By: Emily John, Account Director
Media relations is all about the communication between an organisation and the people responsible for producing the news and features in the media. As PR practitioners, our objective is to positively promote our client’s brand, convey key messages and educate their target audiences. Media relations builds credibility and fosters mutually beneficial relationships between an organisation and the media.
The first step in successful media relations involves developing relationships with the press, and introducing them to our client’s product or service. Once journalists have a good understanding of their business, there is the potential to open up a whole host of media opportunities.
Having strong links with the press can often be the differentiating factor in separating clients from its competitors. Our team works across a range of sectors within the technology industry, and as a result, we have experience in building relationships between the media and our clients.
In this blog, we will explore how to best develop these relationships and what they mean for our clients.
Developing an understanding of the business
When starting a PR campaign, the initial priority is generating awareness of our client amongst the target media. Once they have a good understanding of the business, its product or service, and other offerings, they are more likely to pay attention to news announcements, content and more.
Rather than introducing our clients every time we share a press release, pitch or article idea, journalists will be more susceptible to the information and have a good understanding of the content you are pitching.
Securing media opportunities
When journalists know about a business and their key selling points, this can help set our clients apart from its competitors. The press have content calendars and features to write each month, most of which rely on external comments to guide their stories. At which point, journalists will reach out to relevant businesses that they know can provide an insightful comment. If a journalist has a good relationship with you, our clients will be at the top of their list.
Similarly, when a big news story breaks, the media will write a comment piece to show the industry’s response to the news. These articles are reactive and will need to be published as soon as possible. Journalists will therefore contact the relevant businesses that they have an existing relationship with to provide their thoughts.
Media relations at events
Events and exhibitions are a great way to meet journalists face-to-face and strengthen the relationships that we have been nurturing on behalf of our clients. I attended IFA Berlin earlier in the month, and this was a brilliant opportunity to reconnect with journalists in the technology and lifestyle space.
These events are also a great opportunity to launch new products or services and to showcase your existing portfolio to your client’s target media. As they are attended by a genuinely engaged audience of journalists, the events enable us to connect with our clients’ key customer groups and prospects.
The ultimate goal of media relations is to get our clients’ name in the press on a regular and consistent basis, either in the form of news announcements, articles or interviews. Developing strong and positive relationships with the media helps us to achieve that, and can be make or break when looking to grow and develop our client’s business.