Building a reputable brand is a goal every organization will always yearn to achieve. The slightest distrust of the public against a brand can lead to the waterloo of the business. Hence, the need for a good reputation and strong media relations are very sacrosanct in every organization’s operation as they both work interchangeably. When brands infuse media relations into their strategic communication, engaging with ad sharing their message and story with the public, stakeholders, shareholders become easier. In other words, both Media relations and Public relations are strongly connected as one is an avenue to help project the other.
What is a Media Relations Strategy?
Public Relations on the other hand as defined by The Public Relations Society of America is “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”
However, your publics in this context include both the internal and external audiences in which the media is a key part of them. Building a relationship with all these different entities requires different approaches. In this blog post, we will be considering three (3) strategies a Public relations professional or personnel should incorporate into their existing strategies when carrying out media relations activities.
- Firstly, Have a contact list. This is a very important step in media relations strategy. A public relations professional should have a register of journalist contacts from various media outlets. It is not enough to have their contacts alone, but you should also be aware of the beats they cover, their publication days, and also build a good relationship with them. By so doing, you can easily contact them when you have a story to pitch or if a story in your industry develops.
- Ensure you both agree on an angle. Many times, Journalists usually decide on the angle to write from once they have the information needed on a particular story. But it is important you both agree on a particular angle you would want the story or article to be taken from beforehand. This is to ensure that the intention of the message isn’t distorted or misconceived and the sole objective of the write-up is reached.
- Be Precise and Factual. With a lot of deadlines to meet, Journalists are people who cherish every bit of their time. Hence, when writing to your media contacts, be direct and precise. Ensure you give a précised detail of your pitch in the first paragraph of your email, this will make the journalist give it quick attention. Even though you are projecting a client or your organization, ensure you present factual details of the event to the journalist. Journalists are storytellers, therefore, it is up to them to shape it into what they think the people will want to read without putting a dent in your client’s reputation.
Conclusively, having an in-depth knowledge of Media relations strategies is a must-have for every Public Relations Professional irrespective of what aspect of public relations you do. How you function will be determined by your relationship with the media when carrying out media relations activities. Looking for an agency to carry out your Media relations engagements? Contact us at Caritas PR.