As a professional videographer, I totally get it: Not every business wants to pay a professional to create videos. Some businesses are small, and have limited budgets. But none of that should be an...
There are two kinds of organizations today when it comes to media relations and communications. Here's how to recognize each one:1) Organizations stuck in the 1980s:They consider the press release the major tool to...
Leveraging media can be a powerful and effective tool for organizations to get their message out to large audiences. But the media landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Bird Studies Canada hired WorkCabin...
One of the biggest complaints I hear from organizations dealing with media is the beef that they are frequently misquoted. While this does occur, my personal experience is that many organization spokespeople are often so unprepared when media comes calling that they ramble and forget what they said. Hence, the common belief that they were misquoted because they don’t recall saying something in that way.
Holding a media conference immediately sounds cools. And, hey, it seems so simple. Announce a date, time and invite the media. But I've attended many poorly staged events over the years, and listened to...
There are a ton of differences between reporters in small and large markets. Here are the nuts-and-bolts quickie differences:
Every organization and business needs a plan to handle media phone calls. These are the procedures you have in place to ensure only the appropriate people are commenting, and that such discussions are controlled at your end to the best extent possible, not vice versa.
Media can put your organization before a large audience. You want to handle such opportunities efficiently and professionally.
Here are four key points:
Reporters and editors always filter items before considering whether or not they are newsworthy. Just because you think something is newsworthy, it doesn’t mean media will think the same.
To achieve better results with media, it is essential that you learn to think like a journalist and editor.
Here are some key considerations:
Planning to telephone a reporter? Here are 5 opening lines to avoid (unless your plan is to be like a pit bull from the beginning!):
1. It must’ve been a slow news day! This one really raises the hairs on any reporter’s neck. There are very few “slow” news days. Most reporters or editors put potential stories through a vigorous analysis before they are tackled. If anything, dramatic staff cutbacks are seriously impacting how much a newsroom can cover on any one day.
It’s a common pitfall made by many organizations and businesses. What is it? It’s having no media relations guide. Instead, dealing with media is left to a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach. That’s risky. Especially, when your organization’s reputation is on the line every time a media outlet reports on it.
A media relations guide, customized to your organization, is an essential marketing tool. It becomes your template for all future dealings with media. It will also arm you with tactics and strategies to maximize opportunities to promote your organization or business and manage your reputation and public profile.
4 reasons your organization needs a media relations guide: