Why your PR team should steal from internal comms (seriously...)

Transform intranet content into media-worthy stories without starting from scratch

You’re a PR pro juggling media requests, cranking out press releases, and managing your company’s news site. (Stick with me internal comms-rades.)

• And your CCO just pinged you about complaints from senior execs who are tired of fielding repetitive requests from six different comms teams about the same topics.

• But… you need to write a blog post about your company’s latest product innovation.

Guess what: your internal comms colleague already interviewed the product lead last week for an intranet story. They’ve got quotes, technical details, and even some extra b-roll footage they’re not using.

Bingo!

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Steal This Idea

PR pros don’t need to create everything from scratch. Maybe it’s professional pride, or maybe you’ve gotten used to working in a PR bubble.

• (Hey, at least in your bubble you don’t have to write another “work anniversary” article for the intranet, amiright? 😉)

But don’t be quick to knock that intranet content team. Many of them are stellar writers—former journos, creative writing MFA grads, and published novelists. They can be your secret weapon to feeding an external content beast that’s never satiated.

This is where mixternal comms comes in—the art of erasing outdated barriers between internal and external channels to create more efficient, effective corporate comms.

• It's about working smarter across traditional divides, not harder within them.

The internal/external division won’t disappear overnight.¹ But that doesn't mean you shouldn’t find creative ways to work across the aisle.

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The Internal Content Goldmine

Your internal comms team is basically a well-oiled content machine that’s already aligned with your PR goals. They’re supporting the same business objectives you are, just for a different primary audience.

• While intranet stories might not be ready for prime-time media coverage as-is, they’re packed with raw material you can shape into compelling external narratives.

💀 Employee-facing content often dies a quick, quiet death on the intranet, seen for a week before it’s pushed off the front page and into a blackhole.

• This reality kills internal content creators. All that toil for 700 pageviews… 😩

Save that hard work from obscurity—it’s the foundation of your next media pitch! It just needs your PR expertise to transform it into something journalists will love.

⚒️ Mine the internal content and transform it into media gold.

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Inside Out

AI prompt: An office building with its interior furniture, walls, and decorations somehow spilling outward while the outer structure folds inward.

Let’s see how this works in practice.

Say your company is launching a new running shoe made from sustainable materials.

• Your internal comms team has already created a rich story package for employees: technical interviews about the innovative materials, manufacturing photos, field testing videos.

Let’s be honest—pitching a sustainable shoe story to the same journalist who got three ESG pitches from you last month requires some finesse. (At least it’s not another AI story??? 🙄)

Here’s where your PR expertise comes in. Instead of starting from zero, transform that internal content into media-worthy package by:

1. Taking their technical interview with the materials scientist and extracting the most newsworthy innovations for your media pitch

2. Transforming their manufacturing photo essay into visual proof points for industry analysts

3. Adapting their field testing footage into b-roll for broadcast media

And guess what.

💓 Your employee comms colleague will love you for this!

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Adding the News Hook

Internal content gives you the foundation, but your PR skills make it media-worthy. Here’s how to transform employee stories into journalist catnip:

For the sustainable shoe, you might:

• Frame the innovation within larger industry trends (e.g., sustainable fashion, circular economy)

• Connect it to market demands (e.g., growing consumer preference for eco-friendly products)

• Add competitive context (e.g., how this advances the field of footwear)

• Localize the story for different markets (e.g., manufacturing impact, local sustainability initiatives)

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Making an Ally

Working across the internal/external divide takes some effort, but it’s soooo worth your time. Here are some tips on working across the aisle:

• Get in early: When you hear about a new product or initiative, immediately check what internal content exists or is planned

• Build relationships: Take your internal comms colleagues out for coffee (or happy hour) to talk about upcoming projects

• Share the wealth: When you get media coverage, make sure internal comms knows so they can share it with employees (mixternal!)

• Plan together: Coordinate your content calendars to reduce stakeholder burden and maximize impact

• Return the favor: When you’re privy to information or score a meeting with an exec, invite your internal comms-rade along for the ride

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Strategic Benefits

This mixternal approach amplifies your impact (and makes work so much easier) because:

• Reduced stakeholder fatigue: Executives aren’t fielding the same questions multiple times

• Faster turnaround + ROI: You’re building on existing content rather than starting from scratch

• Consistent messaging: Your external story aligns with what employees are hearing

• Better resource use: No more duplicate photo shoots or video sessions

• Making new friends and allies: You never know when you’ll need a personal or professional favor…

The best PR pros know great stories can come from anywhere, even from the inside.

In a mixternal world a good story is a good story—no matter which side of the firewall it started on.

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P.S. The intranet isn’t the only place to find inspiration for your next media package. Have you looked outisde comms?

Corporate Comms Isn't Always Inspiring (But You Can Find Inspiration) (Part 1)

1. War is over. If you want it.