Building rapport with journalists.. a challenging but necessary ‘evil’?

As I became more accustomed with email and phone protocol, I was tasked with making media coverage and event follow-up calls to local Malaysian media. Initially I was nervous as I thought back to PR Media 250 classes, where we were reminded time and time again about the importance of forming and nurturing relationships with the media to the benefit of your reputation as a PR professional, having your work covered, and getting in touch with the people in the know-how. So I took these calls as a good starting position to begin forming these bonds; albeit our time in Malaysia was limited, you never know when or where having these contacts could come in handy.

I was off to a bit of a rocky start; I had a huge list of media contacts from both digital and conventional media I needed to reach out to to see if they would be interested in featuring a travel article we prepared for our client Tourism Victoria. Immediately it was clear that my funny Australian accent and inability to speak Bahasa or any form of Chinese was a hindrance. Often I would be palmed off to different departments so that I could become someone else’s ‘issue’, and one call ended with an angry Chinese reporter screaming ‘Learn Chinese!’ before hanging up the phone. At this point I was really regretting taking Japanese lessons instead of Chinese.

Over time however, I came to understand the best way to address people in different media outlets, whether they preferred to have a chat first or get straight into business, and who the best person was to speak to when trying to gain coverage. Some editors even remembered who I was when I called, and their attitudes to publishing and receiving work from us thereafter increased substantially.

Though this ongoing task was often quite draining (numerous rejections, unfriendly responses etc), it was excellent practise for building these necessary relations, but also proved beneficial to myself and GO. I was able to scout new platforms in up and coming blogs through some of the journalists I spoke to, which have since been added to GO's media database as contacts for future media coverage. Coincidentally, I also met one of the journalists I had been speaking with at our Amethyst Restaurant launch. She went on to invite me to a Google Offices tour with her and we have maintained contact since! The foundations that were laid through the phone calls and conversations allowed for easy and enjoyable networking in reality.

The main points I’ve been able to draw from this relationship building with the media is:

-          Be patient. It was more often than not I was trying to get them to cover my story, than them trying to get something from me. They also receive hundreds of these calls and media releases each day, so their response (if any) will seldom be immediate.

-          Stay relevant. A follow-up call or email may be just the prompt they need. Suggest meeting with them to grab a coffee to catch-up, or if your relationship is already somewhat established, to share with them a big scoop. There’s a difference between being helpful and being pesky however, so use your judgement and generally allow a few days after your initial contact before asking for an update on their interest.

-          Become familiar with the rest of the team, not just the editor. I found I was able to reach important and more pertinent sources when I was friendly with the junior stuff and personal assistants. Their willingness to help you will skyrocket if you acknowledge their importance in the team, and they’ll more likely put you through to who you want to be reaching. 

Until next time, everyone!