The PUBLICS MEDIA RELATIONS

The focus Reach out to the media

Media Relations Component 5/8/2018 Media Relations Component Getting Started: Next Level Media Relations includes: Communications Plan Media Tool Kit Media Relationships

Communications Plan Includes a yearly timeline of events for media outreach (pitching) The pitch to media must be timely and relevant Pitching is best one week before the event, with follow up conducted throughout the week

Media Tool Kit Still photographs News releases Video news release Brochures Background papers Fact sheets Souvenir Biographies of key management staff CDs, DVDs of recorded events Recent publications

Media Relations Value Gets your message out Relatively cheap Builds trust about your brand Creates buzz Builds visibility Attracts interest from funders, parents, volunteers, etc.

Introductory Perspectives The Internet has forever changed the public relations practice of dealing with the media. This is due largely to consumer-generated media. The good old days of conventional media, dominated by a few networks and truth-minded reporters, are a relic of the past. Today’s media is fragmented, omnipresent, and run by journalists who may be aggressive and opinionated. Competition has driven many journalists to compromise traditional standards of truth and objectivity.

Objectivity in the media Whether the mass media have lost relative influence to the internet and its various vehicles, the fact remains that securing positive publicity through the media still lies at the heart of public relations practice. Why attract publicity? The answer is that publicity is regarded as more credible than advertising, to attract positive publicity requires establishing a good working relationship with the media.

Objectivity in the media This is , of course, easier said than done. In the 21 century faced with intense competition from on air and online journalists, print reporters are by and large more aggressive. They are also decidedly less objective. The relationship between the media and the establishment , that is public relations people should be one of friendly adversaries rather than enemies…

Objectivity in the media Securing positive publicity through media defines the public relations practice. Objectivity is the traditional goal of journalism: fairness and neutrality in reporting the news. Public relations always represents a client, organization or point of view. Both sides should consider themselves to be friendly adversaries, not bitter enemies.

Now it’s your turn… Do you believe that the media can ever be truly objective? Why or why not? What are the barriers?

Why don’t the executives get it? Many of them fail to understand that: The reporter wants the story, whether it’s bad or good. Organizations want to present things in the best light. That’s why many executives distrust the media and consider journalists to be the enemy.

Print: number-one medium In the Internet age, how can this be? Newspapers and magazines still use news releases. Newspaper circulation has fallen, yet major newspapers are still powerful. Newspapers dominate the nation’s news schedule and are picked up by bloggers and Internet users.

Electronic media: a new dominance In the early 21st century, more and more Americans turned to cable TV for daily news. 24/7 cable news forces world events into one chaotic, continuous loop. Specialized cable channels offer everything from food and fashion, to weather and history. Talk radio is a massive social and political force. Satellite radio, despite its slow start, is on its way.

The Internet factor Love it or hate it, the Internet has ushered in a new age of journalistic reporting. Newspaper Web sites are increasing in popularity, and many online news staffs are growing. Online news sites are providing fresh news targets for public relations practitioners.

The Internet factor… Blogs have sprung up in all shapes, sizes and pedigrees. Reporters and bloggers use them 24/7. Regardless of the medium, the key to success still lies in fairness and respect on both sides.

The Internet factor… The point is that internet reporters and bloggers from every political bias and ulterior motive remain busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, churning out continuous stories-some true, others not- about companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and prominent individuals.

The Internet factor… The challenge for public relations professionals in dealing with print, electronic, or online commentators is to foster a closer relationship between their organizations and those who present the news. The key, once again is fairness, with each side accepting and respecting- the other’s role and responsibility.

The Internet factor… Need more proof of the Internet’s media power? Visit this website: www.drudgereport.com

Dealing with the media It falls on public relations professionals to orchestrate the relationship between their organizations and the media, whether printed , electronic , or internet based. To be sure, the media cant ordinarily be manipulated ( and they hate it if you try!). They can , however, be engaged in an honest and interactive way to convey the organization’s point of view in a manner that may merit being reported.

Dealing with the media First : an organization must establish a formal media relations policy Second : an organization must establish a philosophy for dealing with the media

Dealing with the media You must orchestrate relationships between your organization and the media. Always remember: A reporter is a reporter. You are the organization. There is no standard reporter. Treat journalists professionally. Don’t sweat the skepticism. Don’t “buy” a journalist. Become a trusted source. Talk when not “selling.” Don’t expect “news” agreement. Don’t cop an attitude. Never lie. Read the paper!

Dealing with the media A reporter is a reporter: a reporter is never “off duty” . Anything you say to a journalist is fair game to be reported. Remember that and never let down your guard, no matter how friendly you are. You are the organization: in old days, reporters disdained talking to public relations representatives who they labeled “ flacks”. today the opposite is true

Dealing with the media The public relations person represents the policy of an organization. He or she is quoted by name and interviewed on camera, so every word out of the public relations professional’s mouth should be carefully weighted in advance. There is no standard issue reporter: the sad fact is that many business managers want nothing to do with the press. They believe them to be Villains!!

Dealing with the media Treat journalists professionally: as long as they understand that your job is different than theirs and treat you with difference, you should do, likewise. The journalist’s job is to get a story, whether good or bad. A public relations person’s job is to present the organization in the best light.

Dealing with the media Don’t sweat the skepticism : journalists aren’t paid to ask nice questions. They are paid to be skeptical. “ Bad news” is news, while “ good news” isn’t usually news. Don’t try to buy a journalist: never try to threaten a journalist with advertising, the line between news and advertising should be a clear one.

Dealing with the media Become a trusted source: journalists can’t be bought, but they can be persuaded by your becoming a source of information for them. A reporter’s job is to report what’s going on. Talk when not selling: becoming a source means sharing information with journalists, even when it has nothing to do with your company, reporters need leads and story ideas. If you supply them , a positive relationship will follow.

Dealing with the media Don’t expect news agreement: a reporter’s view of news and an organization’s view of news will differ. Don’t complain if a story doesn’t make it into publication. Sometimes there is no logical reason, so never promise an executive that a story will “ definitely make the paper”

Dealing with the media Don’t cop atitude : don’t have an attitude with reporters, they need the information that you possess. Although reporters vary in look and type, they all share one trait: they remember. Never Lie: never lie to a reporter or that reporter will never trust you again.

Dealing with the media Read the paper : the number one criticism of public relations people by journalists is that they often don’t have any idea what the journalist writes, comments or blogs about.

Attracting publicity Publicity , through news releases , mostly via email and other methods, is more powerful than advertising. Publicity is most often gained by dealing directly with the media, either by initiating the communication or by reacting to inquiries. Although most people , especially CEOs, confuse the two, publicity differs from advertising.

Attracting publicity Why do so many people confuse publicity with advertising? The two are vastly different. Advertising: is a paid message prepared by a sponsor. enables you to control size, content, location, reach and frequency. Publicity: costs only staff time and effort – about 10% of advertising. is far more credible than advertising.

Attracting publicity The benefits of paid advertising include the following communications areas that can be guaranteed: Content : what is said and how it is portrayed and illustrated. Size : how large a space is devoted to the organization Location : where in the paper the ad will appear

Attracting publicity Reach : the audience exposed to the ad – that’s , the number of papers in which the ad appears Frequency : how many times the ad is run. Frequency is extremely important , today with 500 cable and broadcast television channels, thousands of newspapers and magazines and millions more internet sites, people often skip over or surf by the ads or commercials

Value of publicity For any organization, publicity makes great sense for: Announcing a new product or service Re-energizing an old product Explaining a complicated product Projects with little or no budget Enhancing the organization’s reputation Crisis response

Value of publicity Announcing a new product or service: because publicity can be regarded as news, it should be used before advertising commences. A new product or service is news only once. Once advertising appears, the product is no longer news, therefore, one inflexible rule , that most organizations don’t follow is that publicity should always precede advertising.

Value of publicity Reenergizing an old product: when a product has been around for a while, its difficult to make people pay attention to advertising. Explaining a complicated product: Often there isn’t enough room in an advertisement to explain a complex product or service. Insurance companies, banks and mutual funds, may find advertising space too limiting, publicity allows enough room to tell the story

Value of publicity Little or no budget: to make an impact, advertising requires frequency- the constant repetition of ads so that readers eventually see them and acknowledge the product. Enhancing the organization’s reputation: advertising is , at its base, self serving. When a company gives to a charity or does a good deed in the community, talking out an ad is the wrong way to communicate its efforts

Value of publicity Crisis response: in a crisis , publicity techniques are the fastest and the most credible means of response. Indeed, in the 21 century, it has become a cliché for celebrities to apologize for transgressions by seeking out a high- profile Tv interviewer for instant publicity

Pitching publicity The activity of trying to place positive publicity in a periodical, on a news site, or in the electronic media- of converting publicity to news- is called pitching The following hints may help achieve placement of a written release.

Pitching publicity When you call, do your own calling. Know deadlines. Don’t send clips of other stories about your client. Develop a relationship. Never lie! Know deadlines. Generally, write first. Direct the release to a specific person or editor. Determine how the reporter prefers contact. Don’t badger. Use exclusives with care.

Pitching publicity Know deadlines: time governs every newspaper. Even with the flexibility of the computer, newspaper have different deadlines for different sections of the paper. Generally write first, then call: reporters are barraged with deadlines, they are busiest close to deadline time, which is later afternoon for morning newspaper and early afternoon for local television news

Pitching publicity Direct the release to a specific person or editor: newspaper are divided into departments: business, sports, style , entertainment and so on. Determine how the reporter wants to be contacted: methods include email, mail, fax, paper, and so on. Treat the reporter as clients. How he or she prefers to get the news should guide how you deliver it.

Pitching publicity Don’t Badger: journalists are generally independent about the copy they use, even a major advertiser will usually fail to get a piece of puffery published. Use exclusives, but be careful: reporters are credited for getting scoops and citing trends, so public relations people might promise exclusive stories to particular publications

Pitching publicity When you call, do your own calling: reporters and editors generally don’t have assistants. Most recent being kept waiting by a secretary calling for the boss. Public relations professionals should make their own initial and follow up calls. Don’t send clips of others stories about your client: rather than interesting a journalist in your story, this will suggest that others have been there already and make the story potential less attractive

Pitching publicity Develop a relationship: relationships are the name of the game. The better you know a reporter, the more understanding and accommodating to your organization he or she will be Never lie: this is the cardinal rule.

Online publicity With online outlets increasing in numbers and use, it is important to consider how to secure online publicity. While those predicted that the internet would change, public relations thinking forever are wrong, it’s still a “relationship business”. Seeking internet outlets for publicity is an important complement to publicity in more traditional media.

And remember, it’s the same as with print media: Online publicity Online media work is still a “relationship business.” Here are eight key online publicity vehicles: News releases Headlines Announcements Links Newsletters Libraries Public appearances Promotions News wires Events And remember, it’s the same as with print media: The closer you are to online reporters, the more fairly they will treat you.

Online publicity News releases: what else? The news release forms the backbone of all publicity, and that applies as well to online efforts. The release is the document that lets the media know what might merit coverage. Headlines: pay special attention to headlines. Internet readers in a hurry, that is journalists, see a headline and assess whether the subsequent story is worth reading

Online publicity Announcements : an announcement is posted to online discussion groups, including usenet newsgroups, internet mailing lists, forums on commercial, online services and discussion threads built into web sites. Links : links are vehicles that transport readers to websites. On a surface, a link is an image or a word that once clicked, retrieves a file for the reader, when the link is activated , a new website appears on screen

Online publicity Links are important publicity vehicles in that they immediately and automatically deliver the audience to a website being promoted. Newsletters: newsletters are used to keep audiences updated on new products, services, issues or events. Newsletter are easy and cheap to set up online. They also provide a continuing point of contact with key publics through automatic email delivery

Online publicity Libraries : the ability of the web to cheaply store vast quantities of information online is a clear advantage over print. Public appearances: online chat sessions can be the equivalent of offline press conferences or public forums. Chats allow special guests to entertain questions from online audiences in a real time format.

Online publicity Promotions : coupons, quizzes, surveys are often tied to other online activities , such as the launch of a new website or a major web event. New wires : the most important releases are those carried on the news wires , all these paid wires offer services to enhance web use, including search engine and social media tags to encourage online sharing….

Online publicity Events : staging events is another way to draw reporters and other publics online , popular events include movie sneak previews, concerts broadcast online, candidate debates. The internet has become a more common place communication vehicle .

Handling media interviews Another primary task for PR professionals is to coordinate media interviews for their executives. Abide by these 11 “do’s and don'ts:” Prepare. Know your lines. Relax. Speak in personal terms. Welcome the naïve question. Answer questions briefly and directly. Don’t bluff. State facts and back up generalities. There is no such thing as “off the record.” Don’t say “no comment.” Tell the truth.

Handling media interviews Prepare: an interviewee must be thoroughly briefed either verbally or in writing, before the interview, know the interviewer’s point of view, interests and likely questions. Preparation is the key Know your lines: know what you will say before you begin the interview, this is the most important thing you remember in any interview

Handling media interviews Relax : remember that the interviewer is a person, too, and is just trying to do a good job, building rapport will help the interview. Even though a media interview isn’t a conversation . Speak in personal terms: people distrust large organizations . References to the company and we believe sound ominous. Use “I” as much as possible

Handling media interviews Welcome the naive question: if the question sounds simple, it should be answered anyway. It maybe helpful to those who don’t possess much knowledge of the organization Answer questions briefly and directly: don’t ramble. Be brief , concise and to the point especially on television Don’t bluff: if a reporter asks a questions that you cant answer, admit it . If there are others

Handling media interviews In the organization more knowledgeable about a particular issue, the interviewee should point that out and get the answer from them State facts and back up generalities: facts and examples always bolster an interview. Don’t say no comment: no comment sounds evasive and suggests to people you are hiding something or worse

Handling media interviews Tell the truth : it sounds like a broken record, but telling the truth is the key criterion, journalists are generally perceptive, they can detect a fraud. There is no such thing as “ off the record” : a person who doesn’t want to see something in print shouldn’t say it, its that simple.

Media relations tactics Media visits ** Establishes rapport ** Learn their priorities ** Pitch specific topics ** Have a media list

Media relations tactics Power of the news release ** Regular distribution (“News Release of the Month”) ** Employee announcements Releases could be business features, consumer service features, financial features, product features, pictorial features, PSA

Media relations tactics Letters to the editor Visits to editorial board

Special tactics Special programs, sponsorships, personalities Unique twist on an on-going program Be prepared with information

Tactics to use sparingly News conferences “Exclusives”

Organizing Press/News Conferences This is a structured opportunity to release important news simultaneously to the media Plan the event carefully Prepare executives and others to be interviewed Coordinate the meeting with PR Practitioners serving as directors and stage managers

the Video News Release [VNRs] VNR is a short news package from the organizational viewpoint of not more than 90 seconds They could be used as part of the media kit, uploaded to the website of the organization or used as satellite press conference.

Crisis communications Special application of media relations by using the media to strengthen and preserve the organization reputation when threatened. Crisis could be anticipated or prevented or sudden Always develop a crisis plan ahead of time Follow some of these guide …

Crisis communication guide Put the public interest first especially the needs of those directly concerned Take responsibility for correcting the situation Be open to all stakeholders Designate spokesperson to manage communication with all stakeholders Establish a central media/information center Respond to all media enquiries promptly to minimize incidence of rumours To minimize rumors, try…

Managing rumors Strive to increase and maintain trust and credibility Keep audiences regularly informed through various communication channels Tailor each message to suit the needs of the receiving audience Establish an ongoing rumor hotline and other two-way communication system Monitor possible effects of rumors so as to intervene early enough to manage such effects

Exercise You’ve just been assigned to pitch the upcoming college campus tour of a progressive rock band. What would you need to know to pitch them? Where would you pitch the band? How would you handle interviews and news conferences? Organize a Press Conference to announce that CMD 227 Class will be off the course schedule for the next 6 semesters

Summing it all up…… A good portion of journalists will always regard public relations practitioners with suspicion. Yet, the role of public relations practitioners has become more respected by journalists. The key to productive media relationships is professionalism and respect for the role and practice of journalism.