MEDIA RELATIONS

The media are both a constituency and a conduit through which investors, suppliers, retailers, and consumer receive information about and develop images of company. The media’s role of disseminator of information to a firm’s key constituencies has gained increasing importance over the years.

NEWS MEDIA

The news media are omnipresent in our society. With the advent of television in the late 1940s and early 1950s and the tremendous growth of internet in the 1990s, what had once been the domain of the print medium in newspaper increasingly has become part of the visual realm through television sets and computers.

In recent years, news of corporations, the stock market, and business personalities has often become the lead story on national news television and radio broadcast. With the 24-hours networks and all-day business coverage you can find on FOX, CNBC and CNN, corporate news is virtually impossible to ignore. People began to see companies as controlling important parts of their lives but not having to answer to anyone in the way that government did to voters. Special interest groups emerged to deal with this problem and to make business more accountable.

BUILDING GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE MEDIA

To build better relationships with the members of the media, organizations must take the time to cultivate relationships with the right people in the media. This might be handled by employees within company’s media relation department (if one exists) or given to a public relations firm to handle.

Measure of success in the media relations business has for years been the amount of “ink” (or coverage) that a company gets, whether aided by in-house professionals or an outside consultant.


RESPONDING TO MEDIA CALLS

Companies can strengthen their relationships with the media through the way they handle requests for information. Responding to such requests carefully can make a powerful difference in how the company appears in the story.

Things to remember when respond to media calls:

• Calls should come into central office that deals with all requests for information from important national media. Calls should not be answered by operator or electronic system who cannot distinguish between important and unimportant calls from media.


• The person who takes the call should try to find out what angle the reporter is taking on the story.


• The person responsible for that telephone call should try to get as much information as possible while being careful not to give in return any information that is not already public knowledge.


• The tone of conversation should be as friendly as possible, and the media relations professional should communicate honestly about the possibilities of arranging an interview or meeting other requests. At the same time, he or she should find out what kind of deadline the reporter is working under.

Effective media relations are vital to the success of any corporation’s overall communications strategy. A sound media relations program can deliver huge benefits to a corporation.


MEDIA INTERVIEWS

Some entrepreneurs have a love affair with the media. Others tremble in fear. Developing a positive media relationship is largely a matter of understanding their needs and presenting useful information, exclusives and opportunities to meet senior people.

Ten Things You Should Do

Have clear objectives: - Know what you want to say and why you want to say it. Stick to four or five key points that you want to make.

Understand the needs of journalists: - They want news. They want exclusives. Give them facts to support your key points; let them see the research and analysis that backs your opinions. Give information in a format that is immediately useful.

Be quotable: - Think of a sound bite that nicely summarizes each of your key points.

Keep it simple: - Unless you know the journalist has in-depth knowledge of your field, avoid jargon, technical language and acronyms.

Plan and rehearse: - Examine current issues and trends in your industry, anticipate the questions you will be asked and prepare clear and consistent answers. Have a trial run with a colleague. Arrange professional media training for yourself if you need to bolster skills and confidence further.

Keep control: - Ensure that you meet in a comfortable and quiet room where you will not be interrupted. Answer the questions asked but raise the issues that are relevant to the points you want to put over.

Provide a briefing pack: - This should contain a printed copy of your key points with relevant information written in a form the journalist can take and use easily. Include good quality images or video in a digital format on disk. Check preferences for file type and PC or Mac format. Providing links to material on web sites is useful but it is better to include material on disk and as hard copies in the pack if possible.

Provide appropriate hospitality: - If someone has spent several hours traveling to see you, it is only reasonable to provide refreshment (tea, coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches or a light lunch). Offer to cover their travel expenses.

Provide access to senior managers and specialists: - This shows that you respect the journalist’s need for quality information.

Say thank you: - A brief note after the meeting is the sort of simple courtesy that cements the relationship and may lead to a continuing positive dialogue.


Five Things You Should Not Do

Don’t seek or accept an interview if you are not prepared: - Be prepared - and you can then exploit all the opportunities that come your way.

Don’t voice negative or controversial opinions: - This can reflect as badly on you as on the subject you are talking about.

Don't mess around with dates: - Journalists are busy people so once the date is set keep to it, however, be prepared to change if the journalist needs to change date.

Don't go for a big lunch or consume excess alcohol: - This creates the wrong impression and may put you in a less controlled situation where you say things you hadn’t intended.

Don't infringe a journalist’s exclusivity period: - By all means keep and update the briefing pack for the next journalist that visits after the exclusivity period has passed.


To Create Better Relations with Media

Some PR’s may claim “personal media contacts” are the key to successful PR. Exercising these media contacts may involve them charging meals and drinks to your account. Don’t entertain this notion. Good PR is about developing a sound professional relationship with journalists - that means providing them with the information and opportunities they need to interest their readers.

Ten Things You Should Do

Understand your media: - Editors and journalists are gatekeepers standing between you and the public you wish to address. Look at journal profiles, and forward features to define with your PR Company which groups you need to target and with what frequency.

Understand what your editors want: - Look at samples of key journals, web sites and other outlets on your target list. What is the mix of commissioned articles, features, releases and advertorials? What are the typical copy length, style, and tone of voice? Aim to match these criteria.

Offer exclusives: - More valuable than a three-course lunch - professional editors will appreciate exclusive features, exclusive access to senior management and exclusive facility visits.

Provide good copy: - Good copy is on time, the right length, in a suitable style, adopting the right tone and delivered in a format for easy editing and inclusion.

Submit good supporting pictures: - Including professionally taken pictures (video clips for broadcast/sound bites for radio) - help to sell the story. As with copy, look at what is used as a guide to format.

Demonstrate authority: - Good journalism - and by implication good PR - is based on facts not fluff, give statistics, quote authoritative sources, use reliable research.

Remember the power of the sound bite: - In writing as in broadcast, the brief sentence that summarizes your case in a few easily remembered words will win the hearts of editors.

Aim for high production values: - Editors can get very upset by sloppy copy, poor punctuation, bad spelling and fuzzy pictures.

Know when to phone: - Editors are busy people. There are times when you will have to call to sell in a story - but not as the latest issue is being put to bed.

Say “thank you”: - When an editor takes time out to visit you, publishes your 2000 word feature verbatim or gives you a front cover picture, then do reciprocate with a well meant “thank you”.

Five Things You Should Not Do

Don’t use standard or out of date lists: - This is a common reason for unsuitable material being sent to editors and one of the quickest ways to annoy them. Your PR Company should research the media for each project from an up to date database and send only to relevant titles.

Don’t claim copyright: - This should be true for all material offered for publication free of fee - consent should also extend to web use.

Don’t flog dead dogs: - If an editor is clearly not interested in the story you are pitching, withdraw politely and offer the story to someone else.

Don’t link editorial with advertising: - Unless the item is an “advertorial” in which case it is advertising.

Don’t compromise the editor’s integrity: - Over elaborate entertaining and high value gifts may be construed as some sort of bribe and can backfire.

video link: - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bL_VV5uvlY

(Valerie Jennings, CEO and president of Jennings Public Relations & Advertising, reveals effective tips and tactics about social media.)

Reference

Argenti, Paul A. (2007). Corporate communication (4th ed.), McGraw-Hill Irwin, ISBN: 0072990546