Strive Notes

Preparing for the Junior Achievement event earlier this week forced me to revisit some of the basics of PR.  One of the objectives of my talk was to try to dispel the perception that PR people are professional liars and spin doctors.  I came up with six rules for good media relations.

1. Deal honestly. Not only is honesty the best policy in most things in life, in PR it’s just common sense. No tricks, evasion or hiding the facts; with the media that’s just like waving a red flag to a bull.  Be accurate, helpful and have integrity in all your dealings.

2. Work for the reporter.  Remember journalists are your most important clients.  Serve them well by providing interesting, timely stories that their audiences want to hear. Meet their deadlines. Know their beats.  Help them out; even if your assistance doesn’t relate to the company you work for. Your reputation among media professionals is your most valuable asset.

3. Don’t nag or plead. News is just that, news. If the story is weak or ill-targeted, no amount of pleading will get you coverage. And, when your story runs, and it isn’t what you had hoped for (not long enough, wrong angle) don’t whine.  It’s ok to point out factual inaccuracies, but respect the journalist’s treatment of the news. 

4. Don’t kill.  Trying to kill a story is a fool’s errand. If you want the media to cover your good news, you’ll have to accept that they’ll cover your bad news too.  Asking for kills will only damage your relationships, and that’s never a good thing.

5. Never spray & pray.  Use only well-targeted pitches.  Angle your stories to suit the needs of each reporter. If a journalist is constantly receiving irrelevant news from you, he’ll hit the Del key without giving your release a glance. Think before you click send.

6. Be clean.  Regularly clean your media contact database.  People move around all the time, it’s your job to know when and where they go. It’s all part of serving the media and your clients well.

Filed under: public relations