PRos in Training

Category: Media Relations

  • How to Write a Basic Media Relations Strategy

    How to Write a Basic Media Relations Strategy

    The ability to work with the media is our “value added” in public relations (and one of the key reasons PR is in the journalism school at the UofO)… So when you want to add a media relations strategy to a client plan or proposal, how do you do it?

    “Get [my organization] on morning talk shows” is not a media relations strategy.

    First, think about your target audience. You need to have a solid understanding of who your target audience is. Have you painted a picture that makes it clear what media they use and respond to. If not, do more research.

    Once you’re comfortable with your understanding on the audience, you’re ready to move forward with recommended strategy. Your strategy needs to include your key messages and the tone of the media materials that you will create.

    For example, say you’re working with a local humane society on recruiting more adopters and your target audience is senior citizens. Your objective might be: To raise awareness of [the humane society] among senior citizens so to encourage more adoptions.

    You’ve determined through your research that your target audience reads the local newspaper daily. Your strategy might read something like this:

    To accomplish this objective, we recommend a media relations strategy that focuses on the health benefits of owning an animal. According to APPMA.org, health benefits include lower blood pressure, longer life and lower stress levels. The Humane Society should identify key spokespeople from this target audience to dispel possible myths about behavior or social problems of shelter animals and discuss the benefits of adopting from the Humane Society.

    The specific tactics would follow-on in a priority list and would include the steps to take to execute the strategy and meet the objective.

    What else goes into a media relations strategy? Check out these articles:
    Ten Steps for Successful Media Relations (on aboutpublicrelations.net)
    Website Pressroom – A Key Promotional Tool

    Other tips? What key elements must be considered for an effective media relations campaign?

  • MR 101: Follow Directions


    Matthew Stibe at Bad Language vents about public relations PRos (using that term loosely) that just can’t seem to follow directions. I’d like to think this is rare… but I know it’s not. And I’d like to think that none of my former students would do this.

    Rule #1: Be respectful. If a reporter is clear about his or her deadline and clear about the preferred contact method, respect it.

    Seems pretty basic right?

  • Pitches Gone Very, Very Wrong

    You know you’ve sent a bad pitch when the blog-o-sphere is abuzz about it. Here are some links to recent bad pitches. Read and learn.

    Racist PR at its finest. This publicist was fired.
    Sleazy PR at its finest. This one was also fired. Remember – it’s bad when your boss has to go back and try to cover your arse.
    More bad pitches at The Bad Pitch Blog.

    So how should you pitch? Here are some great tips by Alan Weinkrantz.

  • MR 101: Is your story newsworthy?

    Public relations PRos understand the media – they understand how to help their clients tell their story to the right people. Understanding the media is part of the value that public relations PRos bring to the table.

    As a PRo in Training, it may be difficult to figure out whether the story you’re being asked to pitch is newsworthy or not.

    Does it have local relevance?

    If you’re pitching the local press, you should have a local story. Or if you have a national story, what’s the local angle? Think about why the launch of a new Web site would be of interest to the local press before you pitch it.

    A sub-question might be “Is it relevant to the media to which you are pitching?”

    You may be pitching a magazine, or a national television show. In that case, you need to consider the story’s relevance to that media’s audience.

    If it’s a local issue, how does it stack up against other newsworthy items?

    As a PRo, you need to be a consumer of media – particularly the media in which your client, company or organization is interested in being featured. What else is going on in the world?

    An editor once told me, “We’ll run the story unless the Pope dies…” Meaning, of course, that your story can get bumped, or get ignored in favor of breaking news. The irony is that just after the story ran – maybe a week – the Pope actually did die. Weird.

    Does it tie in with a national or international trend?

    If you had any kind of local soccer (excuse, me football) related story in the last month, you were money with the local media.

    Is it unique? Or does it involve someone or something interesting, doing something novel?

    Your standard “so and so announced today” release isn’t likely to highlight what you know is a unique story about what’s going on in your organization. What IS unique – figure out how to feature that in your pitch.

    I’ve got a real estate development client that’s developing, well… some real estate. Imagine that. The marketing director and I have gone to great pains to tease out all the interesting stories about this particular development – the first, the best, the greenest, etc. And we’re getting good response

    Does it have to be told now? Is there an immediate hook?

    Timing is important. If there is a degree of urgency or immediacy to your pitch – and it HAS to be real (no fake urgency, please!) – your story will be more newsworthy.

    Does it involve babies or animals?

    Duh.

    *Thanks, Erica!

    Related Posts with Thumbnails