Labrador Retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds in the U.S. They are intelligent, trustworthy and known for their loyalty. So, what does this beloved animal have in common with local newspapers? It's pretty simple: trust, loyalty and prevalence.

Let me explain. I've found that just about any national media campaign can be bolstered by the inclusion of local media coverage. You might be saying to yourself, "isn't print dead?" Think again. Suburban and community newspapers remain highly trusted sources of information and advertising for millions of Americans. In fact, according to a study from Scarborough, an estimated 158 million Americans will read a print or digital newspaper this week, which equates to six out of ten adults.

This highly engaged audience can be easily overlooked in a national campaign due to limited resources and sexier social tactics. But before you kick print to the curb, I want to share a little more with you about the value of local media.

Local Newspapers are Trusted
Nielsen Media Research conducted a survey underwritten by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) in 2013 on consumer engagement with media. The study found that 56 percent of respondents felt newspapers (print and online) "are trustworthy." National print newspapers ranked first (58 percent), but were followed closely by local print newspapers (56 percent), national newspaper websites (56 percent), local radio news (56 percent) and local newspaper websites (55 percent). Most media sources were above the 50 percent level, but interestingly blogs and social networks trailed lower.

Local Newspapers Have a Loyal, Engaged Audience
The same study sampled 5,000 adults and looked at 11 metrics for engagement including trust, ethics, public interest and advertising efficacy. The aggregate engagement scores for newspapers (print/web) were the highest of all media formats, beating out TV, radio and internet in that order.

Local Newspapers are Prevalent and Literally Everywhere
There are tens of thousands of trusted local media outlets that you can place your brand messages in nationwide. To put this in perspective, let's look at the state of New York. There are nearly 20 million people living in New York. If you only target Top 100 publications, you would reach about 20% of the state population. There are over 800 additional local media outlets that reach the remaining 80% of people in New York. In this scenario, local newspapers (print and digital) would be a really effective way to reach your target audience living in this area of the country, which might otherwise be missed if you're only focusing on major markets.

So, hopefully I've got you thinking about local print and digital media in a fresh way. But, there is still the matter of resources. Developing relationships with thousands of second and third tier media outlets would take a large team solely focused on those publications. For most PR professionals, the man power just isn't available, and even if you have the extra bodies, there is still a matter of return on investment. So, how do you target local media with limited resources? Think content syndication.

Content Syndication = More Arms and Legs for Your PR Outreach
Content syndication is a growing strategy for efficiently covering local media markets. In fact, at Family Features, we have a full-time staff solely dedicated to developing relationships with local media outlets across the country. We then leverage those relationships exclusively for our clients, helping them earn hundreds of additional print and digital placements for their messages.

So when you start planning your next media relations campaign, think Labrador Retrievers – trust, loyalty and prevalence – and consider the value that local media can bring to your PR outreach efforts. For information on the value of local media, check out our infographic on "Why Local Media Must Be in Your Outreach Plans."

Tell us – are you using local media for your PR campaigns? If so, what do you see as the benefits?

Sources: Scarborough USA +2012 Release; 2013 Nielsen National Cross-Media Engagement Study