10 Quick and Dirty Media Relations Tips for Any Professional

Let’s face it. Media relations can be tricky, but it’s an integral part of public relations. Too often, best practices in media relations are ignored and pushed aside to make room for convenient alternatives. It’s crucial for success in media relations to avoid taking the easy way out, so here are 10 quick and dirty tips on how to best execute your media relations initiatives.  

1. Do your research. One of the very first things you should do is some background research on the media contacts you’re reaching out to. Know what they cover, how often they’re published, companies they follow, mediums they are published on, etc. This will not only save you time in the long-run, but it will really give you the best insight on the journalist and how appropriately they fit into your media relations campaign.  

2. Be aware of your primary media contacts’ recent work. Make it a priority to follow your main media contacts and their recent work. This will keep you knowledgeable about their coverage and how it might incorporate into your media relations campaign. You’ll also be able to suggest story pitches based on the type of information they cover on a regular basis.

3. Don’t simply rely on a list pulled from Cision. Keeping in mind that media database programs such as Cision might not be perfectly up-to-date, it’s always a good idea to search the publication’s online version to research and verify potential contacts you think are appropriate for outreach. This will provide you with accurate information straight from the source when gathering a list of media contacts to pitch.  

4. Customize your pitch. Try to avoid sending a generic pitch to media contacts blind carbon copied in one email, and instead, take the time to customize each of your pitches accordingly. If a journalist has recently covered a topic similar to the one you’re pitching, it’s a great idea to cite that in your initial pitch, showing how relevant the topic might be to them based on their recent articles.

5. Respond as timely as humanly possible. If a journalist responds to your pitch with a question or requesting more information, then it’s a no-brainer that you need to respond to them in a timely manner. You’ve reached out to them, pitching them information, so it’s necessary that you provide them with any information they’re requesting in a follow up.

6. Keep your promises. There are very few things worse than promising something to a journalist, then not being able to deliver on what you originally offered. It’s a sure-fire way to ruin or hinder your relationship with that journalist, and is simply not best practice for ethical media relations.

7. Make resources like HAROs and ProfNets one of your daily best friends. Resources like HAROs and ProfNets provide PR professionals with a great way to be on the lookout for potential media opportunities for clients. The best way to make the most out of these resources is to monitor them as soon as they are delivered to your email inbox because they typically have a deadline quickly approaching.

8. It’s all about relationship building. Be sure to develop and maintain your relationship with a journalist just as you would with any professional. In addition to keeping up to date with their recently published work, consider arranging brief meetings or dropping off hard copies of important upcoming releases.

9. Share any images you may have. Visual elements are great for storytelling and can really accentuate your pitch or news. Providing images with your pitches can provide substance to your pitch and visual insight into the topic you’re pitching.

10. Put yourself in their shoes. Always think about how you’re pitching from the journalist’s standpoint. Be cognizant if the journalist might be on a daily deadline or in a different time zone when you’re making follow up pitching calls. Bottom line – just be respectful. 

She can be reached at christy.goodman@wordwritepr.com and on Twitter @christylgoodman.