July's PR Star: Mariestads kommun

A huge congratulations to Mariestads kommun for transforming their communication work from traditional press outreach to strategic storytelling!

The municipality has revolutionized their approach, moving from separate use of communications channels to working more holistically with telling the story about Mariestad.

"We've had Mynewsdesk for a long time, but haven't used it the same way as we do now. We used to call the local newspaper directly to get something published and saw Mynewsdesk mostly as a tool for writing press releases", says @Carl-Fredrik Movitz, Communications Manager at Mariestads kommun.

"Now we've opened up to work more with storytelling and tell the story of Mariestad in a completely different way."

The biggest breakthrough came when Mariestads kommun became a pilot user of Mynewsdesk's new, enhanced media monitoring that filters out irrelevant mentions using AI. This precision gave them the insights needed to shift from reactive communication to strategic storytelling.

"With such a generic name like Mariestad, it was previously quite difficult to use media monitoring because we got so many irrelevant hits – about people buying houses in Mariestad, or mentions of Mariestad's beer", Carl-Fredrik explains. "Now it's incredibly accurate. Basically everything that comes up is about us as a municipality."

With clear, relevant data about their media presence, the communication team can now identify patterns, understand what resonates with different audiences, and craft strategic narratives rather than just responding to immediate needs.

"The tool has become more relevant and now Mynewsdesk is seen as a cornerstone of our strategy, which it wasn't before."

Great job, Mariestads kommun, we wish you continued success in strategic storytelling!

Every month, Mynewsdesk highlights a customer who has excelled in their newsroom efforts. Our goal is to showcase successful initiatives that can inspire others to enhance their PR work!