What is Media Relations? [And How to Do It Right]

By Alex Mikhail — Communications Strategist

Early in your PR career, you may have asked, “What is media relations, and why does it matter?” Whether you’re a seasoned veteran now or a business leader considering media relations as a strategy, the landscape is ever-evolving. And we can all use a refresher course now and then. In short, media relations is an essential function of public relations, where the main goal is to educate the media to report on a company’s objectives, accomplishments or other “news.” This “other” might involve another company or a person, and the outcome can be about anything notable or newsworthy.

A successful media relations effort always begins with the development of strong, outcome-producing relationships with media outlets, producers, assignment editors, print/online journalists, influencers and more.

Why Media Relations is Important

Media relations allows brands to break through the clutter by establishing credibility and trust with their audiences.

For example, company executives can be interviewed about a significant accomplishment or update, how they plan to achieve their goals and how this information will impact consumers or the public.

What is Earned Media?

Coverage secured through a traditional “pitch and place” outreach strategy is referred to as “earned media,” which does not involve advertising, paying for the story or another form of publicity.

Earned media is valuable because it holds more credibility than paid media. It requires reporters to understand which part(s) of a company’s news is “story-worthy” and relevant for their audience—without a financial incentive.

Benefits of Earned Media:

  • Increases brand visibility and trust
  • Positive media coverage enhances brand image
  • Helps build strong media relationships
  • Generates traffic and increases engagement

Tips for Conducting a Successful Media Relations Program:

To earn attention and build trust with the press, creating and implementing a targeted media relations strategy is paramount. Here are four tips to get started:

1. Build and Maintain Genuine Relationships with the Media

Successful media relations programs require exactly what you might think — building trustworthy relationships with media. This is critical, as they can be leveraged to secure more (and sometimes better) coverage opportunities in the future.

Establish a Genuine Connection:

As with any close relationship, establishing a genuine connection with assignment editors, planners and producers is key, rather than simply framing “What do I get out of this?” as the sole priority. Remember, this is a mutually beneficial relationship, so take time to engage in conversation that fosters a personal relationship. It could be through a shared hobby, how you both spend time on weekends, etc. Just try to avoid personal or touchy subjects, such as politics.

Maintain the Relationship:

Once you get to know a member of the media, make sure to maintain that relationship over time. Connect with them on social media and do not be afraid to reach out semi-regularly to see how they are doing. Not all correspondence should be about pitching a story.

2. Develop a Tailored Pitch

Do Your Research:

Successful pitching requires media relations professionals to do their research. Specifically, research the right journalists for each pitch.  Their inboxes are inundated with story ideas every day, so do not waste their time. Approach them with news that is considered relevant within the parameters of their particular beat or interests.

Be Specific:

Regardless of focus, journalists want to tell stories that reach the widest audience possible. They tend to focus on stories that contain some combination of specific themes that are already part of the collective conversation. Those themes often include timeliness, impact, human interest or conflict. Media will not be interested in pitches that do not touch on at least one of these common themes.

3. Structure the Pitch Correctly

Nail the Hook:

Since an email subject line represents your first impression to the recipient, it is essential to nail it! Clarity and brevity make subject lines effective.

Consider including a compelling hook, in the form of a thought-provoking question or a striking statistic, to capture their attention from the outset.

The Five W’s:

Place the most critical information at the start of a pitch—any details you want the journalist to retain should be front and center.

As for the pitch itself, remember to address the Five W’s— “Who, What, When, Where and Why.” Each should be covered in a way that grabs journalists’ interest.

4. Understand the Target Audience

When pitching, understand what type of audience(s) they want to reach. Once the target audience is determined, confirm where they go to find news that interests them.

For example, if a pharmaceutical manufacturer wants consumers to know they have developed a new drug, consider pitching pharmaceutical industry publications, health and wellness outlets, health reporters and broadcast media that run special health segments.

Bottom Line: What is Media Relations?

A strategic media relations program is the cornerstone of a successful public relations strategy. When companies cultivate strong media relationships, important doors open for them to amplify their messages, build credibility and navigate the complexities of public perception more adeptly. Additionally, providing media coaching utilizing these best media training tips will ensure your client’s message is consistent and lands the right audience.

The evolving digital media landscape provides opportunities to engage directly with audiences, making it crucial to adapt and innovate. By embracing these principles, media relations professionals will be empowered to share compelling stories and shape the narratives that define them.

To learn more about media relations in a customized session for your team or your media spokesperson, call us at  (858) 886-7900 or email info@wrightoncomm.com.

Best Media Training Tips

By Julie Wright —President

Twitter: @juliewright

Here is a list of our four best media training tips for client partners stepping into the media spotlight. We picked these four tips to set you up for success by preparing for the interview, keeping your head during it and building the media relationship following it. Think of it as a four-step process for media relations success.

Tip 1: Screen the Opportunity

When you see a media interview go bad like this British interview with Quentin Tarantino, the culprit is typically a lack of preparation combined with an unrealistic expectation as to how the interview was supposed to go. When things don’t go as we expect, some of us—like Tarantino—will lose our cool (which makes great, if cringe-worthy, television for the rest of us).

Screening requires basic fact finding to ensure the opportunity is a good fit for you and that you prepare appropriately.

(W)right On Communications’ best media training tips start with reviewing the outlet’s and writer’s past coverage. Is the media outlet and opportunity a good fit for your business and its goals? Is it a top-tier media outlet or a smaller and scrappier blog? Does the reporter have an agenda, a partisan viewpoint or an axe to grind?

A blogger seeking clicks has a different goal than a long-form feature writer or a local TV news reporter needing video for broadcast, online and social promotion. Print and online journalists will often want video to accompany their stories as well.

Find out who else the reporter is interviewing for the story. Are you one of many voices or are you the only person speaking to your side of an issue? They may or may not tell you who else they’re interviewing, but it will certainly help you better prepare if you can find out.

If you’re not clear what it is that the reporter wants from you for their story, ask for more details or clarity. If their explanation doesn’t make sense to you, it is okay and often safer to politely decline.

If this is an opportunity you are interested in, get the reporter’s deadline and commit to the interview well before that time. I have seen clients hold out until the last second and, as a result, miss the opportunity to have their quote or information included. The reporter wants to complete all interviews as early as possible so that they can write the story. The longer you wait to provide a comment, the higher the likelihood others will shape the story and your quote will be placed at the very end of the article, if it gets included at all.

Tip 2: Prepare for the Opportunity

Prepare by drafting or reviewing your key messages and talking points. If you don’t have these already, start by narrowing down the main points you’d want to communicate. Pick your top three. Practice them in front of a mirror or with a friend.

If you expect challenging questions during your interview, brainstorm all of the worst rude questions you might be asked and practice your responses to them. That way, when the nasty question arises, you’ll be relaxed and can respond without losing your cool. This is very important if you’re on camera!

If this is a video interview, think about your appearance and the setting. Do you need your facility cleaned or your office uncluttered? Is there anything on your desk that might be confidential? Show up looking your best and avoid unnecessary visual distractions. You don’t want to be caught on camera like Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin on a turkey farm.

Tip 3: Interview Smart With Your ABCD’s

After screening and preparation, it’s go time. Even if it’s an outlet that you expect to be challenging, you can still get a great win if you keep you head.

During the interview, remember your ABCD’s:

  • Acknowledge the question: “I’m glad that you asked that.” Or “I get asked that question a lot.”
  • Bridge to your key message: “That’s a great question that I hear often, but what’s really important to people is …” or “… but what our customers ask most is …” These phrases help you move from the interviewer’s questions to your key messages. More examples: “Let me answer that question by putting it into context…” “Let’s talk about something I’m even more familiar with…” “Well the quick answer is no, but it’s important to understand that…”
  • Conclude with proof points: “… we know that because we did a customer survey and 95% said…” These proof points support your key messages and are essential to build your credibility with the interviewer and their audiences.
  • Dangle the next topic if you’re feeling lucky: “… and it’s dang cool software design” or “… and that discovery leads to a really surprising new problem to solve.”

Our best media training tips during the interview also include:

  • Be brief. The less you say, the more poignant and quotable your points are. It lets the interviewer be engaged so they can ask questions and leaves them wanting more. It’s easy to drone on, especially when a reporter is interviewing you by phone and taking notes. Just because the reporter hasn’t asked another question, doesn’t mean you need to fill the void with ramblings. Make your point and wait for the next question.
  • Avoid negatives or charged words. A “problem” is a “challenge.” You don’t “hate” something, you “prefer its alternative.” It wasn’t a “failure” but a “learning opportunity.” Recent media research shows that the media don’t have a political bias. They have a bias for ‘negative’. Conflict sells. When everything is going smoothly and harmoniously, there’s no news.
  • The mic is always on. Remember during your interview that nothing is off the record and the camera is always rolling. What you say before or after the interview can be picked up by a hot mic. Our best media training tips include not saying anything you don’t want to see all over the Internet.
  • Bring the energy. Be conscious of your energy level and body language. Your nonverbal communication can say more than your words. Voice, gestures, posture, eye contact–pay attention to how you deliver your messages and not just their content. Avoid eye rolls or big sighs. And if it’s an on-camera interview, dress for the part.

Tip 4: Follow Up

Correct any inaccurate statements or provide more follow-up to clarify content from the interview. This could include emailing a full study, images and other links to the reporter. If you have an agency or PR department, they will often take care of these loose ends.

You should debrief on the final published story or broadcast to look for opportunities to improve for next time.

We have many other do’s and don’ts among our best media interview tips, and this article is not intended as a replacement for a full, customized media training session. Typically, we include on-camera practice based on our client partner’s industry, their organization’s needs and their comfort level in the media hot seat. We’ll also offer a refresher the day or hours prior to a big interview!

To learn more about getting our best media training tips in a customized session for your team or your media spokesperson, please contact us at (W)right On Communications. Call (858) 886-7900 or email info@wrightoncomm.com.

Do’s and Don’ts When Managing Your Online Reputation

managing your online reputation

 

By Julie Wright —President
Twitter: @juliewright

I recently had the opportunity to hear from Jon Goldberg of Reputation Architects on managing your online reputation. The occasion was the PRSA Western District Conference in Phoenix, April 11 and 12 where I spoke on a storytelling panel.

Goldberg is a seasoned public relations and reputation strategist advising Fortune 500 clients as Chief Reputation Architect with his firm, specialists in managing your online reputation and offline as well.

I learned about many different landmines lurking on the web. The risks run from websites that post damaging content and then charge fees to remove it to consultants who cut corners to suppress damaging search engine results.

Goldberg shared story after story of reputation management gone awry as well as best practices to follow for managing your online reputation.

If you find yourself the subject of an Internet nastygram, Goldberg advised that you have three options:

1. Ignore It

When emotions are running high, it’s hard for people to keep their cool and put things in perspective. However, ignoring damaging content online is often the best strategy. More on this below.

2. Hide It

Through the publication of a large volume of search-optimized content, you can seek to overwhelm the negative result in search engine rankings. Search algorithms are wise to these strategies so attempting to game the system can raise Google’s suspicion.

“The idea is to publish a steady stream of high-quality content, which over time will push negative search results off the first page. Attempting to game the system by pumping out low-quality content and questionable links, a technique used by many black-hat SEO companies, will just lead to a bigger and potentially more embarrassing mess in organic search,” said Goldberg.

3. Make it Disappear

If you want to make a negative search result vanish forever, you also have only three options: ask nicely, threaten the publisher or sue.

Threatening or suing both risk angering the outlet. For instance, if you’re a Fortune 1000 company targeting a small publisher or individual, the David-and-Goliath narrative will give your brand a black eye. Suing is risky because libel, slander, defamation and other such allegations are difficult to prove to the courts.

Avoid the Streisand Effect

Goldberg shared a few examples of online reputation management gone horribly wrong. One very interesting example is what has become known as the Streisand Effect. It refers to a situation where Barbra Streisand’s Malibu home was photographed in a public database of coastal lands. She sued the photographer to have her home removed from the database. From Wikipedia:

Before Streisand filed her lawsuit, “Image 3850” had been downloaded from Adelman’s website only six times; two of those downloads were by Streisand’s attorneys. As a result of the case, public knowledge of the picture increased greatly; more than 420,000 people visited the site over the following month.

Sometimes confrontation attracts even more unwanted attention and ignoring the content is the best course.

So, how do you legitimately suppress an unfortunate online mention?

“Good content is the answer to bad content,” said Goldberg.

Publishing good content that attracts significant views and inbound links from other reputable sites with high domain authority is the answer.

Look to PR for Managing Your Online Reputation

Goldberg’s message perfectly echoed the sentiment presented by another of the conference’s speakers, Gini Dietrich. Dietrich is founder and CEO of marketing communications firm Arment Dietrich in Chicago. She is also lead blogger at the PR and marketing blog Spin Sucks. She urged public relations practitioners to lean into PR’s power for producing credible, high-ranking online content.

Working with media outlets to get that content published with an optimized inbound hyperlink are the key to raising search engine visibility for good content.

Both Dietrich and Goldberg warned that there are many underqualified and ill-equipped service providers who are encroaching on what should be PR’s domain (reputation management and story pitching and placement). These unscrupulous SEO consultants would have companies believe that reputations and rankings can be bought cheap.

However, the outcomes produced by these firms look cheap and cheapen your reputation. They’ll generate gibberish articles, plagiarized or generic content, and black hat SEO techniques that can get you blacklisted from review sites.

It reminds me of my advice to young PR practitioners: there are no PR shortcuts. The same is true for managing your online reputation, not to mention your offline reputation.

Reputation management is like a game of chutes and ladders. It takes a lot of work and many years to build up your reputation but only minutes and one mistake to tear it down.

Don’t be fooled into thinking your reputation online is any different.

How to Earn Media Coverage in Major News Outlets

Earn media coverage in major news outlets

The Wall Street Journal is the world’s most influential business news outlet. For subscribers of our agency newsletter, The Strategist, we recently put together this helpful infographic on how to earn media coverage in major news outlets like The Wall Street Journal.

It outlines 12 steps to catch the WSJ’s attention for your business, nonprofit or client. These steps can be followed to earn media coverage in any major news outlet:

This approach is how we earned coverage in the WSJ for our client, EVS, as well as a retweet by Arianna Huffington to her 3 million Twitter followers and an inquiry from a Fortune 500 technology partner. Such is the power of The Wall Street Journal.

SUBSCRIBE: Get our quick, timely communications ideas and insights each month.

(W)right On Communications won a Silver Bulldog Award for Best B2B Product Launch for our work on this campaign. Read the full case study written by the Bulldog Reporter for in-depth tips.

Immersive Storytelling is the Future of Public Relations

future of journalism talk by Robert Hernandez


By Julie Wright —President
Twitter: @juliewright

The future of public relations and journalism are two sides of the same coin, and both are experiencing powerful technological advances that are reshaping how the media and professional communicators tell and distribute stories. While these changes have disrupted old business models and best practices, they’ve also benefited people by making it easier to access and consume the news and content they want, whenever and wherever they want.

The next wave of innovation is immersive storytelling and it’s poised to take content producers and consumers well beyond the two-dimensional experience of today’s news reports or public relations’ white papers, case studies, press releases and b-roll.

What Does the Future Look Like for Journalism?

There are already more mobile phones on the planet than toothbrushes or working toilets. USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Associate Professor Robert Hernandez shared this insight to provide context during his opening remarks April 28 to the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2018 regional conference hosted by the Greater Los Angeles SPJ chapter.

The annual conference attracted hundreds of journalists from across the southwest to the Universal City Hilton, and (W)right On Communications was proud to sponsor Hernandez’s presentation, “What Does the Future Look Like for Journalism?”

Well regarded in media circles as an academic and as a veteran of web journalism, Hernandez urged journalists to become early adopters of new technologies and embrace it for storytelling. It’s a message that holds true for PR pros, content marketers and brand journalists concerned about the future of public relations.

Hernandez pointed out that TV took 38 years and radio 14 years to reach 50 million users but the web took only four, the iPod three and Facebook two to reach the same milestone. Technology is changing how we communicate and doing so at a breakneck pace.

On May 1, Facebook announced that it is introducing augmented reality into its Messenger platform. Soon, Facebook advertisers will be able to provide filters in Messenger that potential customers can apply to experience their product—like a new lip color, furniture or fashion—before buying.

On April 30, NBCUniversal and Google announced that they’ll be partnering to produce original virtual reality content for the NBC, Bravo and Syfy networks including NBC’s Saturday Night Live and Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules, which already has some 360 video available on YouTube. Will virtual reality content for NBC News be close behind?

My guess is that Hernandez would hope so. He urged news media to jump on these new technologies—including immersive 360-degree video, augmented reality and virtual reality platforms—and begin using them as storytelling platforms.

“If you think this is the final form, you’re fooling yourself,” said Hernandez of today’s mobile phones, mobile cameras and social media platforms.

The Future of Public Relations is Tied to New Storytelling Tech Too

Public relations professionals—particularly content marketers—should also be experimenting with these platforms and preparing for the near future of public relations where immersive storytelling becomes mainstream. We have the opportunity to adopt and adapt immersive platforms to communicate not just key messages but key experiences. Imagine how much more persuasive such tools would be in motivating a belief or behavior from your target audience.

And imagine how media outlets would appreciate content like 360 video or interactive augmented reality graphics to support a press announcement or event coverage.

With so much content competing to engage consumers and B2B customers today, it only makes sense that communicators adopt the most engaging and breakthrough new technologies to raise their content and messages above the din.

As Hernandez noted, for cash-strapped newsrooms, this technology doesn’t have to be expensive. He shared a VR tip sheet that includes apps to convert your mobile phone to a virtual reality recording device, several 360 video cameras and VR headsets at varying price points.

Hernandez heads up a VR journalism program at the Annenberg School, creatively named JOVRNALISM. He and his students have produced 360 video reports from places like Friendship Park at the border between San Diego and Tijuana and Korea’s demilitarized zone.

In this video, you can use your tablet or smart phone screen to explore a 360-degree view of the DMZ and listen while South Korea’s loudspeakers blast Lionel Ritchie’s “Hello” across the border.

Media outlets on the forefront of augmented reality include The New York Times. Hernandez cited their AR piece on David Bowie, which documents his costumes and style through the ages. Open The New York Times mobile app or navigate to their mobile website and search “augmented reality” on your iPhone or Android device to see and experience and be inspired by these incredible AR features.

Hernandez described AR as a “new type of journalism.” Here’s how The New York Times described it in their AR guide for readers:

“If photography freed journalists to visually capture important moments, and video allowed us to record sight, sound and motion, then our augmented reality feature goes a step further, making flat images three-dimensional. AR brings our report to you in a way that makes it more immediate than ever before. Imagine if journalists applied this technology to stories on the homeless and other topics where immersive technology can bring an experience to life.”

            – Your Guide to Augmented Reality in The Times

Imagine what content marketers can do when they deliver an immersive case study experience for their targets rather than another six-page white paper.

It’s not difficult to see how immersive storytelling could more effectively drive behavior change or swell a nonprofits’ donor rolls with an immersive public service campaign. Imagine using virtual reality to put your target audience in the passenger seat next to a distracted or drunk driver, in a homeless shelter, in an animal shelter or in a wilderness refuge being threatened by deforestation or climate change.

With augmented reality, imagine that for every donation of $100 to a wildlife cause, an app creates a 360 video of you surrounded by elephants at a watering hole or sitting with a panda bear in a tree and gives you the option to share it on your social networks. On the other end of the spectrum, picture an immersive corporate annual report that takes shareholders into the boardroom, onto the factory floor and into the field.

A new frontier is opening up that incorporates sensors with immersive technologies, says Hernandez. He has tried on a virtual glove that allows you to feel things in a 3D world—from a spider running across your hand to a cup of hot coffee. While this technology is still in the lab, it’s what’s coming next.

Hernandez didn’t omit the ethical questions that these immersive storytelling technologies prompt. In the immediate future, these technologies will be used to manipulate reality for “fake news” and misinformation where virtual reality cannot be distinguished from truth or actual reality. This is a scary downside, given how susceptible to fake news and conspiracy theories the public has shown itself to be.

Just like data privacy, cybersecurity breaches and social media bots; manipulation of virtual reality is another threat that communicators, journalists and society will need to navigate, but the sooner we adopt and become proficient in these technologies, the sooner we can put them to use for better storytelling experiences and the future of public relations and journalism.

“Content is king. This is still holding true. It doesn’t matter what technology we use. It’s how we use it to tell stories. It’s your attitude as a journalist and how you view that technology that determines the future of journalism.”

           – Robert Hernandez, USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism

If your attitude as a communicator is one of curiosity and comfort with change (and I hope it is!), then immersive storytelling technologies should excite you about the future of public relations and the new frontiers they will open for our craft.

(W)right On Launches “The Strategist”

The Strategist Newsletter

The first quarter of 2018 was a roller-coaster ride for communicators grappling with Facebook’s big changes and PR troubles. We’ve strapped in and are waiting to see where its twists and turns take us next. But, in the meantime, Facebook gave us a timely topic for the first issue of our new publication, The Strategist newsletter.

Get our newsletter to stay in the know

(W)right On Communications launched The Strategist newsletter as a service to clients and friends last week. It’s a bite-sized serving of what’s new, now and next in communications.

Each issue, we tackle a subject of big-time interest to brands and communicators. We share our own professional experiences, links to the best articles from our industry reading and relevant content from our own writings and presentations.

So, we invite you to subscribe to the The Strategist newsletter. You’ll also find the subscription pop-up window here on our website.

Read our inaugural issue

In case you missed it, we’ve provided a link to our first issue here.

In it, we shared a roundup of recommended reading on Facebook. These include:

WOC Strategist newsletter

Our team manages multiple Facebook pages for our clients. And it has been an interesting time. Our experience has shown that Facebook’s changes are beneficial to businesses and nonprofits who have cultivated dedicated local followings. When page managers engage their followers with “throwbacks,” heartfelt content and smart boosting and targeting, Facebook is an incredibly productive platform.

We would love to hear your feedback

Please drop us a line. Let us know what kind of content you’d like to see tackled in a future issue of The Strategist.  Send your requests to editor@wrightoncomm.com. We’d love to hear from you!