6 essentials for cultivating great media relationships

For a PR professional, keeping track of your media relationships takes time and careful consideration—and a steady flow of compelling story ideas.

If you’ve got a pitch that’s new and exciting and begging to be told, you’re set. But if your pitch is the PR equivalent of one of those annoying sales calls we all loathe, you’ve got a challenge.

Try pretending you’re on the receiving end and ask yourself, “Would I be interested in this story?” If you would, pitch it. If not, make it better. Remember, it’s not only your job to make the story compelling, but more importantly, you should strive to make the reporter’s job as easy and seamless as possible, resulting in a story or coverage that makes your client happy.

In addition to pitching news-worthy stories, the key to media relations rests within the larger realm of human relations: being professional, courteous, reliable and respectful. Successful media relations flows from the relationships you create, nurture and maintain.

Consider these six guidelines to strengthen your bonds with journalists:

1. Know the what, why and who of your pitch.

Before you get started, do your homework. Learn as much as you can about the topic and its significance. Make sure you’ve properly profiled your client as a subject-matter expert.