Tips for forging media relationships

Everyone wants their business or organization to be featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or on the TODAY show. It's not that you shouldn’t set your sights high, but it’s incredibly competitive and takes effort and patience to get to that level. The good news is that there is a whole media world beyond top-tier outlets and plenty of other opportunities to share your stories and get your message out there.

Let’s start with the basics: Having a strategically focused media relations strategy can pay huge dividends because it gives you earned exposure and validation from a credible, third-party source. The key to a successful media relations strategy is to establish mutually beneficial relationships with those who can bring awareness to your brand.

Here are some things to think about to guide your strategy.

Research, research, research

Aside from editors and journalists at traditional media outlets, like newspapers (their websites) and TV stations, you’ll want to think broader, especially about blog editors or other types of media creators who might have an interest in your brand.

To give yourself a better chance of gaining traction with a journalist or blogger, think about the audiences or segments of the market that might benefit from your brand or service.

Geography is the simplest place to start. Find an editor or reporter at a local news outlet — like a newspaper, news website, or TV station — who might have an interest in either covering your company or organization or the people you serve. Look at what they’ve written or covered in the past and take note of their style. What do they seem to care about? Is there a pattern to what they seem to cover? If it jibes well with what you do, come up with some ideas for how you would pitch them story ideas. If it makes sense to think beyond a geographic location or market, do the same thing with a national or regional focus. Is there a magazine or blog that covers your industry or a topic that you could provide expertise in?

The internet has democratized marketing in the sense that it has allowed communities to form naturally around each other via blogs and social media. This bypasses the traditional news media, but it also creates opportunities for organizations to think more creatively about sharing their stories beyond just the local newspaper. Once you have a good idea of whom you might approach, you’re ready to think about how to best get your foot in the door.

Establish a rapport

If you are reaching out to a reporter or editor — at a news outlet or even a blog — start from the assumption that they are likely getting bombarded with pitches from PR people virtually nonstop. This is important because you need to be confident that you have something that will add value for them and their audience for them to even think about paying attention to it. Second, it’s best to keep in mind that being overly pushy won’t work at any point.

“I’m so inundated with bad pitches from lazy PR people who never check to see what I write that a pitch like yours stood out for its quality,” a reporter at a major news site said in response to a pitch.

Start by introducing yourself, your company or organization, and any ideas you might have via an email pitch. Phone calls and offers to meet in person are nice relationship-building gestures; however, reporters and editors are extremely busy and likely won't answer or return your call or take you up on the invitation.

Only pitch relevant news to your contact

If you’ve done your research, you will naturally know what your contact and his or her audience care about. It’s easy to get crunched for time, but it’s rude and lazy to send out mass emails to a large list – or even a small list, for that matter. Remember, quantity won’t net a quality return. If you want someone to cover your story, it has to appeal to them.

Make yourself a resource

Once you establish rapport with a reporter, the hope is that the credibility you have built up will lead to them coming back to you when they are writing about your industry or a topic or trend you are qualified to speak to. Position yourself as an expert who can provide insight from a news perspective as a way to add value for their audience.

However, there may be times when you’re not the right person for the reporter to talk to. Be honest and don’t try to be something you’re not. If you can suggest someone else who might be a better fit, even if they are from another company, the reporter will see that you are a resource they can trust and not simply in it for your own gains. This will go a long way in helping both of you, and it fosters a strong relationship.

Your call to action

There's never a better time than now to start building relationships with key media contacts. Your task is to identify one new editor or producer of a news source or a blog who might be interested in your organization and its stories. Dive into the research and when you find a good candidate, develop a story to pitch that is relevant and timely to their work. Then, send a very specific and well-crafted email pitch and get your head in the long game of fostering the relationship.

Media relations is a long-term strategy and one, if done well, can be tremendously valuable for your organization. Remember, journalists are people, too, and it’s not fair for you to expect them to do something for you if you’re not willing to build the relationship in a respectful, mutually beneficial way. The Golden Rule is key: treat others how you’d want to be treated.

[Originally published on orapin.co/blog.]

Want to get your organization's stories out there and find ways to share your expertise in a bigger way?

I help purpose-driven organizations (both nonprofits and do-good companies) generate consistent media coverage and visibility opportunities to increase awareness, influence, and impact.

Reach me at rhiannon@orapin.co to learn about our PR Playbook, PR Pitch Kit, and PR Partnership to launch or up-level your PR program.