November 7, 2002

Building Media Relationships

"My pappy told me never to bet my bladder against a brewery or get into an argument with people who buy ink by the barrel." - Lane Kirkland, Former President of the AFL-CIO

Success in public relations will depend largely on your ability to build strong relationships with the media. The best-written press release distributed to a highly targeted list of media contacts means little without understanding the nature of the relationship you have with each journalist receiving your story.

Keep in mind the importance of the golden rule when dealing with the media. I'm not talking about the classic golden rule but rather the modified golden rule. That is, he who has the gold rules.

In this case, the gold is the coveted free media coverage you seek every time you send out a press release. To get this gold, there really are three simple rules to follow.

1) Be a great resource. Journalists will evaluate every interaction they have with you based on the quality of information you provide. You may think you know what reporters want to hear but don't be surprised if they call you back seeking further information that you may consider tangential to the "real" story. Rather than arguing, which will probably only get reporters to drop your story entirely, listen closely to what they are saying and try to understand the angle they want to pursue.

If you can't supply them with what they want immediately, give them the name of someone who can or offer to assist with the research and follow-up right away. By helping journalists, you might win favor that you can leverage into future media coverage. Better yet, you may be able to steer reporters back to the original idea you pitched, albeit recasting it to meet different needs.

2) Be an actor. Now, don't get me wrong here. Under no circumstance should you lie or fabricate information you provide to the media. This will only serve to discredit you and poison the possibility of getting any future coverage. Rather, as an actor, you need to sound friendly, unperturbed, and professional even when you feel you are being ignored or treated rudely.

A lot of times what you perceive as rudeness from a journalist is merely a reflection of the tremendous stress under which today's media works. In this tough economy, editorial staffs have been severely trimmed, and journalists are being asked to do more in less time. This often translates into eliminating a lot of social pleasantries when they email or talk to you. What you see as rude is oftentimes just a manifestation of stress. Instead of getting insulted, listen to what the journalist really needs. Then, do everything you can to fulfill this need as quickly as possible

3) Be a good sport. You can spend hours researching, writing, and pitching a press release to land just one story. The big day arrives. You turn on the television and find that the story they filmed yesterday and promised to air today was dropped. When you call, you're told that the story just "didn't work" for the show. You press for more information but the busy assistant producer doesn't have time to talk with you since an important deadline is approaching.

At this point, you're probably fuming and want to let off some steam. Resist this temptation. As satisfying as expressing your real feelings might seem, it will never get your story aired. Rather, it will more likely obliterate the relationship with the journalist you've worked so hard to cultivate. A better tact is to listen closely to see whether you can alter the story so that it's more appealing

Sadly, sometimes a story just won't work and nothing you can say will change this. In such a case, you might want to jot down the lessons you learned from the experience so you don't wind up repeating similar mistakes in the future. Also, you might be able to use the connection you made with the journalist as a means to introduce a future story

Always remember that your relationship with the media is never one of equals. Your ability to land the coverage you seek depends entirely upon your capacity to meet ever-changing needs in a friendly and professional manner.

Best wishes,
Patrick Galvin