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How to Reach the Right Audience with the STP Model in PR
Most press releases fail not because the story is weak, but because it reaches the wrong audience. With journalists flooded by generic pitches and audiences expecting personalised messaging, PR teams need a structured way to deliver the right story to the right people. The STP model — segmentation, targeting, and positioning — provides that structure.
In this blog, we explain how the STP model works, how to build effective buyer personas, and how to apply segmentation, targeting, and positioning directly to your PR and press release strategy. You will learn how to sharpen audience focus, craft more relevant messages, and create PR campaigns that achieve stronger media pickup and clearer communication outcomes.
What Is the STP Model?
Before applying STP to PR, it is essential to understand what the model does and why it is so powerful for audience-focused communication.
The STP model divides your market into meaningful groups, helps determine which audiences matter most, and shapes the messaging they should receive. Originally built for marketing, it is now one of the most effective tools for PR teams who need to reach specific media segments and deliver precise, compelling stories.
1. Segmentation – Understanding Your Audience
Segmentation divides your broader market into smaller, manageable groups based on specific characteristics. This step ensures you speak to people who share similar needs, motivations, and communication preferences.
2. Targeting – Choosing the Audience That Matters Most
Once your segments are defined, the next step is choosing which ones are worth pursuing. Not every audience segment will bring the same visibility, engagement, or conversion potential. Targeting helps you focus your PR resources on the groups most likely to respond, share your story, or influence public perception.
How to evaluate target segments
Size and growth potential
Relevance to your message
Journalist interest and media coverage patterns
Commercial value or strategic importance
Competitor presence
Targeting in PR looks like:
Selecting tech journalists instead of general business media
Prioritising regional outlets for a local expansion announcement
Speaking to sustainability reporters for ESG-related news
Targeting lifestyle media for a consumer-focused narrative
Targeting ensures that press releases reach people who actually care about the topic.
3. Positioning – Shaping How Your Brand Is Perceived
Positioning defines the message you want each segment to receive and how you want your brand to be understood. In PR, positioning is not just about what you say but how you say it. It affects tone, messaging direction, and the value proposition you communicate to journalists and audiences.
A strong positioning statement clarifies:
Who your brand serves
What problem you solve
What makes you different
Why your story matters now
Positioning in press releases can include:
Emphasizing innovation for tech audiences
Highlighting impact for social responsibility stories
Framing your brand as a trusted expert in your field
When segmentation, targeting, and positioning are aligned, press releases feel more relevant, intentional, and newsworthy.
How to Apply STP to PR and Press Releases
STP becomes especially powerful when used directly in your PR workflow. By combining traditional communication principles with segmentation and buyer persona insights, you can build press releases that resonate with specific journalists and audiences, increasing the chances of publication and engagement.
1. Segment Your Market Using Data
Use analytics, interviews, competitor analysis, and keyword research to segment your audience. For PR, segmentation can include:
Journalists by beat
Media outlets by industry
Regions or countries
Audience demographics
Industry micro-communities
This helps you create a PR strategy grounded in audience reality, not assumptions.
2. Build Clear Buyer Personas
Buyer personas turn abstract segments into real people with needs, motivations, and behaviours. For PR, this might include:
“Tech Journalist Tom” – prefers data-led stories
“Lifestyle Editor Lea” – loves human impact angles
“SME Founder Farah” – needs actionable insights
“Investor Audience Ian” – looks for growth potential
Personas also guide keyword research and help shape message tone and style.
3. Craft a Targeting Strategy That Matches Story to Audience
Each press release should be directed at a specific persona or segment. This strategy may include:
Using different angles for different journalist groups
Adjusting tone based on audience sophistication
Localising content for regional relevance
Choosing publications aligned with buyer persona preferences
Targeting increases message relevance, credibility, and pickup rates.
4. Position Your Brand With a Clear Narrative
Positioning is what makes your press release sound like you. It ensures consistency across channels and improves brand perception.
To strengthen positioning:
Highlight your strengths
Frame your expertise clearly
Emphasise your value for each segment
Consistently support your narrative with data or proof
Well-positioned brands achieve stronger media trust and long-term audience recall.
Why STP Improves Storytelling in PR
PR is ultimately about telling the right story at the right time to the right people. STP helps refine your storytelling approach so each narrative speaks directly to audience interests and motivations.
Benefits of applying STP in PR
Higher relevance and clarity
More personalised press releases
Improved journalist engagement
Stronger message consistency
Better alignment with search intent
Higher conversion and ROI
When audiences feel understood, they engage more deeply with your content.
Press releases that follow the STP framework perform better because they are designed with intention. Instead of distributing the same message everywhere, STP helps brands tailor, refine, and personalise their stories. This leads to stronger earned media results and higher-quality coverage.
The more precisely a press release is targeted, the greater its impact.
How B2Press Supports STP-Driven PR Campaigns
B2Press offers brands a modern, flexible, and globally scalable approach to PR. Using editorial expertise and a global media network, B2Press helps brands apply the STP framework through targeted distribution, personalised storytelling, and SEO-focused press release writing.
What B2Press provides:
Audience-focused press release writing
Precise targeting based on industry and geography
Global distribution to journalists in 50+ countries
SEO optimisation for improved online visibility
Measurement tools to evaluate performance
By submitting your press release, your STP-driven messaging reaches the right journalists, in the right markets, at the right time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the STP model in marketing?
The STP model — segmentation, targeting, and positioning — helps marketers and PR teams divide audiences into groups, choose priority segments, and craft messages that resonate with them.
Why does the STP model matter in PR?
It ensures press releases are relevant, personalised, and aligned with the needs of specific audiences or journalists, improving media pickup and engagement.
How do buyer personas support PR strategies?
Buyer personas help PR teams tailor messaging by representing the motivations, interests, and behaviours of ideal audience groups.
How does STP improve press release targeting?
By identifying segments, selecting the most valuable ones, and shaping the right message for each, STP increases press release relevance and visibility.
Can STP be used with SEO strategies?
Yes. STP aligns well with keyword research, search intent analysis, and content personalisation, helping brands optimise both visibility and engagement.
How can B2Press help apply the STP model?
B2Press combines SEO-friendly writing with targeted, segment-driven distribution, ensuring press releases reach the right journalists and deliver measurable impact.
