I was taught to always pick up the phone and call a reporter because it's more personal. More veteran (older) PR supervisors wanted me to do the same when I mentioned I was going to email a journalist. Picking up and dialing the phone was how so many PR - Reporter/Journalist relationships were built for many years. But now in 2011, is it better to send an email when reaching out to a reporter/journalist?
It will always depend on the reporter or journalist in question. You might be contacting a reporter who is 75 years old and hates email. Obviously a phone call is better in that case. But how many times have you as a PR professional unknowingly called a reporter who was on a tight deadline to pitch a story? Do you remember how annoyed they were when you called?
This topic was discussed in an ABA Journal article that also had responses to the question.
I'm a big proponent of emailing a reporter first because you give them a chance to read your pitch on their time, one that is good for them. If you do not get a response back, then follow up with a phone call. But maybe first contact doesn't have even have to be through traditional email: You can use Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter if you know how to use it correctly.
The main thing is know how the reporter/journalist wants to be contacted. At first you might not know how. There are websites and programs that try to provide this information for the price of their subscription fee. But you can also try contacting their news desk and ask if they know how.
For me, it usually email first. Times have changed and PR professionals have to change their communications habits as well.
Showing posts with label Reporters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reporters. Show all posts
A Voice to Defend
Social media platforms give organizations (and public relations professionals) a quick and direct voice to the world and that voice could be used to communicate with and to the media.
In the old paradigm, an organization would have to place an opinion-editorial column in a newspaper if they needed to voice their opinion on a subject or defend themselves, usually written by public relations professionals. Today, social media platforms allow organizations to directly and instantly communicate their desires. An important aspect of this is communicating directly with the media, especially if the specific media in question is the intended direction of defense.
In the sports Twitterverse (Twitter Universe), I have seen a more then a few teams defend themselves to journalists on Twitter or Facebook after a story or column ran that they felt was incorrect or inappropriate. Social media platforms give teams a voice to fight back and this is something that journalists didn’t have to deal with as frequently in the past. This isn’t an action I would recommend a team’s public relations staff take regularly, but if appropriate, it can be a great tool for them.
Social media platforms allow for public relations professionals to fight back when they receive media coverage that they believe is in error. This is a dangerous method to use because it is usually public for everyone to see (as oppose to a private phone call, e-mail or letter), but if the timing is correct it is an advantageous tool to use, although one that should be used extremely carefully, selectively and seldom.
Update: April 1, 2011
Along the same lines as the blog post above, social media platforms allow for an immediate avenue of access for crisis communication plans. As part of the old news cycle, responses driven by public relations professionals were at the mercy of the news cycle. With social media, a crisis communication plan can start immediately with your side/response at the forefront of the news. Social media should be part of every crisis communication plan.
In the old paradigm, an organization would have to place an opinion-editorial column in a newspaper if they needed to voice their opinion on a subject or defend themselves, usually written by public relations professionals. Today, social media platforms allow organizations to directly and instantly communicate their desires. An important aspect of this is communicating directly with the media, especially if the specific media in question is the intended direction of defense.
In the sports Twitterverse (Twitter Universe), I have seen a more then a few teams defend themselves to journalists on Twitter or Facebook after a story or column ran that they felt was incorrect or inappropriate. Social media platforms give teams a voice to fight back and this is something that journalists didn’t have to deal with as frequently in the past. This isn’t an action I would recommend a team’s public relations staff take regularly, but if appropriate, it can be a great tool for them.
Social media platforms allow for public relations professionals to fight back when they receive media coverage that they believe is in error. This is a dangerous method to use because it is usually public for everyone to see (as oppose to a private phone call, e-mail or letter), but if the timing is correct it is an advantageous tool to use, although one that should be used extremely carefully, selectively and seldom.
Update: April 1, 2011
Along the same lines as the blog post above, social media platforms allow for an immediate avenue of access for crisis communication plans. As part of the old news cycle, responses driven by public relations professionals were at the mercy of the news cycle. With social media, a crisis communication plan can start immediately with your side/response at the forefront of the news. Social media should be part of every crisis communication plan.
Interactions on Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms have created additional direct methods of communications between many groups of individuals that public relations professionals must be aware of. They consist of (in no particular order or terminology): Consumer/Brand, Consumer/Media and Brand/Media.
In these models, public relations professionals are a part of the “brand” and even in the model that features only the “consumer” and “media”, the “brand” (PR professionals) must follow their communication because the feedback going back and forth is important. The image or perception of the brand can also be affected and needs to be monitored as well.
Since the media are on multiple social media platforms, communication directed to and from journalists is increasing due to the simplistic methods social media provides. This pattern shift shows that journalists are not only speaking to their followers and/or fans through their traditional publication medium, but also through social media platforms.
Social media platforms allow journalists to voice their opinion - or additional opinions - on subjects or events they have covered, opined or even have no direct relation to. That last part adds to the monitoring that public relations professionals are responsible for.
Jeremy Porter from Journalistics.com commented in an Internet article:
In these models, public relations professionals are a part of the “brand” and even in the model that features only the “consumer” and “media”, the “brand” (PR professionals) must follow their communication because the feedback going back and forth is important. The image or perception of the brand can also be affected and needs to be monitored as well.
Since the media are on multiple social media platforms, communication directed to and from journalists is increasing due to the simplistic methods social media provides. This pattern shift shows that journalists are not only speaking to their followers and/or fans through their traditional publication medium, but also through social media platforms.
Social media platforms allow journalists to voice their opinion - or additional opinions - on subjects or events they have covered, opined or even have no direct relation to. That last part adds to the monitoring that public relations professionals are responsible for.
Jeremy Porter from Journalistics.com commented in an Internet article:
“What has changed is the direction of the arrows in traditional mass communications model. Back in the day, you had your message, the medium and the mass. Rip that page out of the book and throw it away. Today, you have people interacting with people. It’s two-way, with a lot more listening going on. You still rely on a medium to communicate your message – but you use it to listen now, and there are a lot of media options.”
“Mainstream” Journalists Use Social Media
An early, but crucial battle that social media platforms won in the communications revolution is when the “mainstream” media began publishing news on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. That move signaled to the world that social media platforms are legitimate enough to deliver their most important type of news -- breaking news.
At the same time, using social media platforms have turned the job of journalists from being ready to report the news at anytime to actually reporting the news at anytime on a consistent basis. So not only do social media platforms bring a new breed of journalists for public relations to interact with, it changes the behavior of “mainstream” journalists.
This is another, but important paradigm shift that public relations professionals must be aware of.
At the same time, using social media platforms have turned the job of journalists from being ready to report the news at anytime to actually reporting the news at anytime on a consistent basis. So not only do social media platforms bring a new breed of journalists for public relations to interact with, it changes the behavior of “mainstream” journalists.
This is another, but important paradigm shift that public relations professionals must be aware of.
Mainstream Media vs. New “Social” Media
Is there a difference between a blogger who has been granted permission to cover an event, sits next to a reporter from a newspaper and updates his blog every ten minutes compared to a person on Twitter who has a large following with a desire to report on the same event?
Determining if there are any differences is one of the first steps in deciding if someone who only uses a social media platform is a "legitimate reporter". That determination will most likely fall on the shoulders of public relations professionals.
Internet websites and blogs have pushed the news cycle from 24-hours to continuous. Social media platforms pushed the new news cycle even further from continuous to immediate. Personal opinions on what a "legitimate journalist" should be or the method of how they report flew out the window years ago when Internet websites and blogs became accepted sources of news.
If the general public continues to accept social media platforms as a source for breaking news, public relations professionals will have no choice but to accept them as part of the mainstream media.
As the communications revolution continues to unfold, public relations professionals must follow how trends are changing and be flexible with them, even if that includes accepting social media platforms as legitimate sources of media.
Determining if there are any differences is one of the first steps in deciding if someone who only uses a social media platform is a "legitimate reporter". That determination will most likely fall on the shoulders of public relations professionals.
Internet websites and blogs have pushed the news cycle from 24-hours to continuous. Social media platforms pushed the new news cycle even further from continuous to immediate. Personal opinions on what a "legitimate journalist" should be or the method of how they report flew out the window years ago when Internet websites and blogs became accepted sources of news.
If the general public continues to accept social media platforms as a source for breaking news, public relations professionals will have no choice but to accept them as part of the mainstream media.
As the communications revolution continues to unfold, public relations professionals must follow how trends are changing and be flexible with them, even if that includes accepting social media platforms as legitimate sources of media.
The Media with Social Media
When the age of the Internet blew onto the scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s with new websites popping up every day, there was a great debate on how they should be treated as legitimate journalistic sources compared to the mainstream media stalwarts such as newspapers, magazines and television and radio stations.
Today, many websites with no connection to the aforementioned media stalwarts are now accepted as legitimate news sources. It was a long, hard battle for Internet websites, but it was a battle that many won. In 2010, a similar battle is being waged with social media enthusiasts looking for accreditation and acceptance as a news source that can report at and from live events.
As they were when Internet websites were seeking acceptance, public relations professionals are at the forefront of the decision-making process that will determine when and how social media journalists become accredited.
So... Should people who use social media platforms as their only means of reporting be credentialed just as mainstream and blogging media?
Today, many websites with no connection to the aforementioned media stalwarts are now accepted as legitimate news sources. It was a long, hard battle for Internet websites, but it was a battle that many won. In 2010, a similar battle is being waged with social media enthusiasts looking for accreditation and acceptance as a news source that can report at and from live events.
As they were when Internet websites were seeking acceptance, public relations professionals are at the forefront of the decision-making process that will determine when and how social media journalists become accredited.
So... Should people who use social media platforms as their only means of reporting be credentialed just as mainstream and blogging media?
LINK: New Site Aims to Connect Reporters and Publicists
In an article published by the New York Times, journalist profiles a new social networking website called NewsBasis. The website aims to pair public relations professionals and journalists based on what is being pitched on the PR side and/or what resources journalists need for their stories.
As the article points out, there are some similarities to other websites/products that are already on the market, but there are some areas where NewsBasis stands out.
This is definitely something that can change the PR industry.
As the article points out, there are some similarities to other websites/products that are already on the market, but there are some areas where NewsBasis stands out.
This is definitely something that can change the PR industry.
Tags:
Journalists,
Link,
Pitching,
Reporters,
Reporting,
Social Networking
Link + Video: Confrontation between PR guy and reporter gets weirdly physical
I don't know what to make of this video where an investigative TV news reporter comes uninvited to a San Fransisco hospital meeting and the Director of Communications (non-aggressively) touches the reporter on the shoulder.
Lesson 1) (Obviously) Always take a hands-off approach when dealing with a reporter you do not know
Lesson 2) Improve security so uninvited guests cannot make their way into a sensitive area
Lesson 3) Remember investigative reporters (or any reporter who pitches a story to the PR person) has some type of agenda and they don't have that story unless their premise is right. More so when the story is negative towards a brand, the reporter will have no limits to prove their story.
Lesson 1) (Obviously) Always take a hands-off approach when dealing with a reporter you do not know
Lesson 2) Improve security so uninvited guests cannot make their way into a sensitive area
Lesson 3) Remember investigative reporters (or any reporter who pitches a story to the PR person) has some type of agenda and they don't have that story unless their premise is right. More so when the story is negative towards a brand, the reporter will have no limits to prove their story.
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