However, proactive sports PR isn’t just about getting in the media – it’s about strengthening your value as an athlete and making you relevant and attractive to partners.

Here are the key steps to take control of your press relations – based on our senior advisor Brian Martin Rasmussen’s 18 years of experience with branding and media exposure for elite athletes.

PR, branding and sponsorship coverage are closely linked

A strong PR strategy doesn’t just make you visible to fans and media. When you communicate proactively, you take control of your personal branding – and that opens the door to media exposure, recognition and valuable partnerships such as sponsorships and collaborations.

When you work strategically and purposefully with your communication, you can:

• Increase your visibility in the media
• Strengthen your personal brand story
• Attract sponsorships by creating value for businesses

Five concrete steps to strong sports PR

Here are the five actions we believe create successful sports PR – and thus value for sponsors and partners:

1) Know your values and create a strong narrative

Your core narrative is the foundation of all communication. Ask yourself questions like:

• What do I stand for as an athlete?
• What values and goals drive me?
• How do I stand out in my sport?

What’s important: When you are aware of your values and driving force, you can create an authentic and recognizable profile that media, sponsors and fans can reflect on.

Practical experience: Our collaboration with kayaker René Holten Poulsen shows how a clear personal narrative can provide the framework for a strong and consistent PR effort.

2) Set clear goals for your PR efforts

Before you get started, you need to know what you want to achieve:

• Want to grow your fan base?
• Increase awareness of your sport?
• Generate interest from new sponsors?

What’s important: Having clear goals makes it easier to prioritize, plan and measure your efforts – and ensures that communication is focused and results-oriented.

Practical experience: Triathlete Magnus Ditlev is now a household name in Danish and international media – not just because of his results, but because we have worked strategically with his media presence over three years. This means that he is now featured in both sports and lifestyle media, where the focus is also on his training technique, mental approach and willingness to innovate.

3) Build strong relationships and expand your network

Networking is a cornerstone of PR. It’s not just about knowing journalists – it’s about being present and relevant to them.

Advice:

• Identify the most important journalists and media in your sport.
• Share relevant updates and stories – without necessarily selling something every time.
• Be accessible, approachable and professional when dealing with the media. Remember: It’s okay to say no – as long as you do it respectfully.

What’s important: Consistency. If you want to stay top of mind with the media, you need to be consistent and relevant in your communication.

Put this into practice: When in contact with a journalist, save their name, phone number and email. Build your own media list – it makes it easier to get through the next time you have a story.

4) Think commercially and create value for sponsors

To attract sponsors, you need to be able to show how you add value to their brand and target audience.

Consider:

• What parts of your story and media exposure can strengthen their brand?
• How can you activate the sponsorship – for example via social media, events or targeted storytelling?
• Do your values and behavior match the sponsor’s identity and customer segment?

What’s important: By thinking like a collaborator – not just an advertising carrier – you become more interesting to companies looking to form meaningful partnerships.

Practical experience: One athlete we worked with created his own platform with training offers and talks. This not only made it easier to activate sponsorships, it also gave sponsors content that could be shared and strengthen their own brand.

5) Get help from a PR expert

PR requires experience, timing and a keen eye for both media and business needs. A partner with PR skills can help you to:

• Write and send press releases that get opened and used
• Pitch relevant stories – even when you haven’t won anything
• Navigate the media landscape and build your brand over time
• Take a task off your shoulders so you can focus on the sporting stuff (like your recovery!)

What’s important: You need to be able to focus on what you do best – your sport. That’s why it makes sense to team up with someone who specializes in communication.

Practical experience: We have helped individual athletes, federations and major events to manage their press work and visibility – and not least to create long-term relationships with sponsors.

Contact us

At Kemp & Kjær, we offer advice to athletes and federations who want to take their PR to the next level.

Contact Brian at bmr@kempkjaer.dk or 22 12 02 40 and get immediate feedback on your PR opportunities.

What is PR and why is it important?

PR – public relations – is about managing how you communicate with the outside world and the media. In the sports world, PR is a crucial factor in drawing attention to your achievements, values and goals. It’s also a key to attracting sponsors and building a long-lasting professional career – both in and out of competition.