Dear PR Matters,
I have recently joined a PR agency and was assigned to handle media relations, specifically organizing press conferences. While it is a challenge, I enjoy putting together press conferences and briefings.
However, I feel I need some guidance on how to deal with reporters who attend these conferences. How can I build their trust? Moreover, how can I build long-term relationships with them, which is very essential in public relations?
I am fairly new in the PR field, and would appreciate your expert advise on this.
Sincerely,
Gabrielle C.
Dear Gabrielle,
Thank you for your letter, which brings us back to basics. Good media relations, after all, are at the core of good public relations.
Threading this path is never easy, and one can meet a lot of obstacles and challenges along the way. It is never static as the world of media is fluid and keeps on changing, and as a practitioner, you should go with the flow. But in the end, it is very rewarding.
In an article for PR News, Steve Goldstein depicts a scenario many of us are all too familiar with. “Put a few reporters on a panel at a conference packed with PR pros, and you’ll hear a lot of grumbling,” he said. “The reporters will gripe about the dozens—hundreds of e-mails sent to them daily by PR pros who haven’t bothered to learn who they are and what they write about, and who they write for. They fume about unanswered e-mails.”
This negativity “stems partly from the brutal pressure they are under,” deadlines and all. But how can you make all your dealings with them positive, and let them trust you?
Goldstein shares with us Ten Commandments for building relationships with reporters from Sabrina Kidawi, senior PR manager for ASEA and the Center for Association Leadership, “which should help you and your reporter counterparts on the path toward mutual understanding and mutual benefits.”
1 Always be honest and upfront with the media because they can tell if you are trying to skirt an issue.
2 Avoid being deceptive with the media.
3 If you don’t know an answer, admit it and tell them you’ll get the answer. Find out when they need to know by and then get back to them by their deadline.
4 Accurately define your public relations activities.
5 When pitching news stories, always offer a local angle and talk about how it will impact the readers of the publication, site, or viewers of the program.
6 Send a thank you note or e-mail and any additional information that was requested to members of the media after you, otherwise, meet or communicate with them.
7 Don’t bad-mouth your competition—or anyone else for that matter—to the media. It reflects poorly on your organization and your professionalism.
8 Act promptly to correct any errors in communication you are responsible for.
9 Reveal all sponsors for causes you are pitching and interests represented.
10 Always respond promptly when members of the media reach out to your organization, even if you or your organization can’t be a source. If you know of other people who can’t be sources, provide them to the reporter. They will be grateful for your assistance.
And may I add, always make sure that the materials sent to them are well researched, and well written. That will speak well of you and your company.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the UK-based International Public Relations Association, the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the local chairman.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.