Media Relations: Best Practices in the New Age Amanda Draxton Mandee Hayes
What we ll cover today The current state of media and where it s headed Storymining best practices Pitching media and influencers Building long-standing relationships Q&A
THE CURRENT STATE OF MEDIA
Newsrooms are shrinking 24-hour news cycle generates constant demand for stories Reporters have less time to be investigative Dependence on PR contacts to provide packaged stories interviews, visuals, video, and customers
A W A L L S T R E E T J O U R N A L E D I T O R H I G H - P R O F I L E R E G U L A T O R O R I N D U S T R Y A S S O C I A T I O N H E A D P O P U L A R B L O G G E R H A S M B A A N D I S M E D I A G O - TO O R L I N K E D I N I N F L U E N C E R A S U P E R - C O N N E C T E D E M P L O Y E E A T O P T W I T T E R F O L L O W E R A V O C A L P R O S P E C T A C R E D I B L E I N D U S T R Y V O I C E A L E A D I N G A C A D E M I C P U B L I S H I N G I N T H E S P A C E she is one of the many people shaping the story.
TV news audience is graying Half of Americans get news digitally
Regional printed paper Localized printed paper Online news source Tribune Apps Tribune Store Trib Nation Blogs Trib U Tribune Alerts Red Eye TribLocal Vivalohoy.com Metromix Video E-editorial TV show Chicago Now smarttech Trib kiosks Blogs Events The Chicago Tribune reaches more people today than in any time in our 150+ year history and only continues to grow. Gerry Kern, executive editor, Chicago Tribune
STORYMINING
Think Story First If you can t explain it simply, you don t understand it well enough. -Albert Einstein
WHAT S NEWS Impact Timeliness Proximity Currency / Spotlight Prominence The Unusual Conflict
WHAT S NOT NEWS Self-serving focus Competitive tit for tat Same, but better Personal motivations Coverage drought Press release
Get there first OUR VIEW MEDIA S VIEW Now, current, WOW It s better than the other guy s Affects lots of real people, useful We need some PR on this Surprise It s our big push for the year Our competitors just got an article on this Entertaining, water cooler conversation Controversial Local
STORYMINING QUESTIONS Tell me more about Has that ever been shared externally? Who else might be sharing a similar story? Do we have someone who can share their personal experience with media? What visual assets exist? What could we create? What s the timing on this?
THE PITCH PROCESS
KEYS TO SECURING A STORY THE STORY LUCK TIMING MEDIA SUCCESS ASSETS EXECUTION MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS
DO SOME DIGGING Know reporter s beats, preferences What stories have they covered recently? Recognize time constraints and deadlines Have a local angle when necessary Make the story easy to understand - Who, What, When, Where and Why
KEEP IT CONCISE Create catchy subject line Email pitch must be short and to the point Personalize the pitch to the reporter you re targeting Keep logos and images out of the pitch Never send attachments unless reporter asks for them Pitch it!
FOLLOW UP Know how and when a reporter wants to be contacted Use the phone yes, make the call Create a bulleted list that outlines your key message points to guide your phone pitching and follow up When you get a reporter on the phone, know what you re talking about, deliver it in less than 30 seconds and offer a next step
PERSISTENCE Be persistent with reporter and internal teams Don t get discouraged Every good story has a home Be willing to tweak the angle Be ready to answer questions or find answers Be available ALWAYS Be polite and patient No means No But find out why
BUILDING LASTING RELATINOSHIPS WITH MEDIA
MEDIA AND PR FOLKS ARE UNLIKELY FRIENDS Don t just call when you need something Make it incredibly easy for them to do their job Meet face to face Follow and engage with them on social media Understand that they can t always cover a story
Q & A
THANK YOU! Please email with additional questions: Amanda Draxton adraxton@webershandwick.com Mandee Hayes mhayes2@webershandwick.com