November 3, 2011
10 Tips for Media Contact
It can
be quite difficult to get in touch
with journalists, even if you think you have a
fantastic story to tell.
Here are 10 tips
on what to do to get your message through to
the editors:
1. Do not write a press releases about everthing new in your
company. Have a media plan and focus on the year's strategic goals and themes. Visibility is not a target in itself. You need to have something to tell.
2. Be sure to regularly
update a list of possible stories for the press. It
is a good idea to focus on angle, timing, media selection, strategic themes
and outcome for each story.
3. Act as "the devil's advocate" and
test your story for potential
bad angles.
4. Figures are not boring, but
interesting for the journalists. For example, extracts from databases can inspire
a good news storiy. They provide the basis for telling an a story.
5. Drop the language of advertising and the very flattering terms. Do not
overdo it.
6. Good photos that tell a story are important.
7. Never plan an event where press coverage is the sole criterion for success.
8. Never call a journalist without having more to tell her than what is already
written in the press release.
9. Train your employees in collaboration with the press.
10. Remember that contact with journalists is about selling, selling, selling. Your
stories are your goods.
Get more tips for media contacts here.
