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Media Outreach These slides will provide you with the tips you need to strengthen your relationship with the press, and maximise your ability to secure high-quality coverage.
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It’s a love-hate thing
Rawaa AbdallaDecember 2009
These slides will provide you with the tips you need to strengthen your relationship with the press, and maximise
your ability to secure high-quality coverage.
Journalists and PR professionals have always had a peculiar relationship. One fraught with suspicion – and, on some
occasions – barely suppressed hostility and tension
It’s a curious situation since the relationship is underpinned by mutual need: Journalists need PRs – for information, to
highlight developments, or interesting news stories that otherwise may not make it to the mainstream; and PRs need
Journalists: measured on their ability to consistently source and
write stories. No byline: no recognition
PRs: measured on their ability to consistently generate stories. No
coverage: no recognition
So, if each has something the other needs, why not exist in peaceful symbiosis?
The root of the uneasiness stems from perception, with both sides believing the other is pursing an unspoken personal agenda. Journalists occupying the moral high ground while
propagating hysteria and scaremongering; PRs blinded to the
Although there may be vexatious behaviour occurring on both sides, these slides are concerned with addressing the issues the press can experience when dealing with PR practitioners. Media outreach is a major component of most marketing
With that in mind, Athena conducted a poll of journalists working across national consumer publications to unearth the irritations they experience when dealing with PR practitioners.
Predictably the same issues were highlighted by journalists across the board, and tended to fall into one of four
categories:
The oblivious PRThe time wasting PR
The dishonest PR
The invisible PR
The oblivious PRNot knowing the publication/readership/journalist
Selling a feature to a news journalistUsing obscure PR jargon and missing data
“Weird PR jargon like giving us a “heads
up” – and obscure PR-speak acronyms like
KOL…”
“…read the papers! There’s nothing worse then getting a
pitch on a subject you’ve just written
about.”
“…there are basic data missing and it’s obvious that
they haven’t even read the paper. If they had, they
would know I cover news – not features!”
“…I hate being pestered about stuff that never has a chance of being a
story for me – and that any PR who actually reads what I write should
know will never be a story for me…”
The time wasting PR Calling to follow-up on an email
Ringing for a chat in the middle of the afternoonDisrespecting deadlines and sending information too late in
the day
The worst thing a PR could do is waste a journalist’s time. Send a brief pitch by email or call when you know
the reporter isn't on deadline or preparing for
morning conference
“we have surprisingly early deadlines these days, if we see something at 3pm it’s very
difficult to get it into the paper!”
“…if I’m interested in a PR email and want to follow it up, I will. I’m at the point where I rarely answer my phone unless I recognise the number,
since 8/10 calls I get are from timewasters”
The dishonest PR Overpromising/under-delivering
Selling an ‘exclusive’ to more than one publicationBurying data, manipulating statistics or bending the truth
“…telling me at 4pm that the ‘exclusive’
I’ve been working on all day has also
gone to the competition”
“… why do some PRs insist on ‘up-selling’ a story? Journalists have long memories – if your
story falls apart under scrutiny, we definitely won’t bite the
next time you pitch something”
“I don’t want to find out from my editor that the patient you’ve introduced me to has already been in the papers!”
“stat fiddling! Impressive numbers that turn out to be relative rather than
absolute risk…”
The invisible PR Disappear when needed
Not providing information you’ve promisedNot returning calls/responding to emails
“…being fobbed off drives me mad. Don’t
make promises you can’t keep – and keep the
promises you make!”
“…I’ve been pestered non-stop by a PR to cover a story,
then when I need more information, they’re nowhere
to be found!”
“Put your contact details out there. I don’t want to spend
hours tracking you down to follow up on an interesting story”
“…nothing is more infuriating than missing out on a story
because the PR is out of contact. Next time, we simply won’t come to you for comment”
Unsurprisingly, research has shown that there is a world of difference between journalist opinion of PR practitioners with whom they work, and the
profession as a whole.
So as a PR professional, how can you ensure your calls are always taken, your emails read ‒
and your stories treated with respect? What steps can you take to ensure your news makes it onto
Be prepared:Prior to picking up the phone, formulate what you’re hoping to achieve from the coverage and consider your headline. Is your story good news or bad? Is it data-led news or a case-study
Feature articles: cover a given topic in more depth than news, enabling
more detailed information to be conveyed to a broad target audience
The editor: pitching to a journalist is only the first step; if they like
your story, they must in turn convince their editor to run it
What does it do?How does it work?
How good are the data?Is it new?
Is it different? Does it save lives?Does it kill people?
Is it licensed? Is it available?
Where is it available?Is there a postcode
lottery?Is it approved by NICE?
If not, why not?How much does it cost?Are there spokespeople?How does this affect my
readers?Why should I care?
Retain a sense of perspective:Once you’ve pulled together your story, be brutally honest and consider whether anyone would be interested. Journalists, like
everyone else, are motivated by their own interests and no amount
Exclusive: a story given to one journalist only. Never provide the same exclusive to more than one
publication!
Journalists: measured on their ability to consistently source and
write stories. No byline: no recognition
Even if the journalist writes the story there is no guarantee it will appear –
all publications over commission articles
Know your audience:Look past the publication and picture the reader in your mind: Are they
male or female? What are their politics? How do they spend their free time? What are they interested in? Do you have a case study that will resonate
Case studies: real life experience is an essential element of a consumer media article, and is shown through
the story of a patient case study
WHO AM I?
Journalists are motivated by reasons that have nothing to do with your client needs.
However, by being professional and respecting their
“Public sentiment is everything. With it nothing can fail. Without it nothing can succeed.”
— Abraham Lincoln
AthenaJanuary 2010
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