There’s nothing more exhilarating for baseball fans than watching a grand slam. The cameras follow the ball and hitter, letting the excitement build until the crowd goes wild and the players ambush the hitter at home plate with bear hugs and high-fives.

But however exciting they might be for fans, grand slams are not a go-to for coaches. Historically, scoring runs has depended on getting runners on base with singles and doubles and then moving them around. Smart coaches set things up for the big home run, but they’re not banking on it.

CEOs get this. They’d rather watch a no-hitter because of the high skill involved than a once-a-season grand slam that relies heavily on luck. Yet so many of them expect media home runs with every single company announcement or piece of thought leadership instead of incorporating the lessons of baseball into their public relations strategy.

The truth is, no PR campaign has to live or die by the Wall Street Journal or CNBC. In fact, swinging for the fences often leads to a strikeout. This burns a lot of money, time and energy that would have generated a lot more ROI by getting many singles and doubles in medium-tier outlets.

The first step to success is stepping up to the plate and making good contact with the ball. Just like your initial marketing spends are merely meant to test the market, you can test your........

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