Securing a solid relationship with the media is a crucial part of working in the PR industry. Establishing these strong connections can set you apart and secure your spot as the go-to publicist within your area of expertise. Here are a few tips on how you can establish a good relationship with the media today...
Know the ins & outs of who you are reaching out to. Study their position, title and how they fit into the media landscape. It’s key to pitch the appropriate person and to make sure your story matches their beat. As a publicist, you wouldn’t want someone coming to ask you to service a car when thats not what you do, right?
Only pitch to an editor if you have knowledge that's of legitimate value. As important as it is to know who you are pitching, its also important to know what you are pitching. Know the ins and outs of your material to land the story your client is looking for.
Send personalized emails. Your email communication should be unique to each person you’re reaching out to. It heps to highlight their past work or find something you both have in common. If your email looks like it was sent by a bot, it will most likely get ignored.
Reach out on Social Media. The level of accessibility that social media offers is unprecedented. Social media allows us to stay up to date on individual interests and openes the door to new ways of an authentic interaction. Keep your social media engagements with the media genuine, regardless of the topic, if you want to build strong relationships that go beyond business.
Follow up with them respectfully. Add information to your follow-up that reinforces you’re pitching a worthy opportunity for their outlet. Also, there is no one size fits all approach to follow-ups. Once you know who you are talking to, you’ll understand how they prefer to be contacted. Like any good relationship- it’s important to listen to their needs.
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