Spring refresher: 10 media relations dos and don’ts

On that note, we in PR might think about “freshening up” our media relations skills. Media relations is an integral part of PR, but are your tactics helping or hurting your efforts?

There are myriad approaches to media relations. Yours can determine whether you get media coverage—or if you get no response (or maybe simply a “no”).

So, in the spirit of helping you improve your media relations skills, here are some simple “dos and don’ts” for effective media outreach:

DO provide valuable content: That includes offering customer references and visuals, as well as including numbers, such as time or money saved, in your pitch.

DON’T forget to respond promptly when a deadline is involved: I stress this to clients—media opportunities are a “drop everything” kind of situation. You can’t wait until next week to respond if the reporter has given you a deadline of noon tomorrow.

DO follow up: One contact isn’t going to cut it when it comes to reaching out to journalists. They receive hundreds of email pitches each week, so yours could easily get lost in their inbox. Follow up appropriately via email, or perhaps even social media or a phone call when warranted.