How can you control media coverage of your organization?

Ensuring that you also have your own platforms that are up to date an accurate. In this digital world breaking news is happening every second and the quickest way to get information is online. Ensure that your website, blog, social media platforms: twitter, Facebook, instagram, twitter, threads etc are updated. Control the narrative by being the 1st to report on the story and also with the relevant updates - make it easier for the media and the public to get the facts through your owned platforms first and include your own quotes from key stakeholders. Having a sound crisis communications plan will also go a long way in mitigating the crisis when it happens.

Controlling media coverage is not possible of course but controlling the narrative can be. Owning your media platform domains and enabling an active and robust ecosystem to be on top of the narrative is essential. This is a 24/7 objective. Be prepared and ready to act at all times. No comment might be the better answer than saying the wrong thing. But know that this is part of the ecosystem as well.

Can we control the media coverage? No, we can't. What we can do is initiate media activities with the intention of generating positive coverage. Success is seen through calibrated engagement. 1. Research on relevant journalists. Read their work. 2. Be proactive. Reach out on your own. 3. Offer exclusive news more than issuing press releases. 4. Avoid issuing press releases in quick succession. 5. When issuing press releases, use embargo. This would prevent your brand from creating unhealthy competition between publications. Don't aim for 100% control. Media likes independence. It's what gives them credibility. Work with them to build a positive narrative for your brand. It's doable.

1. Don't communicate for the sake of it. Have a reason for every expression, whether through owned or earned media. 2. Be truthful and rational and you would have to worry less about the control. 3. Expect cross-questions and do not be offended by those. If you feel shy of the whole truth, better not to communicate.

Anyone who believes you can fully control media about your client is selling that client a load of x+&$. We can't control the media, but we can do several things. First, we can be accessible. Never say "no comment." It allows others to shape the narrative. Also, never be defensive. Know what you want to communicate and train your client to do it in a way that is engaging and believable. This really all comes down to responsible media relations -- building relationships and treating the media with respect.

Relationships matter, but not in the way many think they do. When I speak about reporter relationships, I’m talking about doing homework on their beat, cadence, style, pitch preferences (email, DM, text), and with what type of stories, responsiveness to requests, respectful with “I’ll pass on this one” etc. Unethical PR advisors will tout their personal relationships, implying that that will give their clients a leg up. This almost never happens, because in earned media, the quality of the story and timing of the pitch are paramount. A reporter could be my best friend or even my spouse but if the story isn’t great , it’s not getting coverage.

Respect each journalist's beat and always ensure what you pitch and share aligns with that focus. Keep comments and responses insightful and succinct. Never submit content that doesn't completely meet the request. Ignore internal calls to crowbar in mentions of products or services when not relevant.

From my experience, it is important to know exactly which media outlets/journalists are covering the field you operate in. Establish a good relationship. Monitor information and try to use predictive data to be able to control the situation. Predictive data can help with establishing good relationships with media representatives. Be prepared to have all information up-to-date including high-resolution visuals and audio files (if available)

Exactly. Media relations is about relationships. The same rules apply with media as in any other relationship. Trust is everything. Behaving like a decent human being goes a long way. Understanding that media are doing their job too is important. You cannot ‘control’ media coverage but you can certainly put your best foot forward - respect their time, create opportunities that work for them and for your client or organisation, show gratitude for a job well done.

It can be difficult forming relations with media these days, especially in some markets. Newbie reporters come and go, and old timers are retiring. Media outlets are downsizing or folding or merging. If you can't form lasting relations with reporters, try the editors. Be service oriented. Honour their deadlines. Be responsive. Answer questions (when you can). If you can't give them the answer they want, give them something. No comment is never a good answer.

Your plan should also align with the media outlet's editorial calendar. Make sure to research this thoroughly so you know when to contact the targeted journalists.

Prepare a media kit that includes press releases, high-quality photos, videos, fact sheets, and background information about your organization. Make this readily available to journalists. Provide the media with compelling and newsworthy stories about your organization. Identify your unique selling points, achievements, and milestones to create stories that journalists find interesting.

Developing a media plan for an organization involves several key steps. First, identify and understand your target audience to shape your messaging and channels. Research relevant media outlets and journalists, and establish clear, measurable goals for your media coverage. Create a compelling narrative that highlights your organization's unique aspects. Build relationships with key media contacts through regular communication and personalized outreach. Develop a content calendar to schedule and track media activities. Utilize press releases, op-eds, interviews, and social media to disseminate your message. Finally, monitor coverage and analyze its impact, adjusting your strategy as needed.

Media plan must be re-define every month and re-aligned with company goals and delivering on a regular bases just to be sure you are not faraway of the trending media topics as well as journalist needs.

Remember that you have so many more channels than a few years ago, so include them all: journalists, podcasters, influencers, independent niche sites, etc. By reaching them all, you go deeper into more audiences. I would also recommend certain Facebook pages and Reddit threads for those who don't turn to conventional media. It's surprising how many people have disconnected and trust only their inner circles.

Understanding that you can only control what you put out there is a great first step in owning your public narrative. That's why I believe everything starts at the messaging level. For a successful PR (or even broader communication) strategy, you have to ensure that your message is properly set, understood, and tailored to your audience. This will help ensure that all communications are consistent, thereby making your narrative stronger and more cohesive.

With the decline of traditional media, print, radio and tv, in many markets - particularly in Canada - there has been a huge opportunity for organizations to craft their media messages in a much more direct to consumer approach. By, in essence, acting as your own media source, you can produce media releases, blogs, social media posts, website updates, that point everything back to your own information. With appropriate SEO, and crafting your messages in a more conversational, media friendly approach - as opposed to the usual press release format - you can control the narrative, increase trust and engagement, and the broader need for others to convey your message becomes less and less.

Whether you are seeking out media coverage - or anticipating it whether desired or not - It's so important to be prepared with clear messaging. If a brand doesn't provide its own perspective to media, in hopes they'll take it into consideration in coverage, media are likely to publish their own interpretation of the brand or incident, based on available information, and it's very difficult to change a narrative after it's been shared publicly.

Key messages are crucial to help encourage media to cover your business in the way you would like them to. Editorial decisions mean you can't directly control what is said, but by knowing what your key messages are and referring back to them in your communications, be that press releases, quotes, blog posts or social media content, you have the best changes of them being used in resulting coverage.

If you don't come prepared with a story or angle to steer the reporter toward, be prepared that they will find one on their own ad it may not be to your liking. This is your chance to tell your story or that of your brand. Before engaging media, know what your desired outcome is for media coverage. What is the headline you'd like to see printed? To get there, you need to build out the story yourself and present it to the journalist in a way that helps them see your perspective, including data, anectodes and rich detail that helps them see your perspective.

The first rule of pitching media is to *not waste reporters' time.* To avoid violating this rule, you need to understand your target reporters' beats, their and their colleagues' past stories, and weigh how likely it is their outlet will circle back to a story. Prudent pitching enhances relationships with media and helps set up future coverage. Blasting out thousands of carbon-copy pitches, using ancient stories as the basis of a pitch, or sending a reporter an email because an article mentioned a throwaway word will undermine your standing with them and their outlets -- and ensure future pitches end up in the junk folder.

Make sure that your spokespeople are well-prepared to answer questions from journalists quickly. Time is crucial and could mean make or break for a story.

Remember, if you are not writing your story, somebody else will. Control the narrative and don't shy away from the bumps and bruises. Talk about the value of what was learned.

You can do so by creating a list of journalists, bloggers, and influencers who cover your industry. Make sure you know their preferences and areas of interest. You should also develop genuine relationships by engaging with media professionals through social media, networking events, and industry conferences. Most importantly, you must personalize your pitches to each journalist. Highlight why the story would be relevant to their audience.

Doing good and telling it to journalists for publications is one of the key strengths of Public Relations professionals whereas in case a communication crisis occurs, accepting the crisis as soon as it occurs and starting implementation of the mitigation strategy/ tactics is a daunting task but is fruitful. Also, rule of thumb is to be available to respond to media queries regarding the crisis along with a carefully crafted reply.

First rule of responding to a media crisis - don’t panic! No matter what happens, take a beat to think through as many potential angles and interpretations of the story and your response before you craft a response. Once you put it out there, you can’t take it back. You may, in fact, not even need to respond - sometimes a media crisis, like other challenges in life, can take care of itself. If you and your team determine that a response is necessary, follow the five Cs, which the media will appreciate: - Be CLEAR - Be CONCISE - Be CONFIDENT - Be COMPASSIONATE - Be CREDIBLE Stick with these guiding principles and you won’t go wrong.

Stay ahead of it, get your own messaging out first, be responsive and as transparent as the investigation allows. Nip rumors or speculation in the bud right away. Be consistent. The more work you do on the front end to establish trust, the more they will trust you in a time of crisis. Media Relations is a relationship.

Before communicating with media make sure you have all the facts, and that the "facts" you have are accurate and true. Nothing can derail your crsisis communication efforts more than dissemminating information that later turns out to be false or inaccurate - even if it was unintentional.

It is essential to make sure your crisis communication plan has been pre-approved by executive leadership and the legal department in advance of a media crises. This will allow you to respond to media inquires in a more timely manner and presents a more "united front" moving forward with your publics.

When I joined my organization, I did an audit and noticed a knowledge gap in media reportage on Payment Systems. I also noticed the consistent wrong spelling of my company’s name. To address this, we organized a Payment Systems Training for selected business journalists across the country. The results of that training, was an improvement in reports, correct spelling of our name and strong working relationship. We have since then constantly kept them involved and informed on our activities. Often than not, they seek our views on issues relating to payment systems. When you do not limit your relationship to just one way of communication, you will enjoy the privilege of getting to know what they intend to publish about you before they do.

Start by realizing that you cannot control the media's coverage of your organization. It's a truth many executives are unwilling to accept, but one that you need to remind people about. But you can control what your organization is putting out there and, most importantly, can control your messaging. Make sure all stakeholders are sharing the same key facts and that you're reiterating them across all channels - internal, external, media relations, social, etc. By speaking with one voice and funneling all comms up to one message, the more likely that is to get across to the media, even in negative articles, and be understood by your audience.

You can never control what media says about you/your company / focus instead of delivering the best product to your consumers and tread your teams with respect and honesty - It’s how you handle situations that matter and what people remember -

How can you control media coverage of your organisation? You can't. The sooner an organisation accepts this the better. Then you can get to work focusing on what it is possible to influence; increased percentage of positive coverage, pro-active messaging, making yourself an authority in your chosen subject, enhanced goodwill in the media to shelter you when things do go wrong.

Fundamentally you cannot 'control' media coverage. What you can do is maximise your opportunities for coverage and, on the whole, try to ensure that the coverage is positive. To do this I would suggest firstly understanding where you may add value, or where the input of your organisation may be sought. Then identifying likely spokespeople who are best placed to talk on these topics. These don't have to be the most senior, but they should be credible. Once this audit has been done it is about marrying both together by building relationships with journalists and ensuring they know that you are open to approaches. And then, when they approach you, being helpful. This way, when you spot opportunities or pitch stories you have built trust.