One of the questions I get asked all the time is, do you need to have established media relationships in order to secure coverage? The answer is no – but it is a little nuanced, because having relationships with the media can certainly help generate opportunities.
It’s important to know that journalists have and always will have a journalistic imperative of delivering interesting and well-balanced stories to their readers. So simply having a relationship doesn’t automatically guarantee that you’ll get any old story across the line – because it still has to be interesting, timely and relevant to their audience. However, having an established relationship with a journalist can do a few things:
- Ensure they take your call or read your email.
Journalists get hundreds of pitch emails every single day. One of the ways to break through the clutter is for them to simply know who you are, and of course trusting that you have a good story to share.
- Encourage them to pitch your story to their Editor.
Depending on the outlet or medium, it may not just be the journalist that you need to win over with your story idea. They may then need to pitch the story to their Editor or Producer. If you have a relationship with the journalist, they may be more inclined to push your story, provided its newsworthy.
- They might be willing to workshop your story.
If you have a working relationship with a journalist, they may be more inclined to provide constructive feedback on your story, in order to help make it newsworthy, or identify an angle that you may not necessarily have thought of.
- They’ll consider you when a relevant reactive opportunity arises.
Effective media relations is not just about the proactive. You can also garner significant reactive opportunities by having relationships with relevant people, making yourself available when needed, being a resource who provides useful information and of course, being easy to work with. Having an established relationship ensures that you’re top of mind with key media.
So, to answer the question – do you need to have relationships with the media to secure coverage? The simple answer is no, but they most certainly do help!
Be sure to check back in next week where we’ll explore how to go about building relationships with the media.
And if you want to learn more about effective media relations and drumming up publicity for your business or brand, then check out our Mastering the Art of Media Relations manual which covers all that and more!