How do you create and maintain a media relations calendar and plan ahead for opportunities and challenges?

In my experience with communication planning I see a lot of effort placed in analysis, messaging, strategies & tactics. We like to focus on the “how” & “what” we communicate but the “when” & “how often” can be left with the dreaded “TBD” tag, and when that happens all the effort in developing a plan can be superseded with the “OBE” tag. The best messages, talking points, strategies & analysis do us no service if we fail to plan our communication activities. Scheduling communication gives us a deadline and forces us to think about the communication environment and prioritize messages and actions.

I get that this is pretty common advice, and that this article was generated with AI, but in practice this isn't the first step--or any step, really--in earned media efforts that work. Why? Because it's extraordinarily self-serving. If you want to do earned media in a way that works, then you only have one audience: reporters and editors. "Who do you want to reach?" is a marketing question, and it implies the purpose of journalism is to amplify your company's marketing messages. Media isn't going to do that, because the purpose of journalism is to hold accountable those with power.

There's one missing here: "Why should anyone care". These goals and objectives are self serving. If you do not ask yourself why anyone will care about the particular story you're selling, it's liable to fall into a self-reflective trap. Once you have this "Why" then it's a good time to start building out the rest of it.

A media relations calendar is a strategic tool to plan and execute your media efforts. It helps you to define your objectives, audience, and messages, and choose a suitable calendar format. It also helps you to stay updated on industry trends and news, and align your media efforts with your business goals. It helps you to anticipate and address potential issues, and create a content calendar that matches key events and themes. It helps you to build and nurture relationships with journalists, and be agile and adaptable to changing situations. It helps you to measure and improve your success, and train and develop your media team. A media relations calendar is essential for effective media communication.

Creating and maintaining a media relations calendar and planning ahead for opportunities and challenges is like crafting a treasure map for a swashbuckling adventure in "Pirates of the Caribbean." Just as Captain Jack Sparrow navigates the seas with a map, identify your goals and objectives as your guiding stars. It's like plotting the course for your media journey. Break down your goals into manageable tasks, anticipate potential challenges like navigating through stormy waters, and plan for exciting opportunities akin to discovering hidden treasures. Using your goals as the North Star makes your media relations calendar as strategic and successful as Captain Jack Sparrow's quest for pirate treasures.

When it comes to setting up a media calendar, one key aspect I've learned from my experience is the significance of establishing strategic goals and targets for the year. By identifying the four or five major objectives, you can effectively structure your calendar around them. This involves determining the optimal timing for launching campaigns, drafting press releases, organizing press conferences, pitching compelling stories, conducting interviews with newspapers or TV, and arranging impactful events. Additionally, it is crucial to decide on the specific media outlets you intend to target throughout the year and proactively pitch your ideas to them.

Based on your research, I recommend identifying your top five or ten media outlets that will be the main focus of your outreach work. You’ll find that this almost happens automatically in the filed as part of the work- you’ll should have a list of top outlet contacts that you form personal relationships with, and a list of media outlets that you can send press releases to when relevant.

Journalism--and I'm talking about the real, capital-J Journalism that actually influences the public dialogue--is driven by one of three things: conflict, tension, and exclusivity. Journalists don't care what your goals and objectives are, as is referenced above. All they care about is: A) Do you have the standing to add a new perspective to something already on the news cycle? or B) Do you have access to newsworthy information nobody else has? You need one of these two things in order to be taken seriously as a source. So, the first step of earned media is an internal process. It's argument-building and fact-finding. And the second step is consensus-building: Everyone with any power within the organization needs to buy in to the process.

Researching your media landscape is like Simba exploring the vast Pride Lands in "The Lion King." Just as Simba surveys his kingdom, delve into your media territory. It's like understanding the diverse terrain of outlets, journalists, and influencers. Use tools like Meltwater or Cision as your Rafiki, offering insights into the broader media landscape. By researching thoroughly, your understanding of the media environment becomes as comprehensive and insightful as Simba's knowledge of his kingdom, ensuring a strategic approach to media relations.

Again, this isn't great advice. Productive conversations with editorial gatekeepers happen on their terms, not yours. Of the items listed, milestones are occasionally newsworthy enough to get spot coverage in trade outlets. Product launches are newsworthy only at the absolute largest, most powerful companies in a given sector. (Newer products that have achieved some level of prominence or scale can definitely make news, but that's a milestone, not a launch.) If I ever tried to do earned media off of an award, anniversary, holiday, season, or event, I'd lose my professional credibility in an instant. Journalists are professional bullshit detectors, and those pitches are bullshit.

Mapping out your key dates and events for media relations is like creating a treasure map for Peter Pan's journey to Neverland. As Peter plots his adventures, identify and mark significant dates on your map. It's like ensuring you hit all the right spots in your media strategy: note book launches, author interviews, or relevant industry events as your destinations. By mapping out these key dates, your media relations plan becomes as adventurous and successful as Peter Pan's whimsical flights to the second star to the right and straight on till morning.

As part of your alignment work, also consider exclusivity: who do you want to give the opportunity to break a story, or offer exclusivity, or a story under embargo? Carefully curate your list so that you know who and when you’ve granted this privilege to as well, so that your successor or colleagues know as well.

"You should also craft your key messages and talking points that convey your value proposition, differentiation, and call to action." Absolutely, unequivocally not. A value prop, CTA, etc. are marketing items. They are essential for marketing, but they are radioactive for doing earned. The only reporters who care about a company's marketing are reporters who *cover* the marketing function. And even then, your marketing plan had better be genuinely ground-breaking in order to get it covered.

Aligning your content and messages is like coordinating a harmonious ensemble in "The Aristocats." Just as the Aristocats synchronize their musical performance, please ensure your content and messages work together. It's like creating a delightful melody that resonates with your audience. Please make sure that your press releases, social media posts, and interviews harmonize in conveying your key messages. By aligning your content, your media strategy becomes as charming and compelling as the Aristocats' musical collaboration, leaving a lasting impression on your audience.

Again, common advice, but it's off-base. Obviously yes, monitor and analyze coverage. Measuring impressions is expensive as hell because there's literally only one vendor that does it with any precision. (Basically, to measure impressions at scale, you have to have access to the CMS of every publisher.) Leads and conversions aren't really possible to measure from earned media alone; sponsored content is good for activations where you need channel attribution, but that's paid media with a controlled component, not real earned.

Monitoring and adjusting your media relations calendar is like fine-tuning the navigation system on a magic carpet ride with Aladdin. Just as Aladdin adjusts the carpet to glide smoothly through the skies, regularly review and refine your media calendar. It's like ensuring your journey stays on course and adapts to changes in the winds. Monitor responses, track outcomes, and adjust your plan accordingly. By keeping your calendar flexible and responsive, your media strategy becomes as nimble and successful as Aladdin navigating the ever-changing landscapes of Agrabah.

Fixating on a calendar of planned activity is a great way for an agency to run up a lot of billable hours under the guise of providing services. You can plan out controlled communication and at times stuff like op-eds, but that can be done in, like, one afternoon every quarter. Also, and I really don't want to sound like an asshole here, but I would not advice a comms pro to solicit too much feedback from their team. One person should own the earned media function, and their job should be to know what's most likely to work and communicate that info internally. Obviously they're not going to be right all the time, but they'll learn from the reaction of the audience, which, again, is editorial stakeholders, not folks inside the house.

Reviewing and improving your media relations calendar is like Cinderella refining her ballroom dance moves in "Cinderella." Just as Cinderella seeks perfection in her dance, regularly evaluate your calendar for efficiency. It's like polishing your steps to leave a lasting impression. Identify what worked well and what needs enhancement. Use insights from past engagements to refine your upcoming plans. Reviewing and improving your calendar makes your media strategy as graceful and effective as Cinderella's dance at the royal ball, ensuring continuous improvement and success.

I'll give the best advice I can in 750 characters: 1) Develop your arguments and/or examine your news pipeline. If there's no genuine news, then pivot to opinion. 2) Achieve consensus. If your instincts are good on step 1, your marketing and executive teams are going to push back. Find the middle ground. 3) Establish standing. Just being a company that exists does not give one the standing to participate in the news cycle. 4) Define your audience. It's going to be a few reporters for each earned push. That's it. No more. 5) Analyze every touch point with journalists. Only 3 percent of emails to journalist get a response. It's usually no. 6) Read the room. Do incrementally more of what works and, over time, abandon what doesn't.

Creating and maintaining a media relations calendar as a seasoned Comms leader demands strategic foresight. Embrace anticipation over reaction by forecasting industry trends and milestones. Let data be your guide, leveraging analytics for informed decisions. Segment media contacts meticulously, personalize outreach, and stay agile to seize emerging opportunities. Timing is paramount; deliver messages contextually. Technology aids monitoring and relationship management. Nurture relationships, prepare for challenges, and educate stakeholders. Measure impact, not just mentions, tying media efforts to tangible business outcomes. In this dynamic PR world, vision and adaptability shape a successful calendar.

Free your mind from the concept of a media calendar. News is dynamic and you need to be too. Sending something out just because it’s in your schedule is not a great way to work with media. Does it meet a genuine need or present a genuine opportunity at their end? Is there clear air for it (what else is happening around you?)? Wait for the best moment and be prepared to adjust.