FEATURE STORY
"I See Your Name Everywhere!" Grow your business by building good media relations
competition is high. The truth is, learning to leverage the power of the media can help you stand out from the competition without expending your resources. If you are new or inexperienced in dealing with editors or reporters, you might feel intimidated. But there’s absolutely no reason to believe you must have superpowers or be famous in order to approach the media.
A People interview people they like. If you can develop a good
rapport up front, that’s half the battle. Media professionals, like everyone else, gravitate toward someone they enjoy talking with. You can adopt strategies that will cause interviewers to come back to you time after time.
First and most important, be respectful of the reporter's or editor’s time. Deadlines are 24/7 these days, and you are one of many people approaching the media with articles, ideas and pitches. Media professionals are among the most overtaxed and pressured people you will ever meet. If you have initiated the contact, your first question should be, “Are you on deadline?” If they say “Yes,” never sabotage the relationship by forging ahead anyway. If they are on deadline, ask, "When would be a better time to call you?" No need to risk alienating or annoying them. You can always call back.
You don't want to be someone reporters interview once and never want to again. Here are a few ideas to help you relax and make sure editors and reporters accept your articles, book you as a guest on shows or interview you for pieces they are writing or videotaping.
let them know when you enjoy something they have written. Comment on something specific. Watch the TV broadcast or the talk show. Read the magazine, newspaper or blog. Listen to the radio show or podcast. Familiarize yourself with the content. Look at the ads to see what audience the advertisers are targeting.
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Once you become familiar with the audience, you will understand what the audience wants. This will allow you to tailor your
Become familiar with the journalists you would like to cultivate relationships with. Follow their work, and
s a business owner, you’ve probably heard media exposure can greatly help your company, especially during tough economic times when marketing budgets are low and
content, making it more valuable to the reporter or editor. Providing great content is the best way to motivate reporters to contact you in the future! Another good way to target your material correctly is to ask the reporter or interviewer if there is anything else you need to know to better understand his or her audiences. That way you can fashion the content of your remarks as you prepare for an interview or, if you are writing an article, you can strike the appropriate tone.
Reporters, editors and talk-show hosts will respect you for the extra effort you make to ensure your ideas are valuable to their readers, listeners or audiences.
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Be observant during conversations and pick up personal details. If the reporter is heading out the door to pick up
children from soccer, make a note of it. Remember to ask about the children's progress next time you call. Also, be on the lookout for items of interest to a soccer parent. You can email or mail the reporter a parenting article about involvement in children's sporting activities, for example. This costs nothing, and therefore there will be no breach of ethics on the reporter’s part to accept it. At the same time, he or she will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Reporters and editors often spend most of their time in the world of ideas. They like to think and talk about
challenging ideas. When you are engaged in conversation, remember to bring up the topic they like to talk about. In a similar vein, if you see a subject come up in the news you know will interest a reporter with whom you are developing a relationship, copy and send it to him.
Don't let months pass without contact. Send birthday or holiday cards to keep the relationship going. If you
stumble across an event or idea related to an area of the reporter or editor’s interest, call and leave them a quick voicemail about it. They will get the message that you are thinking about them as people, not just using them for your own narrow purposes.
The goal is relationship building. If the reporter or editor you would like to get to know is local, you can drop by the office (with appropriate notice), suggest coffee or even invite him or her to lunch. And when you do this, be sincere about it. Treat the reporter as you would any other friend or acquaintance you truly
12 DECEMBER 2010 | HOUSTON BUILDER | GREATER HOUSTON BUILDERS ASSOCIATION – BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
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