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Survey the media and identify who follows your issue, build your media database around such journalists. |
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Don’t just wait for reporters to call you, because it rarely happens.
Identify someone whose work has impressed you - call their office and congratulate them. This is such a rare occurrence that they are certain to be pleased that you have taken the first step to get in touch. If you have a story to tell them, even better. |
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Establish and maintain regular communications.
Give them story ideas and help them cover the stories. |
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Provide them with quality information.
Keep it short, most journalists are getting a lot of paper every day. Remember: be a good source! |
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Show interest in their work.
Ask about the deadlines of the publications or programs on which they work. Don’t view your media relations job as the task of getting something from the editors and reporters; your function is actually to help them do their jobs. |
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Help them frame your issues in a way they can convince their editors that your story is important. Even though you and the journalist think the story is interesting, there is a lot of news to compete with! Keep an eye on what is going on in the media, be able to relate your issue with other ongoing discussions and stories. |
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Answer their questions immediately. Journalists have deadlines and they will most probably call you half an hour before they pass the deadline. If you are not prepared to answer to their questions in the moment, ask for few minutes to organize yourself and call them back with ready information. |
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Avoid saying “I don’t know”. On the other hand admit that you do not have such information at the moment and tell the journalist you will get back to them. Make sure you DO get back to them with an answer. |
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Honor your promises. If you’ve promised a story exclusively to one media organization respect that promise and stick to the schedules agreed upon with that media organization. |
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Be specific. When you talk to a reporter, be prepared with supporting facts, names and details. You need to be organized in case the reporter
wants to follow up on any story or facts you present. Be specific in regards to your story. |
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Off the Record. There is no such thing as “off the record,” and you should always be on message when talking to reporters. |
Implementing your media plan
