|
Home::Marketing
10 Ways to Get the Media to Love You
Author : Margie Fisher
10 Ways to Get the Media to Love You
Copyright © 2003 by Margie Fisher
So you’ve put yourself “out there” with a public relations
campaign. Your dealings with the media now become
critical. Those relationships with the media can make or
break your public relations efforts. Here’s how to get the
media to love you:
1. When the media calls, stop what you are doing and give
them your full attention. That’s right. Maybe you’re having
lunch. Or in a meeting. Guess what? The media waits for
no one. I advise my clients to tell assistants to interrupt
them at any time if the media calls.
2. Treat the media like gold. Answer their questions in a
forthcoming manner, in a respectful, pleasant tone. Do not
disparage others and be careful about making negative
comments. Do not lie or provide exaggerated claims. Just
like you, media people appreciate those who take the “high
road”.
3. Be realistic about coverage. A reporter can interview you
for an hour and you might only have one line in the media.
Or none. Depending on how the story goes or space
available or the editor’s whim, any of the above can happen.
The reporters owe you nothing for your time. Take this in
stride and be pleasant and understanding in future dealings
with them.
4. Lose control. You have control over advertising; you have
minimal control over PR. That’s the difference between
paying for something and not paying for it. A media piece
may not contain the “story” that you would like covered. It
may focus on an angle you don’t like. The reporter
determines what angle to use, depending on his/her needs
and information you provide. It also probably won’t be 100%
accurate. If it is 90% accurate, you’re doing great.
5. Stop complaining. Sometimes, after a phone interview,
you will be misquoted. Unless it is truly a libelous or
slanderous comment, you should take it in stride. DO NOT
decide to complain to the reporter, or you will certainly not
be getting any press, at least not favorable, in that media
again.
6. Give several contact numbers, including day, night and
weekend, to the media (including mobile, vacation/out-of-
town contact info). A member of the press could be in a
different time zone, or might want to call you before or after
your business hours.
7. Be realistic about when the media will cover you.
Typically, daily newspapers, radio and TV have a one day
to three month coverage window. Magazines have a 2-3
month to one year window. The lead times vary depending
on editorial calendars, seasonal coverage and breaking
news. In addition, the media chooses when they want to run
a story; you have little control over when they run it, unless
it is tied in with a timely event, such as a holiday. While you
would love to see yourself or your organization on the 6
o’clock news or the front-page of the business section, the
media may have other stories slotted for those options, or
they may need to fill a space in another segment. Similarly,
you might want your story to run immediately, but the media
may hold it for months, if there is no urgency in running it.
8. Pick up your own copies of your articles or tapes. Do not
ask the reporter for a copy. He/she will be offended! Pick up
a copy of the publication or call the media outlet to order a
copy or tape.
9. Spend time reading, listening to the radio and watching
TV. These activities are a part of most of our days. But if
you plan on “pitching” a particular media outlet that you’re
not familiar with, research it first (that means reading a
publication, listening to the radio or watching that particular
show). Once you do your research, you will have a better
idea of the types of stories covered, and also what has
received coverage already. Remember, the more you
understand what each media outlet likes, the more likely
that you will create great media angles that they love.
10. Thank them. Media people, just like you, enjoy a pat on
the back once in a while. And no one can ever get too
many thank-yous. And to be remembered even more, put it
in writing.
By putting effort into developing media relationships, you’ll
increase your chances of current and future public relations
success.
Margie Fisher is president of Margie Fisher Public Relations
in Boca Raton, FL. Her company offers products and services for every public relations need -- from her Do-It-
Yourself Public Relations Kit™ and workshops to full-service public relations. Get free publicity opportunities and more free articles at www.doityourselfpr.com or contact her at margie@doityourselfpr.com.
About the Author
Margie Fisher is president of Margie Fisher Public Relations in Boca Raton, FL. Her company offers products and
services for every public relations need -- from her Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit™ and workshops to full-service public relations. Get free publicity opportunities and more
free articles at ww.doityourselfpr.com or contact her at margie@doityourselfpr.com.
Spam emails More free articles Related articles
|
More related feeds |
Narrowing Degrees of Separation (Invisible Theatre Social Media ...
These are all great ways to get more free, publicly consumable insight in an existing fan of IT. This is certainly gold. But the real treasure lies in the fact the Shana, herself, is linked to 183 friends. And you thought you were ...The Most Overrated Coaches in America
He turned Texas from a program that always came up small in the big moments into one that found ways to get it done. Other than the Vince Young era, Mack Brown has been "Mr. Holiday Bowl." There's nothing wrong with that, but if you ... Thank You for a Great Conference!!
As we continue down the long and winding road of using social media, it’s good to know that there will be a resource available here for you to ask questions, engage in dialogue and get ideas. I’ll post again once we get the wiki site ... Podcamp 3 Boston Panel: Discovery- How People Find Blogs, Video ...
So, I decided to tailor my presentation toward tactical promotional efforts. Things you can actually do to get your stuff in front of people. Since I am primarily a blogger, I’ll be talking about ways to promote blogs and blog posts ... 21 Ways to Make Your Blog or Website Sticky
Sometimes when you get a spike it can even be worth writing a ‘welcome’ post. For example if I get a mention in a mainstream media publication that sends significant traffic I’ll often do a post that welcomes people but also gives them ... Sunday Link Love
How To Get More Traffic For Your Blog - Teenblogger.net; Quality Over Quantity - The University Kid; 5 Good Reasons Social Media Traffic Isn’t Useless - Rajaie Talks; 5 Possible Ways To Speed Up Your Blog - Thou Shall Blog; 10 Ways To ... Plurk vs. Twitter...what's the diff?
The more plurks you post, conversations you engage in or friends you invite, the more points you get. While this appeals to some people, most I've talked to pay little attention to it. (Unless Plurk takes away points for lack of ... The Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge Method, Or, Blogging Is Flirting
You get hundreds - or, if you’re lucky, thousands - every day. How many return? How many think you’re worth it? Asking for something from a new reader is one of the best ways to get them to come back. Whatever we invest it becomes more ... Y Combinator's Ideas for Start-Ups
In fact, when you read the list, you get a pretty accurate composite portrait of a startup: a combination of relentless predator upon the obsolete and benevolent solver of the world's problems. As ways of making money go, that's pretty ... Bill Gates: top ten greatest hits (and misses) - the Microsoft years
Let’s just get that off our chests. In fact, it’sa quite capable, secure and sexy OS when you get right down to it. Unfortunately, its problems just loomed too large for many folks to overlook. A multitude of delays and a rapidly ...
|
|
|
