How do you build and maintain trust and credibility with media contacts?

Building and nurturing trust with media contacts requires a commitment to honesty and integrity. It's important to deliver on your promises, whether it's following up on inquiries, providing timely responses, or honoring commitments such as exclusive access or one-on-one interviews. Respect for their time, opinions, and requirements is also paramount. By consistently demonstrating these qualities, media contacts will view you as a trustworthy professional, fostering a stronger and more meaningful relationship.

Working with journalists requires understanding their work environment and the pressures they are under. Make time to listen to them. Whenever possible, I try and schedule short in-person, or at least virtual, sit-downs to hear more about what they are working on and how to best collaborate with them. This is not a time to pitch stories. It is also vital to understand that you are a service provider and they have many choices on who to go to in most cases. If you want journalists to lean on your organization as a thought leader you must provide them with what they are looking for in a transparent and timely manner. If this doesn't happen, it is hard to expect them to listen when you pitch story ideas etc.

Spell their name correctly, have the correct title/courtesy title (Dr. versus Mr.) and if you repurpose a press release go make sure you update the personal information.

Become a valued and reliable resource for journalists' current and upcoming stories. Learn their editorial beat and the types of stories that they like to report. Respond promptly to emails and be brief. Courtesy and respect go a long way.

1) always share credible information 2) be in touch even when you have nothing much to share 3) make your turnarounds quick and helpful 4) it is ok to expect nothing 'in return' everytime

Provide valuable and accurate information to assist them with their stories, keeping in mind the tight deadlines they usually face. By building a reputation as a trustworthy source and cultivating a beneficial relationship, they are more likely to seek your insights and contributions when they need them.

Not calling them during their deadlines is also a sign of respect. Know their deadlines, and if you don't, then ask first. It disarms most reporters and editors because they are often pitched right after "hello".

Ask yourself the following question, "Are you making their job easier?" Recognize that journalists are often overloaded with pitches, press releases and story ideas. Are you providing value by making their job more simple? Are you meeting their deadlines by providing timely and thorough content/access to sources in an expedient manner? Did you save them several hours that they would have spent looking for contacts/information that should have been easy to access? If the answer to any of these questions is "no", you need to go back to the drawing board and rethink your approach. Failing to meet all of these targets means your pitch has a one-way ticket to the trash folder.

Do your best to make it easy for a reporter to understand why your pitch is relevant. Does it tie into a national trend or story? Does it feature a celebrity or someone well known in the community who will drawn in viewers? Do you have a list of reporter questions ready - even though they will certainly have their own? Is there a follow up website to check out? Have it ready. If you're pitching to TV news - make sure it's visual. It can be a great story, but if there are no 'visuals' - that makes it hard for the reporter to 'show' your story.

Quality beats quantity. Cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with reporters who you respect and cover the subject matter you're pitching. Only offer them newsworthy leads and ask if you can help them with any future stories they're working on. Reporters will appreciate you for being a helpful and reliable source.

It takes an entire career to build a relationship. It can take seconds to destroy one. Don't do anything that will jeopardize that relationship.

Presume the following: that (a) if you're in any sort of political work, that journalists will automatically be skeptical -- if not outright ignore -- anything you say; (b) you're working against a clock that's always ticking to get timely information out to your press contacts; and (c) there's no guarantee any of your efforts will be acknowledged. Speed and efficiency will always be your best friend. No matter what you may think about the reputation or integrity of a publication, they still represent a vector for you to get your story/side out, and so it is paramount to do everything you can to keep them on-side. Think of yourself more as a diplomat than a PR rep, and you will be surprised at how far you go.

Be mindful of what you wish to accomplish, why, and for whom. Complex messages require complex planning, and more preparation than you might think. Honesty builds integrity, but openness sometimes breaks confidences, or extant policies (think HR revelations or secure data, for example). "I don't know" or "can't speak to that" are perfectly valid responses. Coordinating what you can or will speak to beforehand in open dialogue with a journalist is sound and respectful. Not doing so is a surefire route to mutual surprise and disappointment.

It's important to build trust and cordiality for a long-term relationship. Often, many journalists would ask you for "exclusives" or "scoops". Just keep the best interest of your organisation in mind, before making any commitment.

Never sell a story that will get a journalist in trouble. Never pitch a client who lies or is using earned media to obfuscate.

Your point 4 contains a tip that is a long gone bad practice. On the contrary: Do NOT send gifts to journalists when they cover your story or help you out.

Be sincere. Keep in touch - not just when you have a story. AND respect their deadlines, schedules, etc. Note other stories they are working on, and their areas of focus - their 'beat' if you will. Send an email if you see a great story they've done, or a solid 'live shot.' Reporters are people, too. They like to know when they're doing a good job.

Selected media are part of your professional ecosystem. Treat them respectfully and collegially as you would any other peer network or contact, with the continuing caveat of being aware of their unique platforms, audiences, and interests. Your contacts should be purposive and appropriate, not obsequious or cloying. Thinking transactionally can be useful, or highly dangerous, and is context dependent; thinking strategically and longer-term is wiser, safer, and less urgency dependent. Are your actions a mere response, or part of a relationship? Finally, don't be fooled by anti-media glibness: this is a world of ethical, hard-working professionals with skills and connections likely different from your own. Start there.

Actually, I disagree with a few points. while it's good to stay in touch beyond transactional matters, do not bombard someone who doesn't seem to be interested. Else, you run the risk of being blocked!

?? As with all relationships, #media relations require diplomacy, respect and reciprocity. Consider the context of the situation. Facilitate the interaction by talking, evaluating feedback and providing information and credible sources, when appropriate.

I always tell journalists to feel free to contact me even if they don't want to include us in the story, but need fresh angles, ideas for experts to talk to, sources of data etc. This is of course only for the topics connected to our work (human rights institution). This way we also serve as a useful source and can help them in researching their story.

I have shared sources and resources as an FYI with reporters that were unrelated to my company or my clients. It helped to build trust with them and demonstrate that not all of my outreach is transactional or self-serving.

List down the strengths or specific solutions that your organisation can offer. Tailor a pitch that offers a different perspective to the story that a journalist is planning or may have written lately. Stay on top of the recent trends in the industry, and offer your leadership's views on the topical issues.

Always show why your pitch fits into the bigger picture. By inserting yourself into the wider narrative you can make the most niche of stories relevant to a massive audience.

Here's my take on providing value and expertise: Imagine you're like Rafiki from "The Lion King," sharing wisdom with a purpose. In the same way, offer valuable insights and expertise to your media contacts. It's like sharing the Circle of Life in your industry. Could you provide information that enriches their understanding and proves beneficial? By approaching it with Rafiki's wisdom, you can provide value and expertise as if imparting knowledge that echoes through the media landscape, making sure your contributions stand out like the wise baboon's memorable counsel.

Building trust in any relationship takes time. If possible take time to get to know the contact you are dealing during slow times so that your relationship isn't solely built on crisis situations, when trust may be paramount. Remember a journalist is only as good as their sources. And it works both ways.

As a good PR manager, it is important to know the rules of the game. It's like a sport where you want to play fair. Remember, you always see each other twice, and Public Relations is not a one-way street. Of course, the same you can expect from a journalist. If he or she doesn't act accordingly, tricks you etc., it's fine to address this and try to solve the issue in a way that helps to rebuild the relationship. Knowing the journalist and understanding the context in which they work (time pressure, limited access to sources etc.) also helps to respond in the best possible way.

Here's what works for me. I work primarily with "the listening media", booking authors and experts on radio and podcasts, and I'm constantly listening to radio shows, archived interviews, podcasts, etc to get a feel for the hosts style and the topics they cover. Cision is great for list building but doing the hands-on work of researching the contacts/shows is vital. There may be something in their bio that could make them a perfect fit for a guest--or any other hooks that could be a door opener. They appreciate the homework and it definitely helps to build relationships.

Sometimes its our job to kill a story, mitigate damage or redirect. Being open, transparent and always collegial pays dividends. You can be firm and assertive and still maintain a constructive working rapport. Remember that everyone is just trying to do their job.

Don't tone police. You might not be happy with what they've written or how they've written it but if it's not a factual error they are not obligated to change it. You can suggest a call to give further colour on the topic (for the next article) but tone policing and telling them they are wrong isn't going to do you any favours.