The key dos and don’ts of media relations in 2020

The roles of journalists and public relations professionals have considerably changed in recent years and many people in the industry now view media relations as a declining part of the paid, earned, shared and owned (PESO) model.

Some have been quick to condemn media relations as a dying art, and while other channels have undoubtedly thrived due to the advent of the internet and social media, we have seen that earned media still has an important role to play in 2020.

That is not to say that securing earned media coverage is easy, and with so much of the news agenda dominated by COVID-19 this year, PR practitioners have to ensure their pitches stand out when liaising with journalists.

Here are our top tips for ensuring that you stand out for the right reasons:

DO: Ensure your pitch is relevant and newsworthy

Nothing irritates journalists more than irrelevant pitches from practitioners who have failed to even look at the topics that they cover for a publication.

With their time at a premium and often being tasked with writing five or six stories per day due to shrinking newsrooms, any generic pitches will be instantly deleted.

You must ask yourself the following when liaising with journalists:

• Has the journalist covered stories of this nature in the past?

• Does the story have a news hook?

• Is it the right fit for the publication?

If you don’t take the time to research what is right for the journalist then don’t expect them to give your pitch the time of day.

DON’T: Cold call journalists

Like the majority of employees in the UK, many journalists have been working from home as a result of COVID-19 and can often be operating at strange times of the day.

As a result, the way that PR professionals communicate with journalists has changed and it’s clear to see from media databases that list contact preferences that email is now the preferred method of getting in touch.

We recently ran a poll on LinkedIn asking if practitioners should ditch the phone calls and pitch solely by email and while many felt that there is still a place for conversations over the phone, the overwhelming majority (71%) said that it depends on the relationship between both parties.

With flexible working patterns emerging, cold calling journalists can often do more harm than good, particularly during the era of COVID-19, and you must take time to build contacts and consider the needs of journalists alongside those of your clients.

DO: Be pithy

A recurring theme is the lack of time that journalists have and that must also be considered when pitching via email.

While some publications will have clear pitching guidelines to follow on their websites, particularly those that accept op-ed submissions, the general rule is to keep your pitches to three or four short paragraphs.

You should always be able to fit the key points in a succinct email summarising the story, and any additional details such as reports should be attached so that the journalist has everything they need at their fingertips.

DON’T: Send the same email to hundreds of journalists

Long gone are the days of blanket press releases being sent out to hundreds or even thousands of journalists in the hope that a few might pick the story up.

The ‘spray and pray’ approach is not only unlikely to result in any beneficial coverage for your client, but it will also lead to journalists blocking you from future pitching opportunities.

You’re far more likely to achieve success through sending highly targeted quality pitches to relevant publications than sending the same pitch to 100 journalists across a variety of sectors.

DO: Ensure your clients are well prepared

With the media landscape constantly changing due to the pandemic, it’s vital that spokespeople for organisations are well prepared should an opportunity arise at short notice.

The majority of live broadcast interviews are now taking place online via Zoom or Skype and that can lead to reactive opportunities where CEOs have little time to prepare.

PR professionals should therefore ensure that spokespeople have been thoroughly media trained and are well-equipped to deal with potentially tricky lines of questioning.

It’s also imperative that agencies have consistent lines of communication with clients so that any prospective interviews or comment opportunities are not missed.

DON’T: Expect instant results

According to U.S. Census data from last year, jobs in public relations exceeded those of reporters by more than six-to-one and with the pandemic continuing to decimate newsrooms, it’s more difficult than ever to build relationships with journalists.

The importance of building relationships with those in the media still remains imperative – as shown by the LinkedIn poll results – but this can often take time.

It’s the responsibility of practitioners to manage client expectations and explain that it can often take numerous conversations over a period of weeks or months to secure coverage.