization stand out in a competitive industry should be purposefully integrated into your PR program. Yes, groundbreakings, acquisitions, leasing milestones, industry trends and executive news are all important but leveraging media relations to tell a comprehensive story of who you are, how you work and what sets you apart from the competition can make a sizeable impact (think attracting the right talent and securing the right partners, to name a couple).
Embrace New Channels for Sharing Thought Leadership
When selecting channels for your PR and marketing plan, focus on answering these three key questions:
- Where are my existing audiences getting their information?
- Where are my target/future audiences seeking information?
- What mediums best suit the content my firm is producing and the resources available to us?
With the answers to these questions top of mind, you can begin identifying opportunities to enhance your marketing mix.
As you evaluate where to expand your existing footprint and which new channels to tap, be sure to consider the potential of podcasts. With listenership continuing to rise, hosting a podcast – or event being a guest on others’ podcasts – can bring your thought leadership to new audiences and provide sharable assets to promote on social media, in e-newsletters and in one-to-one outreach.
Break Ground and Build Something New
What isn’t the competition doing that you could be doing? Maybe it’s a podcast…maybe it’s a charitable initiative, acclaimed building standard, workplace culture initiative or project specialty. And, whether it’s a marketing channel or something to market, it can make an impact.
Reporters get hundreds of pitches each day and news that is relevant yet unique often stands out in the crowd. As you hone your PR strategy for 2026 and beyond, focus on something new that could become something impactful.
Whether your multifamily media relations program is a well-oiled machine or you’re looking to break ground in a new market, seeking opportunities to diversify expertise and amplify share of voice can increase media coverage, provide fodder for social media and email marketing, and generate content worth talking about with clients, prospects and strategic partners.
