From the course: Public Relations Foundations

Building media relationships

From the course: Public Relations Foundations

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Building media relationships

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- I remember hearing the rise of these citizen journalists will be the death of traditional journalism. Well, they were right about the rise of bloggers, but journalists from traditional media outlets are followed more closely today online and through social media, and I know plenty of CEOs who still want to be in The Wall Street Journal. These executives are also happy to be featured in Mashable or provide comments for TechCrunch. Whether it's older or newer media, it's all media, and you have to build relationships. Pitching success depends on your reliability, and your credibility. This means you have to do your homework. With access to rich online data, research media to see what they write, what interests their audience, and what trends they follow. Know how they're interacting. Dive in and dig past the first page of your Google search results, and review their passion of conversations on social media. You need to follow all types of media. Here's where you can build a relationship even before you pitch. Follow the media on social media. Join their Twitter conversations and comment on their blogs. Your name will be more familiar when you reach out via email with your pitch. You want to pitch with confidence right? That means knowing why your story would interest their community. Take the time to understand what captures timely media attention and excites their communities. Perhaps adding customized visuals or short personalized videos will drive home your story idea but as you're making new friends, be careful with your follow-up. These are busy pros on a deadline, and if you send an email and they haven't responded, then don't place that phone call. They're not interested. If you continue to call, email, call again you will not make a new friend. Then, once you do establish interest deliver on everything that you promise. Helping to get additional info and facts for a story is a time saver. If you consistently deliver then your media friends will be reaching out to you. I've always tried to keep in touch with media contacts even when I didn't have a story to pitch. Show you care in between pitches. Share an article or an industry report because you think they'd be interested. Then, the next time you knock on their door they'll be happy to see you. And please, trust me on this one, don't ever lie. It's okay if you don't know something. Your best bet is to say you don't have access to information and you'll put them in touch with the appropriate expert. Giving inaccurate or false information will sever your relationship. Most of all, try to think like a journalist. As you formulate the pitch, be critical of the information you're sharing, and figure out if it's really news that will peak interest. Relationships are at the heart of what you do, and working with the media comes down to the strength of your bond, and the value you bring to them.

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