Blum will focus on empowering the underwriter鈥檚 regional agents to grow their businesses.
海角吃瓜黑料mpany, the title insurer that is uniquely responsive to the needs of independent agents, is excited to announce that it has hired Christina Blum as Underwriting Counsel Southwest Region.
For over 11 years, Blum has been a fixture in the title industry. Her career began in 2013 when she worked in the claims center of a national underwriter. Starting in 2018, she served as underwriting counsel for two national underwriters and worked as a real estate and banking attorney for a large, regional law firm in San Antonio.
In her new role as Underwriting Counsel Southwest Region, Blum will focus on supporting 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 policy-issuing agents with their underwriting needs. This will include extensive research, risk analysis, and issuing insurance decisions, as well as creating and disseminating educational and underwriting materials.
鈥満＝浅怨虾诹� is well-known in the industry for the unique support it offers independent agents,鈥� Blum said. 鈥淗aving the chance to join an organization like this during a period of rapid growth is an exciting opportunity. I look forward to navigating the evolving and challenging real estate landscape with the rest of 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 expert team.鈥�
鈥淐hristina will be a major asset for our team and for our policy-issuing agents,鈥� said Jean E. Bailey, VP, Regional Underwriting Counsel at 海角吃瓜黑料. 鈥淪he brings significant experience that will enhance our operations, grow our footprint and assist our agents in addressing their most critical underwriting priorities.鈥�
In addition to her professional roles and responsibilities, Blum is highly active in the title community. She is a member of the Louisiana Land Title Association and the Texas Land Title Association. On the latter, she sits on the institute committee, the legislative committee and acts as a local legislative liaison. In addition, she is part of the Oklahoma Land Title Association, the American Land Title Association and holds membership in the Commercial Real Estate Women, San Antonio Chapter.
Blum received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Elmhurst University and her Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University. She lives in the San Antonio metropolitan area with her family.
海角吃瓜黑料 supports its independent agents by combining expert residential and commercial underwriting with a passionate heart for service. The company delivers uncommon help that promotes the well-being of agents and the communities they serve.
About 海角吃瓜黑料mpany 海角吃瓜黑料 is on a mission to empower independent agents while protecting property owners with secure title insurance. The company partners with its agents and never competes against them with direct or affiliate operations. 海角吃瓜黑料 serves thousands of title professionals as a licensed underwriter in 32 states and the District of Columbia.
Get more of your agency鈥檚 stories placed with these best practices.
In the history of marketing and public relations, few tools have been as important as media pitches. Historically, well-written pitches to journalists have been a reliable way to unlock earned media attention and publicity. Of course, pitching journalists in 2025 looks different than it used to. Rapid advancements in technology and shifts in the news industry have transformed the media landscape, rendering many of the old methods obsolete. Market changes in the news industry have completely reshaped media relations as well, creating new pressures for those who want to get their stories placed. Let鈥檚 break down how you and your agency can navigate this complex landscape effectively and start gaining more valuable coverage.
Pitching Journalists: A Brief History
To properly contextualize how you can effectively pitch journalists today, it can be helpful to take a brief look back at what was once best practice. In the 1980s and 1990s, media relations often relied heavily on cold calls and faxed press releases to reach journalists. In the 2000s, however, everything changed with the digital revolution. Emails replaced faxes. Press releases took a back seat to short, direct email pitches. And media databases streamlined distribution lists, making it easier to target reporters.
The rise of social media and content marketing in the 2010s caused further disruption, allowing professionals to engage with journalists directly and even promote their own social media content.
Media relations today
In the 2020s, things have once again changed. The explosion of digital publishing has constricted newsrooms and caused outright closures. Local press, for instance, has been decimated by these market dynamics, with over 3,500 local papers closing across the United States in the past 20 years alone.[i] As a result, the day-to-day work of contemporary journalists has changed dramatically. These professionals are under more pressure than ever, having to wade through a larger number of stories due to there being far fewer outlets overall.
How to Break Through
Considering such pressures, businesses must be strategic about how they pitch to journalists if they want to break through and gain valuable media attention. Here are some of the top ways to do just that:
Personalization: Tailoring your pitches and personalizing them to journalists is essential to gaining traction for stories. While PR pros have been personalizing their pitches for years, past methods were often time-consuming and inefficient. New technology like AI has changed the game. AI-powered databases can analyze journalists’ past work to find the best matches for your story. AI tools can also be deployed to optimize subject lines, refine body copy, and enhance follow-ups.
Invest in Relationships: Successful PR efforts still often hinge on building strong relationships with journalists. This can sound overwhelming, but it doesn鈥檛 have to be. Start small by doing your homework and reading different journalists鈥� work. That way, you can reference previous stories when pitching and explain how your piece fits well with their journalistic interests. Then, engage with them on social media to further the relationship by commenting on or sharing their work. Additionally, attending events or webinars where journalists are speaking can foster organic connections and meaningful conversations.
Keep It Short and Simple: It may seem like common sense, but when reaching out to journalists in 2025, brevity is key. Your letter must be short, snackable and ideally scannable. Also, don鈥檛 forget that any communication you send must be mobile-friendly.
Newsjacking: One effective way to raise the attractiveness of your pitch is to leverage existing media cycles or news trends. This technique is called 鈥渘ewsjacking,鈥� and it requires just a few simple steps. First, monitor relevant news topics with a digital tool like Google Trends or BuzzSumo. When you spot a trend that aligns with your priorities, craft your pitch and center your unique expertise at the heart of the story. Finally, get it out as quickly as possible by sending a short, punchy note to journalists who are covering the news trend.
Follow-Up: As we鈥檝e discussed, many journalists today are completely overwhelmed by the volume of pitches they receive daily. You can elevate your chances of getting a story picked up by following up. Don鈥檛 simply send a canned follow-up email, though.Basic follow-up messages are likely to be ignored. Instead, focus on providing a fresh angle or new data to supplement your initial pitch.
Pitch Effectively in 2025 and Beyond In the battle for attention in today鈥檚 economy, businesses of all stripes, including title agencies, must leverage earned media to stay competitive. But gaining coverage from respected journalists is not easy, especially given the evolving nature of news business. You can increase your chances of success by incorporating the best practices we鈥檝e discussed here. By doing so, you鈥檒l engage with journalists on their terms, maximizing your chances
In the battle for attention, here’s how your agency can stand out.
Our current media moment is defined by paradox. On one hand, there have never been more channels you can use to promote your agency. But on the other, it has never been harder to separate yourself from the crowd and gain media attention. There are multiple reasons for this, including information overload and a changing media landscape. This doesn鈥檛 even account for how algorithms prioritize content, preventing many important stories from gaining the coverage they deserve. Yet amidst these challenges, an effective use of earned media can break through the clutter and increase public awareness for your agency. Join us as we explore the details of what this looks like!
Earned media: what is it and why is it important?
As we鈥檝e talked about before, there are many different types of media that you can use to promote your business 鈥� each with its own pros, cons and tradeoffs.
First, there is owned media, which is any type of media that you control. This could include things like your website, your social media feeds or your email newsletter. Owned media offers advantages like creative control and cost-effectiveness but also requires continuous effort and delivers slow results.
Second, we have paid media 鈥� basically media you put an ad spend behind, like search, social and display ads. Paid media also carries significant advantages for business. For one thing, it can deliver quick and easy wins for a company, but if you鈥檙e not careful, those results can come with a sizable cost that harms overall ROI.
Lastly, we have earned media 鈥� publicity you gain from sources you neither control nor pay for. Guest blogging, podcast appearances and press release placements are all examples of earned media in action. Earned media is especially valuable because it often appears more trustworthy and less self-serving than other types of media. It can also deliver tangible benefits like improved SEO and greater reach. It has drawbacks as well, with lack of control and dependence on third parties being among them.
Create more earned media opportunities
With an understanding of the three main types of media, we can look at the top opportunities for generating more earned media coverage for your agency.
Human-interest stories: If you鈥檝e ever watched the news, you鈥檒l know how effective human-interest stories are at generating coverage. The reason is simple: People are emotional beings who respond to stories of human triumph and resilience. By tapping into this need, agencies can grow awareness for their businesses.
Novelty: Stories that introduce something novel can be just as effective as human-interest pieces. Pitching about new hires, products or business expansions all naturally lend themselves to potential pick-up in the media, as does staking out a position that runs contrary to the dominant perspective in your field. With the latter point, however, never try to gin up controversy just for the sake of it. People can detect disingenuousness a mile away, which will wind up hurting rather than helping you in the long run.
News jacking: As we鈥檝e discussed, there are more communication channels today than ever before. While this can be overwhelming, it also implies that there is no shortage of news stories in which a title agency could insert itself to offer its unique perspective and expertise. This is known as 鈥渘ews jacking,鈥� a straightforward process where you strategically align your brand with a trending news topic and position yourself as a subject matter expert. When done correctly, news jacking can increase your agency鈥檚 credibility, leading to more customers seeing you as a knowledgeable thought leader.
None of these techniques are easy to pull off, but each can help you overcome some of the barriers to entry that exist in the modern media landscape. No matter how many algorithms or communication channels we create, tailoring our stories to cater to human psychological needs will always be a powerful tool for achieving publicity. Similarly, news jacking can help you turn the deluge of daily news we all experience to your advantage, enabling you to hop onto an existing story or news cycle for maximum impact.
Spread the word far and wide about your business
The media environment today is challenging and ever-changing, with contours that are far more complex and fast-moving than they were even a few years ago. For many, this can feel like an impossible burden for gaining the recognition they need to succeed in an already difficult business environment. Even so, a well-planned earned media strategy that leverages human psychology and timely news opportunities can elevate your agency’s visibility, building the buzz necessary for both short- and long-term success.
Longmont, CO 鈥� 海角吃瓜黑料mpany, the title insurer that is uniquely responsive to the needs of independent agents, is pleased to announce the hiring of Ryan Martinez as Vice President, Southeast Regional Underwriting Counsel.
Martinez is a highly skilled legal professional with significant experience in real estate and title insurance. He got his start as a foreclosure and title attorney in Atlanta. He then worked as both an associate litigation and a closing attorney, where he handled residential and commercial transactions. Later, he was a supervising attorney for title and REO operations at a creditor鈥檚 rights firm. He most recently served as an underwriting counsel for a national underwriter.
Martinez will have a variety of responsibilities in his new role at 海角吃瓜黑料. He will primarily focus on handling underwriting requests from policy-issuing agents in the region. This will involve offering his advice on underwriting matters while also ensuring compliance with applicable regulations.
鈥淚 am thrilled to join 海角吃瓜黑料, as the company鈥檚 commitment to innovation and service aligns perfectly with my own values,鈥� said Martinez. 鈥淭ogether with our talented team, we will enhance our underwriting processes, ensure agents receive exceptional support and grow our organizational footprint throughout the Southeast. The future is bright for 海角吃瓜黑料. I can鈥檛 wait to embark on this journey with such an outstanding organization.鈥�
鈥淚t is a privilege to add an accomplished professional like Ryan Martinez to our 海角吃瓜黑料 team,鈥� said Jeff Stein, Chief Underwriting Counsel at 海角吃瓜黑料. 鈥淚ncredibly experienced, knowledgeable and collaborative, Ryan is the ideal person to take on this critical role within our organization. Agents and partners only stand to gain from his hiring, and I am supremely confident in his ability to help us drive mutual success.鈥�
Outside of his work, Martinez is highly active in the title community. He is currently a member of the Tennessee Land Title Association (TLTA), where he serves as Education Committee Chair. He also holds membership in the North Carolina Land Title Association (NCLTA) and the Southeast Land Title Association (SLTA), and is a member of the Bar in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
Martinez obtained his undergraduate education at the Georgia Institute of Technology and received his Juris Doctor from the Florida Coastal School of Law.
海角吃瓜黑料 supports its independent agents by combining expert residential and commercial underwriting with a passionate heart for service. The company delivers uncommon help that promotes the well-being of agents and the communities they serve.
海角吃瓜黑料 is on a mission to empower independent agents while protecting property owners with secure title insurance. The company partners with its agents and never competes against them with direct or affiliate operations. 海角吃瓜黑料 serves thousands of title professionals as a licensed underwriter in 32 states and the District of Columbia.
Visit alliantnational.com for additional information and follow 海角吃瓜黑料 on and for the latest company updates.
For 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Tracy Pace, title insurance remains a passion.
Many find it difficult to remember what led to important phases of their careers. Tracy Pace doesn’t have that problem. Her journey to the title industry began during a national tragedy that forever imprinted itself in our collective memory. 鈥淚 had been working as an executive at a New York-based cosmetics company,鈥� she said. 鈥淎fter September 11th, our business declined, and I began to consider a career change.鈥� This was an all-too-common situation at the time, as New York鈥檚 GDP dropped precipitously following the attacks and many professionals evaluated their options. However, it wasn鈥檛 long before a silver lining appeared. A recruiter contacted her about a job with a title underwriter, an opportunity which ironically transformed this dark moment into one of the brightest periods of Pace鈥檚 career.
The title industry, it turned out, would prove to be a great fit for Pace. It offered her the chance to make a tangible and positive impact on its many stakeholders. This continues today in her role as 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 South Florida Agency Manager.
Of course, Pace鈥檚 transition to the title industry wasn鈥檛 without its challenges 鈥� nor was it instantaneous. 鈥淚 reluctantly took the job only after considering it for several months,鈥� said Pace. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 primarily because, in the beginning, I knew very little about the industry.鈥�
Over time, however, she came to learn the ins and outs of the business, developing a passion for title insurance by taking on a “diverse range of responsibilities鈥� that kept her 鈥渃hallenged and engaged.鈥� Once she joined 海角吃瓜黑料, she found ample opportunities to apply this drive for the benefit of the underwriter鈥檚 agents. 鈥淓very day I get to help our agents grow their businesses, start new businesses, the list goes on,鈥� she explained.
Given the many challenges the average title agent faces today, being able to rely on passionate and accomplished professionals like Pace is critical. 鈥淭he industry is currently experiencing dramatic upheavals, with advancements in technology and data accessibility driving rapid transformation. There are also more stringent rules around compliance, consumer protection and privacy,鈥� she explained. At the same time, consumers are increasingly valuing businesses that prioritize human connection.
As a seasoned professional with many years of experience under her belt, Pace understands these competing interests completely. She also knows how to equip agents with everything they need to navigate both simultaneously and thrive.
For instance, Pace works hard to ensure agents know about the various tools, resources and knowledge 海角吃瓜黑料 provides to its agent community. 鈥満＝浅怨虾诹� has invested in cutting-edge fraud prevention tools like SecureMyTransaction, as well as ongoing education to help agents spot and mitigate threats,鈥� she said.
Pace also encourages others to never lose sight of the importance of relationships in the industry. She is adept at helping folks build the connections necessary for creating shared wins while achieving robust growth. 鈥淚n this industry, relationships are everything,鈥� she explained. 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e working with agents, clients or internal teams, being reliable, approachable and responsive creates lasting, meaningful connections that are the drivers of mutual success. It鈥檚 also essential to show integrity in every interaction 鈥� big or small.鈥�
Although it may have begun on a somber note, Tracy Pace鈥檚 career in title insurance has proven to be anything but. For over two decades, she has applied her passion to meeting agent needs and helping them excel while navigating an ever-changing field. 海角吃瓜黑料鈥檚 agents can rely on her extensive experience and expertise as an invaluable resource to build the business they want and deliver the service their customers deserve.
This blog contains general information only, not intended to be relied upon as, nor a substitute for, specific professional advice. We accept no responsibility for loss occasioned to any purpose acting on or refraining from action as a result of any material on this blog.
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