In a world where journalists rely on public relations consultants for newsworthy stories, public relations consultants must build well-working relationships with reporters. Public relations consultants must use a multitude of strategies in order to actually do this. Sometimes public relations consultants do not do their due-diligence to build these connections, which can ultimately harm the news stories public relations consultants would like to provide to the public.
One of the strategies most public relations consultants fail to acknowledge is researching the reporter’s previous works. PR consultants must do this in order to know if a reporter would be interested in a possible story the public relations professional may have. If a public relations consultant calls a reporter with a story that the reporter doesn’t usually do work on, they could ultimately blacklist that public relations consultant. This would ultimately harm the client the public relations professional is doing work for.
Also, many public relations professionals fail to recognize the importance of getting to know the reporter. Public relations professionals must do this in order to build a well-rounded relationship with the reporter. Once a relationship with a reporter is made, the work of a public relations consultant can be made easier. If a reporter likes what the public relations consultant has to offer, sometimes the reporter will end up calling the public relations professional for more stories. In turn, this will bring better business to the client the public relations consultant works for.
There is one thing that many public relations consultants should always do: Never rely on an email to build a relationship with a reporter. If a public relations consultant has an awe-inspiring story about their client, they should 1) research the reporter thoroughly and 2) pick up the phone and actually make the connection with the reporter. Once the public relations consultant has contacted the reporter by phone, sometimes the reporter may have more questions about the story. The phone pitch is a very important tactic the public relations consultant must utilize and become comfortable with doing.
One of the biggest no-no’s in the field is calling a reporter or media outlet to check and see if they have received the press release that was sent through email. This is very frowned upon when trying to build a relationship with a reporter in the public relations field. It is quite obvious the media outlet or reporter has received the email, but if they do not feel that the story is for them then they’re obviously not going to follow up on the story. Public relations consultants should always start with who they are, which client they are working for, and what story they have for that reporter for the day. If the public relations consultant is thorough in pitching the story through email, they should have no problem pitching the story to the reporter over the phone.
If you think telephone pitching is not for you, then you have chosen the wrong field to work in. It is important to pick up the phone and make the initial connection with the reporter. Always remember to research the reporters work and always be prepared with the story you’re interested in pitching. Knowing all of the facts about the event or product will make pitching the story through the phone a much simpler task, rather than a hassle or something that you fear to do.
As public relations consultants, we rely on reporters to get our stories about our clients to the public. We should always be trying to network with them and always trying to build a deeper connection with them.
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