No matter how technology driven the world becomes, no PR news distribution seems to work better than when utilizing a trusted relationship. So how do you differentiate yourself from the “spin doctors” and become a trusted PR practitioner with good, relevant stories? You will not gain the trust of a reporter by inserting “Mass Murder” into the subject line of a distribution for your exterminator client’s recent success.
What will help is making an effort to find out what works best / what makes a particular media representative’s life easier. You must take the time to earn a media outlet’s trust. It could start with an introductory call. Is your client’s news something their beat would even cover? How do they like to receive news? PDF? Fax? Carrier pigeon?
One of the many reasons PR practitioners are so valuable is their access to relevant publications. Especially during timely situations, it is important to have that established trust…to have the ear of a reporter. Unfortunately, some reporters simply do not trust PR professionals due to bad experiences and bad pitching. You can avoid this by speaking the truth and being professional.
It has been done for decades, but sometimes we need reminding: Stop in, have lunch…become someone the media not only picks up the phone for but uses as a resource. Give them good stuff, have the facts and be responsive! Finally, assume their deadline is now, since it probably is.
Great post! As PR students, we don’t really have a class on media relations. So this is a great article for soon-to-be PR graduates on how to establish a relationship with the media. Thanks!