How to Make Friends with a Journalist (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Two Faces of Crisis Managment

Online Public Relations Thoughts

When facing a public relations crisis, most organizations will react in one of two ways, according to Jim Horton.  Some will use their communications teams to slap a band-aid on the problem, or simply “fix it,” while others will use the situation to grow and learn—making them more likely to avoid a similar problem from re-occurring.  Horton examines both reactions, urging companies to consider the more useful tactic of not only learning from one’s mistakes, but taking steps to alter course and prevent them from happening twice. “Usually, improvement demands change in culture and operations. That requires hard work and leadership may shy from the labor. It takes strong and confident leadership not to be afraid of tinkering with a system that is embedded in the behavior of its employees. These are the leaders who understand what PR is about, even if they don't call it by that name.”

People, Not Pitches

Bulldog Reporter’s Daily Dog

LA Times deputy business editor Henry Fuhrman advises PR practitioners hoping to form good reporter relationships to forget their timely news hook pitches.  Everyone is pitching a story, the key to fostering great journalist relationships is to become a trusted source.  Fuhrman urges PR execs to offer people rather than one-shot stories by promoting their clients as expert sources; this tactic can ensure the client a spot in the reporter’s rolodex, and increase the odds of future positive coverage.  “’The keys to getting covered are to practice the soft sell, tie to the larger story, offer sources and not one-time hits—and to keep expectations in check,’ Fuhrman says. ‘There's nothing worse than dealing with a person who thinks they need to go on the front page. They're hard to talk down and it's hard for them to take no for an answer,’ he elaborates.”

Is the Twitter Phenomenon Really that Phenomenal?

Murphy’s Law

Bringing some desperately needed sensibility into the Twitter debate, Tom Murphy warns against making every “new thing” on the Internet the next “big thing.”  He argues—rightly—that while Twitter can be a useful little tool for letting others know what you are up to, it’s hardly the life-changing phenomenon that some other PR bloggers are claiming. “How long will the passion and commitment last? Surely if you really want to know is someone online you can use IM or E-mail or perish the thought - how very analog of me - use a phone. I think Twitter is interesting, useful even, but it’s NOT the answer to the world’s ills.”

Comments

[Joan Stewart, The Publicity hound]

Other ways to build strong relationships with the media:

--Give 'em an occasional scoop.

--Call a reporter, introduce yourself, state your area of expertise and ask, "How can I help you?"

--When pitching yourself as an expert source, let the reporter know about one or two other sources.

--Don't just think stories. Think photos and graphics, and suggest them whevever you pitch a story idea.

--Remember your media contacts during the slow weeks before and after a major holiday. Everybody else might be on vacation, but they still have a newspaper to print and a TV news show to produce.