Media relations and PR are essential skills for any corporate communicator who wants to build trust, reputation, and awareness for their organization. But how can you excel in these areas and stand out from the crowd? Here are some tips to help you master the art of media relations and PR.
The first step to successful media relations and PR is to understand who you are trying to reach and what they care about. You need to research the media outlets, journalists, influencers, and stakeholders that are relevant to your industry, niche, and goals. Find out what topics they cover, what angles they prefer, what formats they use, and what challenges they face. This will help you tailor your messages, pitches, and stories to their needs and interests.
Mastering media relations is about building genuine, long-term relationships with journalists and understanding their needs. Engage with journalists authentically, sharing and commenting on things that they share without constantly trying to "sell" them a story. However, when you have a noteworthy scoop, consider presenting it as an exclusive. Next: If you have a great story, make sure you're prepped to tell it. Engage a team to help you media train to ensure your message is clear and captivating. When you snag the interview, share relevant, compelling data and insights. Consistency is key - stay reliable to the media. Foster a symbiotic relationship and you position yourself as a sought-after source for future compelling stories.
Understand what reporters actually want to write about. Don’t just trust that any piece of news should and will get picked up. Be thoughtful, be strategic, and don’t assume the whole world cares about you just because you did a thing. Also, keep in mind that every reporter is different. What is interesting to one, might not be to another. Spend the time to actually know what those things are so you can be a trustworthy source, not just someone who gets lost in the infinite noise.
Apart from crafting tailored messages and selecting the right channels, knowing your audiences is also important to determine your tone of voice - the way a person/corporate speaks to others. Shall you be humourous and informal, or precise and formal? To give a simple example, for B2B or B2G communications, the tone of voice usually needs to be formal.
It is important to understand how journalists think. A good school is to have worked in a newsroom that attracts the public. Otherwise, you should come into contact with people from the field. You have to understand things that you don't learn at university. Journalism is a craft that not everyone can master. Editorial work follows rules & unwritten laws. First and foremost, editors-in-chief must ensure that they are relevant to the topic. Circulation, visitor numbers, subscribers, etc. Ask yourself what approach you can use to get your topic across. It could be an approach nobody in your company sees or wants to see. Get rid of the assumption journalists have to "be on your side". They don't have to - and that's not what they're there for.
Establish strong relationships with journalists by providing timely, relevant, and compelling information. Craft clear and concise messages, emphasizing the key points that resonate with your target audience. Stay informed about industry trends, competitors, and current events to position your organization effectively. Embrace digital platforms, engage in social media, and leverage storytelling techniques to enhance your brand's narrative. Proactively address challenges, maintain transparency, and handle crises with poise. Continuously evaluate and adapt strategies, demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness. Build a reputation for reliability, authenticity, and professionalism.
Media relations and PR are not just about sending press releases and hoping for the best. You need to build genuine, long-term relationships with the media and other key players in your field. This means being proactive, responsive, helpful, and respectful. You can do this by following them on social media, commenting on their work, sharing their content, offering insights, providing feedback, and sending personalized notes. You can also invite them to events, webinars, or interviews, or offer them exclusive access, samples, or case studies.
I was often asked how to build effective media relations among the already-busy day-to-day work. Media relations, like any other relationship, requires open communication, sincerity, and meaningful engagement. While inviting a journalist out for a coffee chat once in a while is ok, you do not need to regularly ask them out when you don't really have meaningful information or updates that can help them in their work (unless you two are really close and have a lot of personal stuff in common).
Understand the reporter's beat and what makes each publication unique: 1. Read through the last few months of articles from a reporter. What topics do they cover? Are their stories "hard news" focused, or do they do more in-depth features? How often do they tend to write? 2. Analyze the different sections of a publication. Do they feature profiles of companies/executives? Do they accept contributed content? How does the print version compared to what's online? 3. Compare & contrast different publications to each other. TechCrunch, for example, will write a funding announcement differently to how it'd appear in an industry publication. Based on this analysis, you can create more customized, relevant, and compelling pitches to reporters.
Media relations and PR are all about storytelling. You need to craft compelling stories that showcase your organization's value, vision, and impact. You need to hook your audience's attention, appeal to their emotions, and provide evidence and credibility. You also need to make your stories relevant, timely, and newsworthy. You can do this by linking them to current trends, events, or issues, or by highlighting a problem, solution, or benefit. You also need to use clear, concise, and engaging language, and avoid jargon, clichés, or hype.
While clarity and relevance remain vital, it's equally crucial to simplify the reporter's job: 1. Offer a Thought Starter: Don't let reporters begin with a blank page. Supply a captivating "hook" to ignite their creativity. 2. Bullet Point Breakdown: Detail the story with succinct bullet points grounded in verifiable facts. This roadmap helps them expand the narrative with ease. 3. Provide Fresh Insights: Stand out by giving exclusive, unused quotes from your leadership. Fresh perspectives can be the difference between a story being picked up or overlooked. In media relations, the less friction you create for reporters, the greater the chance your story will be shared.
Newsworthiness is everything. Journalists know when they’re being sold a pup. It’s important to do the work with your client or organisation first to make your pitch ready and worth the attention of the media you’re presenting it to. Make sure that it aligns with what’s of interest to them and their viewers, listeners, or readers. Bring them something they can use and they’ll begin to look forward to your emails and calls.
Media relations and PR are not limited to traditional media outlets like newspapers, magazines, radio, or TV. You also need to use multiple channels to reach your audience and amplify your message. You can do this by leveraging social media, blogs, podcasts, newsletters, videos, or webinars. You can also use online platforms like HARO, Cision, or Muck Rack to connect with journalists and influencers who are looking for sources, experts, or stories. You can also create your own media assets like press kits, media rooms, or infographics.
Successful media relations requires a "what's next?" mentality. Say a pitch didn't land with your initial editorial target - that doesn't mean you should give up on the idea. It may just resonate better in a different channel. Podcasts and newsletters or short-form, digestible channels like SubStack are increasingly popular, especially as newsrooms consolidate and journalists go freelance.
Media relations and PR are not one-time activities. You need to measure and improve your efforts and results. You need to track and analyze the quantity, quality, and impact of your media coverage and PR campaigns. You can do this by using tools like Google Analytics, Google Alerts, or Mention to monitor your online presence, reach, and sentiment. You can also use metrics like impressions, views, clicks, shares, or conversions to evaluate your goals and ROI. You also need to solicit feedback, learn from your successes and failures, and adapt your strategies accordingly.
Follow the timelines - it is important to respond back to journalists on time whether you are participating in an industry story or have promised to connect with a relevant spokesperson at your end. Be responsive, whether it works out or doesn't work out, let them know.
Be honest. Show respect. You both have a job — pr professional and journalist. Manage your’s, your spokesperson and journalist’s expectations.
A key element in media relations is to remember the human factor in today's AI-driven world. PR professionals are sending news ideas to other people and not bots. I recommend that PR people shouldn't send an email or a pitch to a reporter if they themselves wouldn't write that story, respond to that email or whatever else the CTA may be. After all, how can we expect a reporter to answer our emails, if we ourselves wouldn't?