In a recent blog we talked about how to annoy a journalist. In this post we talk about how to make sure you are top of mind when a journalist is looking for a quote or input for a story.
1. Respond to emails immediately. The media generally prefer to work with whoever responds quickly and is readily available.
2. Make the media's life easy by crafting well-written releases and stories. Once you have established yourself as someone who can write well, journalists will come back to you time and time again.
3. Provide interesting interview candidates - ideally those who are experts in their field and who can talk about trends and the industry in great detail and who are not afraid to offer opinions.
4. Share memorable sound bites. Well crafted sound bites can be powerful tools to get your message across.
5. Always provide relevant high resolution images to go with releases and stories you send out. It's a good idea to do some training with a photo journalist or a PR company to learn what constitutes good images suitable for the media.
6. Pitch interesting topical stories. Don't be afraid to pitch ideas to the media but don't pitch to several competing publications at the same time as they will all assume it is an exclusive and are unlikely to run the story if it is not.
7. Get to know your target media. By building close relationships with the media that is relevant to your business you will be able to provide material that will get published.
Understanding what the media want will ensure that you and your organisation will be considered a reliable source by the media for news and comments.