I always get excited when clients want their executives to go through a media relations course because it confirms the importance of this strategy in business management. I like that of Bloggeron.com notes that one of the top three reasons why CEOs fail is because they “forget the damage media pressure can cause.”
I recently put together a media relations course for a client and I decided that the most effective way to get my points across is to use insights straight from the horses’ mouths. Don’t worry, members of the media, you’re Triple Crown-winning horses.
I reached out to a small group of some of my favorite business-to-business trade magazine editors to obtain specific insights from them that would be beneficial to the course. It was a non-scientific survey through Zoomerang, and the questions could probably have been more specific; however, the results did confirm some really good tips, tactics and approaches for media relations. Here are tips and insights from the 10 editors/reporters who responded to the short questionnaire:
- Sixty-percent of the editors say their best executive resources always have an opinion worth sharing. While this shouldn’t come as a surprise, it is a reminder that if you want to see your name in print more than once, you’re going to have to be prepared with relevant insights that warrant intrigue from the editor and his or her readers.
- Seven of the 10 editors prefer executive resources who can connect them with additional relevant and informed sources. It’s always good to have a close group of allies who can reinforce or complement the points you’re making.
- If you want to share marketing-centric messages, buy an ad. This group’s biggest pet peeve about interviews? It’s when the so-called expert provides answers that seem as if they were right from a marketing brochure. Bring a unique perspective that is bigger than your product or service, or don’t bother.
- Get in their Rolodex, get noticed and stay relevant. When these B2B writers sit down to start figuring out how they’re going to fill three pages of content, they don’t look too far for resources - they look to their existing contacts first and then the people they see, meet and interact with at industry events. Only one of them starts with news releases when looking for stories. Blogger Glyn Yarnall goes into some more detail about how media relations is more than just a news release.
I’ll save the rest of the specific insights for the media relations course. If you want some more general tips, check out the Publicity Hound for some good perspectives. In the meantime, be sure to use these tips wisely. I’ve promised this group of respondents that the ROI on their time for the survey will be seen in better interviews!
