How to Handle Media When Dealing in Public Relations

PublicRelations (PR) industry and media share a symbiotic relationship which is complex and multifaceted. The media play a significant role for a major part of PublicRelation business. The PR practitioners strive to get their stories and reports published in the newspapers, other publications and printed subjects. The absence of media in PR industry would hamper the most important mode of communication between public and PR industry, which is not in the favour of PRindustry and their brand value.

If you are a PR practitioner and understand the importance of media in your field’s progression, you would be glad to get your hands on some tips to deal/handle media.

Tips on Dealing with the Media

Reverting quickly is an important activity: If you have been able to contact some media professional for marketing your PR activities, you should try to build a strong relationship with the. This will help you to have a long association with them, and you can contact them for future references as well. If a media professional has put forward his or her queries in front of, ensure that you reply to it at the earliest. A little negligence or delay from your end may decrease their rate of response to your assignments or deals, affecting your business.

Be accessible: Reporters, writers and journalists may require your inputs or quotes in their articles. They would obviously prefer those people who are easy to talk to and are easily approachable. So be open to them and try to put as many efforts as you can.

Be a helpful hand: The reporter or writer who may be covering your story may have a deadline for it given by his or her head so try to comply with their targets. This will complete your task on time as well as you will form a good professional relationship with him or her. Try to coordinate with their free timings and be prompt to their questions and queries. Never let them cover and complete the whole story on their own. Remember that though they are articulating the story or article, but it is you or your organization that will be reaping benefits from it. Provide them a synopsis of the story in written and let them know that you are open to answers their queries.

Minimize their chances of risk: Most reporters prefer to take quotes from those who have been quoted by other reporters in the past. So while, handling new media professional, ensure that you have introduced him or her to your previous publications and past performance records of your organization.  This will help you to gain initial thrust in media. For being covered with recognizable or well-known publications, you may require to start with some ambiguous publications, but these can be used as past references to build relation with better publications and presses.

Keep follow-up with the reporter or writer and ask them to provide the newspaper, URL or magazine which has your article. After you have dealt with a reporter, add them to your contact database and inform them from time-to-time about your new achievements.