Why Angles Matter More Than Announcements: An Austin Bats Case Study
One of the biggest misconceptions about public relations is that media coverage is only possible when something is brand new.
While timeliness certainly matters, it’s not always the deciding factor.
Sometimes the difference between earning coverage and being ignored comes down to how the story is positioned.
Recently, Brandinc PR worked with the Austin Bats following their ABA National Championship victory.
There was just one challenge.
The championship had already happened.
By the time we joined the project, nearly a month had passed since the original announcement. From a traditional news perspective, the story was no longer breaking news.
So instead of pitching the same announcement again, we asked a different question:
What story hasn’t been told yet?
Looking Beyond the Headline
Many organizations make the mistake of believing the announcement itself is the story.
In reality, the announcement is often just the starting point.
The Austin Bats winning a championship was noteworthy, but we knew journalists had likely already seen similar announcements.
To create a fresh opportunity, we needed a different angle.
Finding the Human Story
As we evaluated the organization, one detail immediately stood out.
The team is owned by Leticia Castillo, a Latina business owner operating in a space where women remain significantly underrepresented.
Professional sports ownership has historically been a male-dominated industry.
When you narrow that lens further to Latina ownership, the number becomes even smaller.
Suddenly, the story wasn’t simply about a championship.
It became a story about leadership, representation, entrepreneurship, and breaking barriers in sports.
Matching the Story to the Right Media Outlet
A common mistake in media relations is sending the same pitch to every outlet.
Different audiences care about different aspects of a story.
For this campaign, we conducted outreach across local, regional, and national media while also identifying opportunities within Spanish-language media.
Because the ownership story aligned with issues of representation and community impact, Spanish-language media became a natural fit.
The story wasn’t being forced into the conversation.
It already belonged there.
The Result
After targeted outreach to our Spanish-language media contacts, Univision expressed interest in the story and ultimately featured Austin Bats owner Leticia Castillo in a one-on-one interview.
What started as a championship announcement evolved into a broader conversation about leadership, sports ownership, and representation.
The Takeaway
Media coverage isn’t always about having the newest story.
Sometimes it’s about uncovering the story within the story.
The strongest media angles often exist beneath the headline.
When organizations focus solely on what happened, they miss opportunities.
When they focus on why it matters and who it impacts, new possibilities emerge.
That’s where strategic storytelling makes the difference.