Sections of this topic
Media Relations
Sections of This Topic Include
Look Out, It’s the Media! Run! Basic Mistakes/Assumptions People
Make 1.0
Release Yourself from the Press Release
Additional Guidelines for Successful Media Relations
Additional Media Relations Resources for Nonprofits
Also consider
Related Library Topics
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Look Out, It’s the Media! Run! Basic Mistakes/Assumptions
People Make 1.0
© Copyright Martin Keller
In my PR career, I’ve heard some unbelievable things people have said about
“The Media.” Things that made “The Media” out to be some
kind of monolithic machine, the political equivalent of the Teabagger viewpoint
about “The Government” (as if “The Government” were one
entity. Seriously, are they mad at the Department of Agriculture, or The Business
Transformation Office over at the Department of Defense?!)
Still, the big bad “Media” is there to report news and if you have
bad news, it generally will be reported in some fashion. There are ways, however,
to diffuse the fear or anxiety of dealing with “The Media.” Some of
these true examples hopefully underscore my point:
1) “Are they going to look for skeletons?”
This was asked by one worried small business owner who was going to be profiled.
If the business desk is assigning an Investigative Reporter to your story, yes.
However General Assignment reporters are not there to dig up the dirt and look
for bones, they simply want your story. They don’t have another agenda. Having
a good media kit and key messages in place to hand off to someone in the media
puts up guardrails to help focus your business or issues on what’s important
and positive.
2) “Can I review the story before it’s written?”
Hardly ever, although sometimes the rare reporter who gets really want to get
it right, or is challenged by a complex issue about something your company does,
or something you did, will let you review for accuracy but not content changes.
That’s why media training in advance of interviews with “The Media”
to stay on message is a good thing to do.
3) “I have an event on Friday night that I would love to get some coverage
of before that, can it happen?”
This was asked by someone once in a cold call two days before the event. Unless
you’ve got the president of the US or Leonardo DiCaprio at your shindig — or
have truly invented a whizbang device that no one has ever seen before — chances
are almost nil.
Even with a news cycle that turns over 10 times a day or more on the internet,
sufficient lead times are important to adhere to. Give yourself — or your PR
person a few weeks in advance of when you want your story “out there”
to contact the right person in “The Media” (Note: Magazines are often
working 4-6 months ahead of real time.) Breaking News is one thing that gets
instant coverage, but that is usually a tragedy of some sort unfolding or a
national or international incident (although these days, a celebrity marriage
break up or drug bust, or even a car chase in Oklahoma, unfortunately qualify).
Investor Relations is a whole other universe, and we won’t go there today.
4) “The Media” will make my company famous.
Well, it could. Overall, a few stories well placed will increase your visibility,
hopefully help drive sales and/or achieve some of the objectives you set forth
once you engaged a PR company or put your PR strategy into motion.
But let’s be realistic. Most overnight success stories I know of took 10 years
of hard work. PR — as a wise friend once described it — is like drip irrigation
in the desert: Droplets of water falling on the plant eventually produce a bloom,
and if you’re lucky, fruit.
5) “Can I get the photo/video/radio interview The Media?”
Generally no. It becomes the intellectual property of the paper, television
or radio station. You can get back copies or links of the paper you need for
a price. And there are services to obtain DVD copies or links to something that
ran on TV, or a radio interview. Usually all such copies come with legal guidelines
about how the material may or may not be used. Always have your own photos on
hand (sometimes “The Media” will request it — and maybe even your
own b-roll — footage that tells your story in images as background, if appropriate).
Remember, dealing with “The Media” is like dealing with other human
beings. Sure, people working in the profession hold a power to magnify what
you do. But the last time I checked, those doing it were like you and me, 90%
water.
Release Yourself from the Press Release
© Copyright Michelle Tennant Nicholson
Press Releases or Not?
I’ll tell you this as gently as I can: Press releases don’t always
work. So don’t send them out thinking they’re going to get you on
Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America or CBS Early Show. A lot of people
still think press releases are the best way to get the media to notice them,
but to the busy media professional, press releases say: “Here’s
something everyone is going to get at the same time as you. No scoop for you!”
When Press Releases Work
Now I’m not saying they don’t work for search engine optimization purposes.
Press releases are great for that. They:
- build links back to your site
- build your branding and messaging online and
- increase your credibility.
You may want to send out press releases if you’re a corporate entity and need
the message to be searchable on news wire services in the future. And reporters
are not likely to ignore your press release if you have true breaking news,
such as a plant expansion that will add hundreds of jobs in a local coverage
area.
Relationship Building
But sending out press releases is not the most effective way to score the coveted
news features that you’ll want. That is done with relationship building. Nothing
beats “dial and smile” phone calls, personalized emails and perfect
pitches.
Organizing an online press kit with ready-to-use story ideas, quotes and background
will help you get your message out and make it easier for the media to cover
you. And making it easy for the media will definitely boost your odds of being
chosen as a source in articles, TV segments and radio broadcasts.
Social Media
Also, with social networking sites, it’s easier than ever to build a
buzz about your product or service. You can take your message direct to the
audience you seek with a great website, some search engine optimization or a
Facebook friends link.
To score media coverage and build credibility though, there’s still no
substitute for personal contact with your target media. Get to know them and
make them feel special. Read their articles and tune in to their shows. Educate
yourself on the different specialty or niche areas they cover.
Your Story
Dig in. Most businesses have untold stories that are interesting. It may be
something about how they got started or how they developed a new product or
service. So find the compelling story about your business or product.
Then make a list of those media people you would like to cover your story and
begin building relationships with them — send them the press release before
everyone else gets it. Give them the scoop before you announce it to the world.
Making the media feel special is a sure-fire way to have them come back and
ask for more scoops from you.
Tools
of the Trade 1: Don’t Fritter Away Your Press Release Real Estate
lists of samples
of press releases, product announcements, etc.
How
to Write a Press Release
Phony
Baloney: When Press Releases Go Awry (or on Rye)
Slouching
Towards Friday: Best Days to Send a News Release
Additional Guidelines for Successful Media Relations
Managing
the Media
Trial
by Media – Do’s and Don’ts
Media
Training – A PR & Legal Perspective
Look
Out, It’s The Media! Run! Basic Mistakes/Assumptions People Make 1.0
Tools
of the Trade 3: The Call
Going
Off the Record Can = Off You Go
Writing
Op-Ed Pieces (Without Sounding Your Own Foghorn)
You
Had Me At Hello
Six
Steps for Getting National Media Coverage
In
Reaching out to the Media, Don’t Forget Your Backside
Chevron
Gets Pranked
Making
a Statement
How to Write and Implement a Media Policy!
Media
Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Communicating with the Media
Don’t Piss off the Press!
Get Press! (Part One of Two)
Get Press! (Part Two of Two)
Also consider
Crisis Management
Social Networking
Additional Media Relations Information
for Nonprofits
Six Simple Steps for Turning Your Organization
into a Heavily Quoted Source
Basic Press Outreach for Not-for-Profit and Public
Sector Organizations
20/20 Vision
Five Steps to Nonprofit Messaging Success
Help Your Colleagues and Base Become Effective
Messengers
Abstractions Make Your Nonprofit Tagline Pointless
For activists:
Managing
the Media: A Guide for Activists
FAIR’s Media
Activist Kit
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