A good media relationship will have people talking about your brand in no time. But how do you start building a solid media relations strategy and what should it include?
Like a lot of things, media relations is a lot more complex than it used to be. As the dominant forms of media change and grow, so do the tasks involved when it comes to keeping on top of media relations.
For example, these days you'll be contacting journalists by email, but also following them on social media. You'll be keeping an eye on what's in the news, but also looking at what stories go viral.
In this article, we'll break down what makes up a good media relationship and why it's something that should be important to your brand.
At its core, a media relationship refers to interactions and communications between the media and your brand.
This includes all forms of media, both traditional and digital media. Traditional media covers things like television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Digital media refers to things that live online – so here, we're thinking websites, social media, podcasts, and the like.
In the following sections, we'll delve into how media relationships can make or break the public perception of your brand, drive consumer behavior, and the ethical considerations that come into play.
What Are Media Relations?
Before you build a great media relationship, you need to understand the core concept of media relations.
At its most basic level, media relations involves working with journalists and outlets so that they write about or mention your brand in their upcoming content. The aim here is visibility. If your brand is mentioned in the media, more people will know about your brand.
Building relationships is a huge part of media relations. This will entail developing symbiotic relationships that hopefully result in mutual benefit for both parties.
For example, a good media relationship could lead to a brand getting some positive coverage online, and a boost in sales. Meanwhile, the journalist gets a good story and the media outlet gets lots of traffic to their website. That's great for everyone!
But building these symbiotic relationships isn't easy – it requires time, patience, and a deep understanding of the media landscape.
As a brand, you can start by thinking about what you can offer to the media. For example, you might have some engaging stories, newsworthy events, or helpful tips to share. In return, the journalist or media outlet can help you reach a wider audience through their platform.
This arrangement should balance give and take. It establishes trust, credibility, and boosts your brand's reputation.
In this article:
Recent Examples of a Media Relationship in Action
How to Create and Nurture Media Relationships
Understanding the Media Landscape
What Goes Into A Media Relationship Strategy
Building and Maintaining Relationships
Public Relations Essential Tips
Mitigating Challenges in Media Relations
Effective Communication with Media Professionals
Tools and Resources for Media Relationship Management
Evaluating the Success of Media Relations
Recent Examples of a Media Relationship in Action
One fascinating example of media relations in action is the relationship between the British royal family and the UK press.
In 2024, Kensington Palace released a very cinematic-feeling video of The Princess of Wales, AKA Kate Middleton, and her family enjoying time together in the Norfolk countryside.
The purpose of the video was to communicate the news that the princess has completed her chemotherapy treatment and was planning to return to public engagements in the coming months.
The choice of releasing a notably aesthetic video is interesting, as in previous years a straightforward press release might have been considered more than enough. However, Kensington Palace was mindful of the wild conspiracy theories that preceded the announcement of Catherine's original diagnosis, and aware that the public craves visual updates to see and hear that the family is doing well.
The professionally-produced video is clearly made for being published and shared widely across social media platforms, whereas a written statement would be more confined to news outlets and stories.
Providing regular updates to the media is beneficial to the British royal family, as it gives them a chance to control the narrative and present themselves in the best light possible. It also limits the risk of press intrusion, as journalists (and the public) understand that Kensington Palace is keeping them up to date and being generous in providing family footage, especially in this situation.
A similar example might be a celebrity who tips off paparazzi on their whereabouts so that photographs can be taken at a specific date and time, when they are prepared and ready to be captured on camera.
In this case, entertainment outlets receive photos of a celebrity that will boost their traffic and engagement, while the celebrity gets press coverage at the right time that will keep them and their work in the public eye.
When an A-list celebrity engages in such media relations tactics, it might also satisfy a need for photos, so that they are more likely to be left alone when they don't want to be photographed.
How to Create and Nurture Media Relationships
Even the smallest brands can benefit from having a media relations strategy. Below, we'll share a step-by-step guide to getting started.
1. Do Your Research
First of all, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the media outlets and journalists that cover your industry or area of expertise. Read their articles, watch their interviews, and follow them on social media. Many journalists now also write a newsletter, so if they have one, make sure you sign up.
2. Add a Personal Touch
If you've done your research and read a journalist's work, you'll be able to approach them with tailored pitches that align with their interests and the type of content they usually produce. Do your best to show that you understand their beat and know their audience.
3. Be transparent
It's important to be honest and accurate. Fact check your information and press releases so that you know a journalist can share your story with confidence. Let them know that they can reach out with any questions. This will help you to build trust and credibility with media stakeholders.
4. Be responsive
Be quick to respond to inquiries and requests for comment. Just being available can go a long way and see your brand being mentioned over another who's rep was too busy to answer the call.
Being readily available and willing to reply to their needs helps reinforce your reputation as a reliable and helpful source.
5. Play the Long Game
If you're doing all the above, but you don't see results straight away, don't panic! Keep in mind that developing a media relationship takes time, effort, and perseverance. It is not an overnight process, but the results are definitely worth it.
As your connection grows with the media and you get better at handling public relations, you will find it easier to get media exposure and coverage for your brand. Stay committed, and you'll soon see some rewards.
Understanding the Media Landscape
As we said before, the media landscape is one that constantly changes.
Depending on your brand, you might be looking for coverage in serious traditional outlets, or seek to go viral on social media with a product launch that really taps into the current moment.
Below, we'll share a few pointers for figuring out which outlets you should be targeting when it comes to getting the most out of your media relations strategy.
Media Outlets and Their Influence
Media outlets include but are not limited to newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV networks, and digital platforms. Each outlet has its specific target audience.
While traditional media outlets (like newspapers and television programs) might cover a wide range of topics and interests, digital media channels can afford to focus on something that's a little more niche.
Audiences can range from tiny and ultra-engaged, to enormously large.
While a huge media outlet might seem like a better target because they have a bigger audience, it's worth remembering that there will be a lot of people who follow but scroll past their content without paying much attention.
On the flip side, a micro-influencer or up-and-coming media outlet might have a smaller audience that is more excited about what's being shared.
There are a few other factors to think about when building media relations, too.
Always consider credibility, bias, and ownership. This means the trustworthiness and reputation of an outlet, any biases in their reporting, and who funds the business (for example, corporate owners or political affiliations could steer their reporting).
Impact of Social Media
Social media has undeniably revolutionized the way we communicate and consume information.
It has become an integral part of the media landscape and plays a significant role in shaping public opinion.
In terms of media relations, it's been absolutely transformative for brands. Before we get any deeper into our guide, let's look into this.
Firstly, information can spread incredibly fast on social media, allowing messages to reach large audiences.
Secondly, social media has transformed the way that individuals and organizations communicate with their target audience. Now, a brand can reach its audience directly, bypassing traditional media gatekeepers.
The type of media contacts you'll have in your little black book may well have changed too. These days, you might decide to include a few influencers in your media relations strategy.
While not traditional journalists, influencers are not to be overlooked in your public relations strategy, as they often share industry news with a highly-engaged set of followers.
Next up, there's the benefit of real-time information. Social media platforms make it easy to share news and updates as it happens, making it easier for you to stay informed about current events.
Finally, there's engagement. Never before has there been such an opportunity for public commenting, one-click sharing, and publicly available conversations.
All of these can benefit a brand, but there are drawbacks too. While lots of visibility on social media can boost sales and brand reputation, any public missteps can be publicly scrutinized too, and news of those missteps can travel fast.
What Goes Into A Media Relationship Strategy
Now that you understand the media landscape, you can go about putting together your media relations strategy.
This involves deciding what messages you want to communicate, identifying your target audience, and choosing the right media outlets or journalists to contact.
Crafting Key Messages
To build a great media relations strategy, you first need to decide what news or updates you want to share about your brand.
These are called key messages, and the hope is that they will really strike a chord with your target audience.
If you need a bit of a template, start by picking three to five main points that you want to convey to the media and your audience.
Use simple and clear language, and make sure these messages are consistent across all communication platforms.
For example, this might be something like: the name of your company, a bit of background history, details of your latest product launch, and the reasons why it's going to fill a gap in the market.
Don't forget to include your company's unique selling points, address any potential concerns, and align your messages with your brand's values and mission.
Identifying Target Audience
Understanding your target audience is a big part of any good media relations strategy.
To pin this down, think about things like demographics (age, gender, income, education, location), psychographic (interests, values, lifestyle, preferences), and media habits (favorite channels, online activities, reading habits).
Once you have a better understanding of your target audience, you can create content that appeals directly to their interests, and reach out to the media channels that they are following.
Choosing the Right Media Channels
And that brings us neatly onto the task of selecting which media outlets or news outlets to target.
In order to maximize your chances of media exposure, you'll need to target media channels which are followed and trusted by your target audience.
Cast your net wide here – this could mean anything from print media, to broadcast media, to online media (including social media and podcasts).
For the best results, focus on media channels that have an extensive reach, or a highly-engaged audience.
In order to pin down the most appropriate channels for your media strategy, check your notes about your target audience and key messages. The aim is to find a few media channels that fit your target audience criteria, while also being a suitable home for the stories and updates you want to share.
Once you know which media channels you want to target, put those up top in your media relations strategy.
Oh, and this isn't a one-and-done kind of task.
Review your contacts regularly, and you'll be able to tap into new opportunities for media exposure and spot relationships that might have fizzled out.
Building and Maintaining Relationships
Now you have an idea of who you want to contact, you can start to build relationships with your chosen journalists and influencers.
Creating a Media List
While not essential, a comprehensive media list updated via spreadsheet or media management tool (like CisionOne) is definitely going to keep you organized as you embark upon your mission to build and maintain good relationships with the media.
This list should include key journalists, influencers, and outlets relevant to your industry or topic.
As well as their name and contact details, you should include details of their media outlet, their job title, and social media handles.
Keep this list of media contacts organized and up to date, and it will act as a bit of a cheat sheet when it comes to tasks like sending out press releases or building better relationships with the media on your social channels.
Engaging with Key Journalists and Influencers
Once you have a media list, it's time to get to get to know the key journalists with which you want to build relationships.
This means following their work, occasionally liking or commenting on their social media posts, and generally trying to find some opportunities for thoughtful interactions.
Do a bit of this, and they'll remember your name when your email pops up in their inbox.
It always helps if you know and understand their beat (that means the topics they cover). That way, you can make sure you're always reaching out with relevant information.
You could also share data, stats, or expertise that might be helpful for their upcoming stories or projects.
Another way to engage could be to offer your services as a subject matter expert, since journalists are always looking for quotes, interviews, and comments to add credibility and detail to their work.
Managing Contacts and Follow-Ups
As you build relationships with key journalists, you'll want to make sure you follow up on your emails or DMs in a respectful and non-intrusive manner.
This isn't much different to the way you stay in touch in other business relationships – most of us know when we're being a bit overly keen.
To make it more likely that you get a reply, you could try planning your approach around the journalist's circumstances, considering the best time of day and method of communication that's most likely to get a response.
Of course, it's important to keep your communications relevant and appropriate for the journalist's area of interest.
If you plan to get really scientific about it, you could use a CRM tool or spreadsheet to systematically manage your contacts. Doing this will help you monitor your communications, establish reminders for follow-ups, and keep track of the outcomes.
Most of all, just remember that building relationships takes time. If you haven't already, you might need to master the art of patience!
Public Relations Essential Tips
When it comes to good media relations, there are a few things that you can do to save journalists time and make sure that your communications have maximum impact.
Crafting Effective Press Releases
When writing your press release, it's a good idea to think about story angles and provide a newsworthy hook. That’s when you point out a connection between your brand, or your story, and something that's in the news.
You can also use the inverted pyramid concept, in which you start with the most significant information (who, what, where, when, and why), follow with noteworthy details, and conclude with background information.
It's what journalists do when writing their news stories!
It's also a good idea to use active voice for clarity, and never forget to proofread.
Optimizing Media Kits
You should also have a media kit ready to go. This acts like an introduction to your brand, and it will help journalists and other media professionals understand who you are and what you do.
Your media kit should include a bit about your company background, such as a brief description of its mission and history.
Follow that up with a selection of recent press releases that showcase your achievements.
Next, include some profiles of the key people who work for your company, focusing on their expertise.
Make sure to include some high-resolution images of products and company logos. You could also throw in some team photos if that seems appropriate.
Finally, include a fact sheet with some essential company information and statistics.
Organize the content clearly, with proper labeling and easy-to-navigate sections, so that it's ready to send off to a journalist or other media contact as needed.
Establishing Thought Leadership
A thought leader is someone who is an expert in their industry, whom others turn to for guidance and to hear their opinion.
If you establish yourself as a thought leader, then people in the media will reach out for you when they require a comment on an article, or an interview in a TV segment.
This is great for media relations and quickly leads to increased media exposure.
To get into thought leadership, you have to show that you know your stuff and have the data to back it up.
You could do this by publicly sharing your takes on relevant industry topics, always backing up your views with strong research and data.
You could also offer to speak at conferences and participate in panel discussions to share your knowledge.
Another way to do it is to offer to be a podcast guest or speak as part of live events on social media.
One opportunity tends to lead to another in the world of thought leadership, so start by getting into the habit of putting yourself out there.
Curating Unique Story Ideas
To effectively gain media coverage, you must craft compelling and unique story ideas for your content marketing strategy. This is known as pitching stories.
A good pitch will be relevant to trending topics in your industry, stick to topics that are newsworthy (and timely), and include data and research to back up your views.
Using High-Resolution Images
One part of media relations that's often forgotten is being ready to hand over good quality, high-resolution images to enhance your content and attract media attention.
There are a few key rules to follow when choosing images for your content marketing and pitching stories
First, choose engaging imagery. Images that are vibrant, eye-catching, and relevant to your story will pique the interest of the media, making them more likely to cover your content.
Use original images wherever possible. It's best to have your own photos or images created specifically for your article. This will give your content an exclusive feel and increase the odds of media outlets wanting to feature it.
Finally, make sure everything is in the right format. Your images should be in a high-resolution format that can be easily published across a variety of media platforms. This prevents pixelation or distortion of your images when they are shared online or printed.
Mitigating Challenges in Media Relations
While media relations is fairly straightforward and involves familiar things like press releases and media kits, there are some well-known issues that you might come across.
Combating Fake News
Unfortunately, fake news has become a major challenge in media relations.
If you spread false information, it will compromise your ability to garner publicity and maintain a good reputation.
To prevent the spread of misinformation, you need to establish strong internal communication and fact-checking processes.
This means keeping an eye on the news and social media, especially when it comes to information being circulated about your organization and industry. That way, you can quickly address any misinformation.
Always verify information before sharing. Make sure your content is accurate and supports your brand values.
Finally, correct inaccuracies as quickly as you can. If you find false or misleading content, take immediate action to correct it and provide accurate information.
Protecting Brand Reputation
A good reputation will do wonders when it comes to your organization's success. But you will need to do a bit of work to protect it.
To keep your reputation in good standing, your media relations strategy should include a crisis communication plan. This is a well-defined strategy that outlines the roles and responsibilities of your team members, key messages, and communication channels to be used in case of a crisis.
You'll also need to do some work to maintain media relationships. Building relationships with journalists and influencers in your industry will help protect your brand's reputation. They can be valuable allies in promoting accurate information and addressing negative coverage.
Finally, always aim for transparent communication. Be open, honest, and accountable in your communications. A transparent approach will leave you feeling less defensive should any issues arise and help to protect your reputation.
Effective Communication with Media Professionals and Audiences
Clear communication is so important when dealing with members of the media and their audiences. Media figures have a lot of conversations every day and read a lot of messages and emails. You need to stand out and be succinct when talking to them, otherwise you won't hook their interest.
Once you get the ear of a media pro, then you have to be ready to communicate clearly with audiences too.
Building relationships is a lot easier when you know your messages are being heard and understood by your target audience.
In this section, we're going to take a closer look at media interviews, since these are a particularly good chance to get your message across.
Conducting Media Interviews
Media interviews might happen on TV, on a podcast, or be written up for an article.
They are a valuable opportunity for public relations practitioners to share essential information and insights with key stakeholders. After all, your aim is to speak to your audience via the media outlet.
Should you be invited to take part in an interview, there are a few things you should remember.
Always do some preparation. Research the person doing the interview, their outlet, and topics they often cover. Think about the messages you want to get across and anticipate possible questions.
Be concise. Media professionals are often pressed for time, and looking for snappy quotes and sound bites. Get straight to the point and avoid long-winded responses.
To capture the attention of your audience, share stories or examples that illustrate your points and clarify your messages.
If the interview goes off track, tactfully steer the conversation back to your key messages.
It's also important to be aware of non-verbal communication during the interview. Be aware of factors like posture, eye contact, and voice modulation – little things like this can make a big difference.
Tools and Resources for Media Relationship Management
If you feel a bit overwhelmed by the idea of keeping all those contact details organized and remembering if you've sent your media kit to a particular journalist, there are some tools that can help.
Using Media Databases
Media directories – like CisionOne – are great for managing media relationships.
These comprehensive resources provide you with up-to-date contact information and details about journalists, influencers, and media outlets. No Googling necessary!
With some popular media databases (like CisionOne), you can also pitch your stories – an added extra which will save journalists time, and you.
As well as CisionOne, there are other media databases to choose from like Muck Rack or Meltwater.
Creating a Media Coverage Report
Keeping track of your media coverage is essential for maintaining those strong media relationships.
The best way to do this is to regularly create a media coverage report. This report will help you understand how your media outreach is going and change tactics as needed.
Your media coverage report will include a few typical elements.
At the top, you should have a figure for total coverage. This is the number of articles, blog posts, and other media that mentioned your company or topic during the reporting period.
After that, you'll want to break down sentiment. Categorize coverage as positive, negative, or neutral, and analyze trends over time.
Finally, identify the key messages conveyed in each piece of coverage and assess how well they align with your intended communication objectives.
Evaluating the Success of Media Relations
How's your media relations strategy going? To answer this question you'll need to measure both the quantity and quality of the media coverage associated with your brand or campaign.
Keep track of your media coverage and take a close look at the content to ensure it aligns with your organization's mission.
1. Generating Media Coverage
As we now understand, one of the primary goals of media relations is to generate coverage in various outlets such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, blogs, and social media platforms.
To evaluate your success in this area, first count up your media hits. This means the number of times your brand or its products have been mentioned or featured in various media outlets..
Next, calculate your reach. You can calculate the potential audience size by adding up the circulation or audience figures of each media outlet that covers your story.
2. Positive Coverage
Positive media coverage helps to build and maintain your organization's reputation.
When deciding whether you were successful in gaining positive coverage, examine the tone and sentiment of each media hit.
Ask yourself: Does the media coverage portray your organization in a positive, neutral, or negative light? Use a scale to rank each media hit according to its tone.
Next, think about the overall sentiment of the media coverage. Is it overall good, even if one product or business decision has received bad feedback?
Finally, you should consider Key Message Penetration (KMP). This is the percentage of media hits that include your intended messaging.
3. Media Coverage Scope
When considering the success of your media relations strategy, you should always aim for coverage across a wide range of outlets. This is so that you can reach all different audiences.
Take a closer look at your media hits to see if there are any gaps in coverage. Ideally, you'd be getting a mix of coverage across print, broadcast, digital, and social media platforms.
If there are any gaps, you could work that into your media relations strategy for next time.
4. Consistency With Your Organization's Mission
Finally, it's a good idea to check that the media coverage you've received is consistent with your brand's mission, values, and objectives.
Think about things like alignment with key messages and relevance.
If the coverage is a bit off-point, it might be worth restructuring your press releases or changing the wording of your emails as you seek media exposure in the future.
The Last Word on an Effective Media Relationship
Media relations involves working very hard to stay connected with journalists and influencers. Being able to maintain relationships in an industry that is constantly evolving isn't easy. However, our guide has explored some quick tips to help you master the art.
From forming good relationships in order to garner publicity, to dealing with the press during a comms crisis, there is a lot that goes into a workable media strategy.
Cision is a great place to start if you're looking to build your network and present a positive image of your brand in a respectable, credible manner. From sourcing the most influential journalists to forging strong relationships with other PR professionals. You can do it all with Cision – so why not speak to an expert and get started today?
