In Media Relations 250, we learnt that PR needs media in order to operate properly.
In my internship, one of my tasks every now and then was speaking to the media. Mostly calling the media to pitch for an upcoming event and see whether or not they'll be attending and then after the event, calling them to ask whether they will publish the press release regarding the event.
PR relies on publicity, so for instance if a product is being launched and there's an event to celebrate if the media doesn't publish releases on different portals, there will be low awareness on it.
Dealing with the media is not an easy task, but you don't need to be an expert to get by. People from the media are very very busy, they are constantly asked to attend this event or that event and also pushed by PR people to publish this and that. Therefore they can be arrogant and at times not too pleasant to speak to. Sometimes I had to call 60 different media a day to pitch and they don't really take calls all the time, so you have to constantly try your luck till the person finally picks up the phone and gives you a chance to pitch, and then only if they are free, and the event interests them, they will attend. and afterwards you'll need to call to follow up on when they will be publishing the release.
Few tips that I practiced on the media and worked well,
1. Whether or not you know them, give them a very warm greeting.
2. Do not waste their time and your time, go straight to the point.
3. Know your client, product or whatever you are pitching about, because you never know what questions they will ask.
Media calls is the least favorite task for many, but I found it quite fun, and a memorable moment was when I was recognized in the event I went for just by my voice by the media. The topic brought a good conversation afterwards and I made good relations with them, in case I'll have to contact them again, which will be in the near future.
3 comments:
How long after the event do you wait to call the media? I read, today actually on PR Daily, that you are meant to wait three days (they were comparing it to the cliches of dating). So I was just curious about what your placement organisation does.
That sounds really good, although I'd definitely get nervous calling the media, especially when they are impatient and short tempered. I can see where Media Relations 250 comes into play, that unit taught us really well to be short and concise and just give the information that the media wants to hear.
Do you ever pitch to bloggers? I found during an internship (not relevant to this unit) with Perth Fashion Festival that there was a heavy focus on bloggers. Of course the main media is a priority above the bloggers, but at PFF we relied on bloggers with large followings to write a good story, so we made sure that they were treated well and given good seats at the fashion shows.
In the organisation for which i work, we are not required to pitch for events because the job of sending invitations to journalists is outsourced to a consultancy. However, we do ensure the follow-up at the end of events and i can tell this is a time consuming process.
The key, like you said, is to find the right arguments to obtain the coverage you want.This is particularly true when the event you have been asked to organise was not newsworthy but your boss or employees outside the communication department insisted on carrying on with it. In such case, from what i have learnt in my internship, the first step is to be honest with your boss and tell him that since the event is not newsworthy, there will always be a risk that it does not receive coverage. The next step will then be to take advantage of the relationships you have worked at establishing with journalists.
In Media Relations 250, we were told that the PR practitioners helped the journalists and vice-versa and after having dealt with these journalists for years or months in our case , it is quite common to ask for some help in the form of a short coverage to satisfy the client or boss. Of course, some might refuse but others could be willing to help you out. It is all about trying your luck.
Finally, to answer Tansy McKehnie, at work we usually wait three days before calling the media so I think it must be the normal range.
Yeah I think three days would be a great timing. It gives them think to catch up with other stuffs and get back to you. Media relations is a deep knowledge. One mistake you can make the media hate you. So the media relations must handle with care. I also got the chance to speak with media during the festive visit. They were so friendly!
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