MEDIA RELATIONS FOR SUCCESS

The challenges of liaising with the media are in knowing what the media want, and in helping them to present images, ideas and information accurately and fairly. The news media can't be controlled - they have the ultimate control over whether the news angle you put to them is of interest to them, and in turn, to their audience.

Obtaining news media coverage is not easy. There is a lot of competition for the media’s limited space and air time. Therefore, your media relations role is to make the task of covering your issues and your organization as easy and attractive for the media as possible. It is a percentage game: you do the things to maximize the possibility of creating news interest in your issue or organization.

Media Planning

1. Estimate what you can invest in building your media relations programme; time and budget.

2. Set goals.

What are your three main program goals? How can media relations be used to achieve these goals:

• Build awareness.
• Shift opinion.
• Motivate action

3. Define realistic objectives, both output and outcome.

• What do you envision your media work will generate?
• These objectives serve as the measures you’ll track to evaluate your success.

4. Identify three or less primary target audiences.

• Define each group’s connection to each issue or story, what you want them to do, what is important to them, and what they read, watch and listen to.
• Audience definition shapes your key messages and press list.

5.  Tell your story. Pinpoint the key messages you’re trying to communicate.

• Try to distill your message into a 25-word (maximum) statement that will get the point across.  Add supporting messages of one to two sentences each, maximum.
• Make sure these messages are integrated into all of your communications.
• Mixed messages are confusing. Consistency ensures that your points are heard and recognized and likely to be repeated.

6. Build your media database/press list but include no more than 10 to 15 journalists. Identity key media (and that means bloggers and other online writers as well as the traditional media) covering your issues, themes, geographies via these strategies:

• Capture information on reporters who contact or cover your organization (log conversations and emails with media folks so you have this information).
• Find related stories via Google news, noting sources and journalist’s names.
• Exchange media contact lists with your colleague organizations.

7. Read, watch and listen to these media over a month or so to pinpoint your top-ten press list.

8. Identify the best way to get journalists to cover your story.

• Through news releases? Personal visits to reporters? On-air interviews? Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages.

9.  Craft the timetable.

• Consider external events, editorial calendars and date-based news hooks.
• Organize key media outreach efforts chronologically and prioritize, being realistic about what you can accomplish.

10. Define the work plan, and roles and responsibilities.

• Remember, everyone on your staff and your external supporters are communicators. Give them what they need to spread the word directly as well as via media contacts.

11.  Track, measure and fine-tune (ongoing, forever).

• Log all contacts with the media.
• Make the log easily accessible to all. You never know who might have to field an incoming media call.

Best Practice Guidelines

Too often, communicators try to create good news coverage for the sake of creating good news coverage without any real thought about the strategic potential of the news coverage. Instead, best-practice media relations activity involves a clear, strategic link to your organizational mission and goals. Key elements of strategically based media relations are:

• Your media strategy is documented and implemented according to principles agreed between public affairs and senior management.
• A media policy is drawn up with responsibilities, profiles and positioning as defined and agreed between public affairs and senior management.
• Media activity is planned to reach target audiences in direct support of your organizational mission and goals.
• Media contact is broadly divided into proactive (planned) and reactive (opportunistic and defensive) activities.
• Systematic use of consistent messages is made ;
• Spokespersons’ roles are documented, communicated and supported (training, advice, background information).
• There are clear triggers for engagement as part of the issues management/stakeholder relations process.
• Decisions are agreed beforehand on the follow-up activities after media coverage (interview, survey, discussions with key opinion leaders).