By Tyra Haag

Engaging the media in an appropriate way leads to a stronger working relationship—not to mention gaining fair and positive coverage from time to time.  In the constantly evolving media landscape, being a media relations pro means more than just knowing how to write a good news release.  Here are a few insights I’ve learned along the way.

-Listen to what they want:

• If one media outlet prefers harder news, don’t bother them with purely feature-oriented material. 
• The most courteous question to ask a reporter, assignment editor or news director is when to contact them—i.e. day of the week, time of day, etc. Daily morning and afternoon meetings are always set in stone, so find out what times those occur so that you can avoid contacting them at an inopportune time.
• Several media folks rely on news releases and advisories sent via e-mail. Long gone are the days of faxing a release (although most outlets still allow you to communicate this way). Most also prefer that a release be sent in the body of the e-mail rather than as an attachment to avoid your message getting spammed.
• Keep releases one to two pages in length and advisories to a page or less.  Create a substantive “hook” for the subject line and make the first paragraph interesting enough to keep them reading.  Editors receive hundreds (or more) announcements, pitches, news releases and advisories a day. Make yours grab their attention.

-Find out what frustrates them:

• Nothing seems to aggravate newsroom professionals more than a product placement disguised as a news pitch. Advertorials and news releases don’t mix, so don’t confuse the two.  Also, include a human element to your pitch or release when possible.
• Show sensitivity to media outlets’ competitive concerns relative to other media. Don’t expect the media to care about you or your clients if you aren’t even familiar enough with who they are as a news organization and what kinds of audiences they specifically serve.
• Admit if you’ve made a mistake and move on—no sense in dwelling on what might have been.
• Any media outlet’s goal is to cover news and generate content that their own audiences will find of keen interest, so if your story isn’t newsworthy, don’t expect them to cover it.
• Avoid asking for too much during “sweeps” months—lunch date, station tour, etc.

-Do your homework:

• Get on the radar screen of reporters who cover the “beats” or topics from which your clients have their own stories to tell.
• Don’t blindly e-mail blast releases.  Make well thought-out pitches and send news releases and advisories to the appropriate contact; otherwise, get ready to be “blocked” from their e-mail list or risk your message getting deleted immediately without even being opened.
• If an organization is hosting a “Media Training,” make every effort to attend. These forums provide a great way to gain knowledge directly from the source and meet the expert panelists.

Productive media relations require give and take – and it’s critical to take that process seriously. Be sure to check out next week’s blog post for more tips on what works in media relations.