How Not To Get Whacked By Journalists
By Paramjit Mahli Journalists have an online game called Whack a Flack where they get to pelt cartoon character public relations professionals with pointy paper airplanes made out of bad press releases. Having worked extensively on both sides of the communications borderprint and broadcast journalism and then making the transition into financial public relationsI have experienced public relations professionals of all kinds, including the whacked. Some have helped me enormously, particularly when I was crashing with deadlines due to breaking news; others have provided me, in a timely manner, with much needed background information for interviews. Seasoned professionals have made themselves immediately available by acknowledging they were unable to help with a current story. Then there are those in PR who are just plain annoying. I used to thinkduring my live TV days at CNNWhat is their objective? Getting to speak to me, or pitching a story? I think for many, it was the former. If they didnt have their pitch down in 20 seconds, they lost me and got whacked! For many, I never returned calls. Nothing personal, I just didnt have time to return all of them; if I had, I would have missed my deadlines and been out of a job! Here are some basic rules for how not to become a public relations flack thats whacked! 1. Reporter Calls. Always return them; if your firm or partners dont want to respond to the question, say so right away so that the reporter can move to his/her next source. As a rule of thumb, ask when the deadline is and if you have the information that they need respond as soon as possible. The sooner the better. Guaranteed, if you do this reporters will come back to you when working on other stories. 2. Do familiarize yourself with the reporters area of expertise. This is often the most annoying pet peeve for reporters. They expect you to do your homework. Find out what they cover, when their deadlines are and their contact details. Dont phone them to get their email address or telephone number. If they work in broadcast, find out good times to phone. If you are in-house, Bacons, Vocus, Factivia, and Mediamap all have resources that will provide you with the answers. 3. Become a source for reporters. Help them with the stories that they are working on. Theyre always looking for the latest information. Stay up-to-date on industry/sector-related developments and provide articles, reports and access to sources. That way a relationship is built which will pay dividends in the long run. 4. Dont send reporters goodies that dont cut it. Making luncheon appointments for getting to know you wont do the trick, unless youre making the appointment for lawyers who are spokespersons for the firm or a big case that may be newsworthy. Better to attend trade-related events and introduce yourself. Alternatively, extend an invitation to an event your firm is putting together. 5. Reporters can be trusted. A large majority of them are trying to find all the facts of a story so that they present a balanced view. Your perspective may not be theirs, but with few exceptions all of them are working on tight deadlines trying to get all the facts. Reporters cover news; if your press release is timely and newsworthy, and sent to the appropriate reporter, chances are the reporter will contact you. 6. Mergers or changing offices is NOT news. Highlight events like these in your client newsletter but dont send a press release to a reporter. It will diminish the respect the reporter has for you as a professional. 7. Dont send releases to all the reporters at a media outlet. If more than one ends up working on the story theyll be thoroughly annoyed! As a rule of thumb dont send the press release to more than one reporter or editor. For national television, send releases to the guest booker, producer and reporter who specialize in that area. 8. Dont get snotty just because a reporter that contacts you works for a daily with a small circulation. Remember, this person will be there tomorrow and could end up as the editor. Its all about relationship building. Also remember that in this day and age nothing is local! You really dont know who will research from where and what results will pop up. I have conducted several searches before interviews and Ive been Googled by interviewees. 9. If a reporter does catch you off-guard, dont become hostile. Ask for a half hour or so to prepare information and to get the appropriate lawyers to answer questions. 10. Finally, in a global economy make certain that you have an online newsroom on your Web site. Reporters will look your firm up on the Web; if theres no media relations contact person listed, it will turn them off. On a basic level, make sure you have complete contact details, current press releases (test to see that all the archived releases are available), the firms profile, bios of executives and facts and figures (i.e., how many employees work for the firm). Dont confuse public relations with advertising. For lawyers, this is definitely hard; they are creatures of habit and like to be in control. In media relations you dont control the story, or the interview and facts. If you did, that would be advertising. Still, with good media planning you can manage the message that is reaching your target constituents in a successful way. Remember, good media relations isn’t simply good for the media, it’s good for you, too. A productive relationship with the news media means more free publicity for you and more even-handed reporting of the issues that directly affect the firm, and youll avoid being whacked. Paramjit Mahli of Sun Communications Group. Paramjit is a former journalist who has worked with international news organizations including CNN Business News, and now helps small to mid-sized law firms get in front of their target markets effectively, efficiently, and expeditiously. Her job is to let the lawyers do what they do best practice law while she takes care of their communications and marketing programs. Contact details: pmahli@suncommunicationsgroup.com http://www.suncommunicationsgroup.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paramjit_Mahli http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Not-To-Get-Whacked-By-Journalists&id=497249 ambien ambiem genuine zolpidem titrate ambien 90 ambien discount
