How to maximise your PR activity and approach the media

This in-depth PR advice article is on how to maximise your PR activity and approach the media.

Contrary to what many people believe, the vast, vast majority of the media are not out to get you with a hatchet job but instead use their professionalism to be fair and objective.

The second part is this Thursday, so make sure to check it out.

Don’t time-waste

You must be sure that your story or pitch is newsworthy before even approaching the media. If you don’t think it is going to be interesting then it is unlikely that anyone else will, and this includes advertising dressed up as news.

Also be careful to avoid being too inward looking. What might seem incredibly important to you and your business might have little wider appeal.

It’s good to talk?

While making initial contact by picking up the phone might seem the most obvious thing to do, bear in mind that journalists are often juggling a lot of balls, so a concise email with all the main points might be a better first approach.

This way it will allow the journalist time to digest what you have to say and, from that, make an informed decision.

Should you not receive any reply from your email, then a quick follow-up call could pay dividends but don’t pester your contact. If they are not interested, then let it go.

Name game

When distributing a press release it can pay dividends to personalise your message, although if your distribution list has multiple contacts then this might not be possible due to time constraints.

Remember to consider when your recipient will receive your email. First thing on a Monday morning and it could get lost in the start of the week rush, whereas sending it out on a Friday afternoon and it could be forgotten about over the weekend.

While there’s no exact science, Tuesday’s are considered one of the best days to make an approach.

Reputation

A good reputation can take years to build but seconds to destroy. This is the same in public relations as it is in any form of business.

Developing a level of trust with a journalist or editor is worth the effort, after all, don’t expect them to be your best buddy just because you’ve sent them what you think is an earth-shattering press release.

Making sure that your stories are newsworthy, factually correct, honest and interesting will stand you in good stead.

Over time, they will then know that when you do send them a press release that it will be worth looking at, instead of hitting the delete button!

Openness

Be prepared to deal with media enquiries openly and honestly. As highlighted before, the vast majority of the media are hard-working professionals just doing their best in a highly pressurised environment.

Make sure to respond to any media enquiries efficiently, even if that means you don’t have the information to hand. Just tell them that is the case and you will get back to them promptly.

If you do have the answers to their questions, then make sure that you are happy for any information you supply to be in the public domain and, also, that it has been approved internally by those who need to see it.

Remember, not all news is negative, just take a look in your local press to see how many positive stories there are.

For more information about a free one-hour PR audit for your business, or more guidance on ‘First contact’, please email chris@redmarlin.co.uk