What Is Media Relations? How to Control the Narrative Quickly

It takes years to build a reputation, but only a few minutes to ruin it.

Public perception is a delicate matter. One day a company is lauded for its product and customer service. Another day, it gets crucified for making a mistake. Opinions, much like people’s social media status, change every minute.

If only there were a way for companies to broadcast their stories or messages to the public quickly and effectively. Press release distribution software can help PR professionals quickly disseminate their news or updates across a host of media outlets, news outlets and journalists. But before press releases can be distributed to the media, there needs to be a connection established with media persons.

This is where media relations enters the scene.

Every company wants to foster a positive self-image in public. While media monitoring goes a long way in brand and reputation management, media outlets are the vessels that can carry a narrative forward and spread it to the masses. Building a solid connection with these media outlets strengthens an organization’s chances of controlling the story. This is where media relations come in.

While everyone dreams of being so famous that the press comes flocking to them, nobody starts at an A-list level. Every organization or individual has to work its way up the ladder before gaining any notability. This doesn’t mean that companies can’t be newsworthy at an earlier juncture of their journey; breaking news can come from any source and at any level. It just means that businesses that are “greener” or relatively unknown in the scene need to approach the media on their own to pitch their story. 

This is the main philosophy of media relations. Interested parties need to reach out to the right outlets and build a connection with them. Companies that formulate a media relations strategy can set up an enduring partnership with the very groups that deliver information to the masses.

Media relations aren’t limited to the new kids on the block; they hold good for renowned organizations too. Businesses need positive press coverage at every stage of their growth, regardless of how well-known they are.

Media relations help businesses approach their choice of media communications and encourage a long-term rapport between the two parties. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. Media outlets want news and stories to share, and organizations want coverage. Given the right piece of information, journalists and media houses would be happy to cover a company’s story, provided it’s newsworthy. 

Benefits of media relations

It has already been established that media relations help organizations and individuals connect with the groups responsible for disseminating news and information to the general public. But there are many other advantages to media relations. 

Let's look at some of the benefits of media relations.

Media relations supports marketing

Media relations isn't just an elaborate branding exercise. Many businesses have seen quantifiable results through press releases and media coverage. The target audience looking for software solutions, products, or services, actively consumes media in different forms. Reading or hearing about a company from media outlets builds credibility and generates interest. 

Suppose the prestige of a particular media house, news outlet, or journalist covering a story about an organization is extremely high. In this case, people are more inclined to check out the company and become a prospect. In some cases, media coverage can also accelerate the sales cycle, and help salespeople cut right to the chase since the prospects that come from reading the news coverage are already well-informed about the business.

Media relations helps businesses advocate their proposition

In a world where millions of opinions get voiced daily, it gets difficult for a brand to get its point across and make it stick. A lot could be said about a company and its products or services, and the more prominent opinion can drown out the business' value proposition. This becomes very risky for organizations that don't act quickly to stoke out the flames set by a dangerous opinion. 

For instance, if a company had a new idea that seemed incredulous at the least and impossible at most, many naysayers would believe that such a proposition wouldn't work in the long run. 

Let's look at a few examples of businesses that successfully used media and public relations to drive their growth.

Media relations examples

Here are two examples where media relations helped two companies grow at a massive scale. Today, these two companies are giants in their own right but there was a time when they needed a little help from the public and media outlets to jump-start their growth. 

Media relations example #1: Uber

Uber has become synonymous with ride-sharing across the world. This is primarily due to their continued growth and efforts to scale. Back in 2015, however, Uber's growth was at the risk of being curtailed. New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, wanted to support legislation that would cap the growth of Uber in the city. 

Uber took matters into its own hands by focusing on an intense public relations campaign. It skillfully used a public affairs outreach program that allowed Uber to advocate for its cause and enlisted the help of prominent figures in media to influence opinions on the proposed legislation. 

By effectively using media communications and lobbyists, Uber was able to impact councils and officials, who, in turn, rejected the proposal to cap Uber's growth within the city. 

This case always serves as a reminder that the media has the power to sway not only opinions but even decisions and legislation. It's a powerful tool that can serve a business well when used correctly.

Media relations example #2: Airbnb

Today Airbnb has become a prominent option for people who plan vacations and don't want to stay in a hotel. But many years ago, the concept of Airbnb seemed outlandish. The company struggled to move from "we have a good idea" to "this is a great business implementation." They needed people to see the value proposition Airbnb had to offer, and fast.

Back in 2015, Airbnb launched a "floating house" party as a part of their publicity campaign. Many people were invited to the event, including journalists and media crews from various prominent publications. 

Journalists wrote extensively about the night, the guests at the event, the concept that Airbnb was trying to spread awareness on, and the party's success. By focusing on the pool of people who were instrumental in creating buzz and perpetuating it (journalists and media), Airbnb devised a sure-shot way to deepen their relationship with the press. 

The results? The media coverage resulted in over 300 pieces of press. Talk about the power of words!

Media relations leads to strategic communications during a crisis

Media relations is just a part of the larger communications strategy every company should adopt. In business, a crisis is inevitable. There’s no escaping it, but there’s certainly a way to reduce or control the crisis before it gets a life of its own. The risk of a company losing control over negative news is substantial. Brands can only address and repair bad customer experiences and crisis-causing news with honesty and transparency.

Crisis communications is another benefit of media relations. A media relations team monitors any looming crises and work swiftly to combat them, or at the very best, control them. When negative news or perception infiltrates the media, it tends to snowball and get on everyone’s radar in a short amount of time. Having contact with media outlets or newsrooms can help companies navigate through the crisis. 

Imagine you’re the CEO of a famous candy company that is being lambasted because customers found insects in some of your products, and now you’re looking at pages of negative comments, views, and backlash. Which route would you prefer to take to combat this crisis?

Option 1: You reply to comments saying that it was a mistake and apologize for it.

Option 2: You post a statement on social media handles saying that it was a mistake, and apologize for the situation.

Both options seem viable, and most companies opt for one or the other, or even both, if feasible. But none of these options are good enough to thoroughly tackle the issue. 

It’s always great to apologize and take responsibility for your mistakes. Many businesses made big mistakes and somehow bounced back, but countless others never survived a PR crisis. 

The major reason for failure is the way the business communicates a message. While your statement on social media might be enough for some people, many other detractors will use your crisis as an opportunity to sink your business. These detractors can amplify the negative connotation surrounding your brand, which can lead to uncontrolled media coverage.

The goal here is to act swiftly and precisely. And this is where you get a third option.

Option 3: Spreading your message through media and news outlets

Building relationships with the media helps a lot during these situations. By putting out a statement along with the steps you plan to take to rectify the situation through media outlets, audiences get to see your side of the story before the naysayers get a hold of the microphone.

Difference between media relations and public relations

Media relations is about developing a relationship with media outlets, newsrooms, or news outlets, while public relations is about developing and strengthening the relationship between the company and the general public. Media relations is the precursor of public relations.

How to build a media relations strategy

Media relations is simple in theory – find someone who works in media and communications and pitch a story.

If only life were that straightforward.

Building a media relations strategy isn't rocket science, but it requires some preliminary work and research like all successful strategies.

Let's look at each phase in detail.

1. Understanding the objectives

You've heard this before, and you'll hear it again. The question, "What is your goal?" is the mantra of any business initiative or strategy. The same goes for media relations. Two goals are pursued in media relations:

1. Audience objectives: The sole purpose of news and information is to be consumed by an audience; in this case, yours. This is where you ask yourself what the audience would want to know. A good amount of market research helps at this stage. Since a specific target audience will be consuming the content, it makes sense to tailor the messaging to their interests.
   
   Market research can also point out which media channels are frequently used by the audience. It makes no sense to craft a story fit for, say, The New York Times if the target audience consumes most of their content from a technology e-magazine. It's crucial to figure out the appropriate channel to reach the audience.
   
   Market research also helps determine what the message should convey. Are the messages designed to inform the audience (awareness), take action (engagement), or change their opinion about something (behavioral)? This helps stakeholders understand their message before they embark on a long drawn-out process of considering different, incongruent ideas likely to land in the trash can than in the news.
2. Media objectives: Fostering strong media relations ultimately depends on meeting the media objectives. Ask yourself why the media would be interested in your story. What news angle can you present in the story? Is your information new? If not, is it relevant and has a fresh take on things? With media relations and press releases, journalists are looking for something of value.
   
   Companies end up peddling their stories to those willing to listen. If you do it right, you can have a potential long-term relationship with a news outlet or journalist. Do it wrong, and you'll end up being the matchstick girl standing outside the door on a cold, snowy winter evening.

2. Establishing the messaging

Now that the objectives are set, it's time to look at the messaging.

The message of the story is the meat of this whole exercise. Like food, people consume messages for different reasons. It might help to have a "message menu" handy to figure out what story you want to tell today.

• The “health-conscious” diet: This type of messaging provides benefits in the form of factual information, data, or surveillance of your business’ environment or industry that your business functions in. If your organization is a product company, offers niche services, or is an industry disruptor, this is the "diet" or content you should be looking at.
  
  Educating the masses about something that didn't exist before, but could improve their lives or the way they function, is a theme that performs well in press coverage, news releases, or thought leadership pieces.
• The “junk food” diet: Let's be honest here. We tend to consume a lot of content that's just entertaining or acts as the perfect diversion. Like a double chocolate chip cookie, it may not be the healthiest option for our minds, but sometimes a cookie is all that we crave. Coverage about a glitzy event or an influencer advocating for a product or service with colorful pictures to boot are examples of messaging that falls under this particular category.
• The “homemade” or “soul food” diet: This type of messaging feeds people's emotions and triggers a response. These pieces deal with subjects that people already know and have an opinion on, and reinforce that notion across the board. "Opposite the editorial" or “op-ed pieces” and thought pieces that cover a strong idea about a topic or a cause generally fall into this category. These types of articles can help promote goodwill and boost the company's influence.

The right messaging sets the tone for press coverage and explains why the audience should bother hearing or reading about an organization's line of products or services. While this might be the raison d'être for a company to pursue media relations, and subsequently, public relations and press releases, this is not enough for a media outlet.

The reason people follow the media is its ability to stay neutral on matters. A newspaper or news channel cannot be seen as biased or partial to a cause or a brand. The audience is smart enough to sniff out a sponsorship or partnership when they see one. 

While journalists and editors are always on the prowl for a news story, they detest nothing more than a very blatant advertisement about a business wrapped under the guise of a news piece or thought leadership article.

A good rule of thumb is to keep the message factual, interesting with an angle, and relevant to the audience.

“It's not just about the facts that you're trying to push to journalists and media outlets; it's about the story that those facts tell, making it compelling to read and write about.”

Amy Lecza
Director of Content Marketing, G2

3. Building a network

We now approach the part where the term “relations” in media relations finally kicks in.

Media relations, like actual relationships, take time. Anyone that’s been at a networking event or tried to build a following on social media will tell you that it takes months or years to build a connection with someone. 

Go back to your first day at work. It took you weeks before you understood how the company functioned, which floor had good coffee, and which was always crowded. Beyond logistics, it also takes some time to understand how people worked there – knowing who in the team takes notes during meetings, who does the best research, and who to approach to get that approval for the planned leave you want.

Media contacts function no differently than your work colleagues. Over time, media relations specialists will realize who to approach for specific stories, which media outlets work best for the organization and its industry, and what each journalist expects from them during a pitch. 

Let’s dive into each one of these in detail.

Assessing the industry and identifying the right media outlets

We can’t choose who our family is, but we can choose everyone else in our lives. 

While media contacts need to see the value of the company that’s pitching to them, it’s a two-way street. Companies also need to see the value in pitching to certain members of the media. An excellent way to figure out which media outlets are worth your time is to do some groundwork. 

Once you’ve zeroed in on the media outlets you wish to approach, you need to figure out how to approach them.

Most journalists and media members can be found in their natural habitats – at events and press conferences. Visiting fireside chats, round table conferences, or events within your industry can bring you face to face with the people you wish to pitch a story to. 

While events are an excellent way to meet prospective journalists in person, there are other ways of getting in touch. Social media platforms like LinkedIn are a good place to start. Journalists usually have their work portfolio linked to their profiles on the internet or social media. It’s a good way to research their work and understand their background before reaching out to them.

Creating a press list and segmenting contacts

There are a couple of ways to create a press list. You can get your hands on a media database and export all the contact information for your perusal. While quite common in the business world, this method may not be a great idea considering that most databases can be quickly outdated, with journalists flitting frequently between media outlets and newsrooms.

Another way is to create a new list from scratch by hunting down people within the spaces your business would be interested in, and obtaining their contacts through the information on their profiles, or going old-school and asking them for their contact numbers.

Either approach would work, but it’s recommended that marketing teams reach out to journalists directly to get their hands on the contact information and then take the conversation forward. Journalists can often change their place of work, so keeping an updated contact information list helps. Check Linkedin for their updated profiles and the latest info on where they work.

Once a press list is created, it’s time to segment it. If the list is extensive, it’s essential to group contacts based on some essential parameters. Even if a list is small, you should still try to segment it. 

When marketing and PR teams send outreach emails to media outlets, a simple cold email won’t cut it. Journalists get hundreds of media inquiries on a daily basis. To ensure that your request stands out, speak the language of the journalist or media outlet, hit the value proposition right off the bat, and offer them something you know they’re looking for.

There are different ways of segmenting a contact list. Here are a few ways to consider:

• Based on publication size: Segmentation can be done by dividing each publication based on its size and prominence. If the organization is small (think startups or small businesses), targeting larger publications may be challenging. It’s not impossible to catch the attention of prominent publications, but you’d need an incredibly compelling story or pitch to deliver. Larger organizations (like enterprises or corporations) will mainly target big-sized publication houses.
  
  Either way, every publication house can vary across the board. Larger publications get bombarded with inquiries far more frequently than smaller publications. The effort required in these outreach emails is substantially higher than you’d need for smaller publications.
• Based on relevance: Another way to segment publications is by dividing them into objectives or appeals. For instance, a financial services company would be interested in being featured on Forbes, Barron’s, or Bloomberg since their target audience follows these publications more than others.
  
  That doesn’t mean the company would turn away The New York Times if it approached them for coverage. It just means that the outreach email for financial or economic publications would be more relevant from a customer’s perspective.

Establishing a running dialogue with journalists

A contact list is a great place to start. But behind every contact is a person with a hectic schedule.

The whole point of a relationship is communication. Journalists get several requests and pitches from companies and their teams for potential features or collaborations. Not only do journalists lose track of all the requests they receive, but they also aren’t obligated to care as much. It’s easier to say no to an email than it is to a person.

As with customers, engaging with journalists requires some elbow grease and patience. Sales teams know that the key to conversions is regularly interacting with a prospect, understanding their needs by conversing with them, and showing a constant value. It isn’t that different with members of the media.

Building a relationship with journalists takes time. Most journalists get burned from interactions that don’t respect their time and the work they do. A continued engagement will pay dividends over time, especially if journalists begin to trust you and see you as a valuable partner. Over time, journalists may even start to approach you for insights or, better yet, think of you first for any possible engagement.

Reassessing an existing contact list

With time, you build up a steady network of contacts for your media relations strategy. Sometimes the people you connect with stay in your lives for a long time. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out. The reasons for this could be plenty: bridges are burned, the journalist has moved away from writing about your industry, or may not be writing at all anymore.

Keeping your contact list up-to-date goes beyond updating a journalist’s place of work or phone number. The intent needs to remain the same or evolve along with the company’s main objectives. If they don’t align, it’s time to reassess your contact list. Perform this exercise every year or so.

4. Pitching to journalists

Finally, we reach the end of the media relations exercise: pitching to journalists. All the previous steps lead to this stage. While there's no hard and fast rule on how you should approach journalists, there are a few things to keep in mind that hold good for any future pitch.

Here are some key points to remember when trying to touch base with journalists:

• Engage regularly with journalists: As mentioned above, journalists get many media requests in a day. Most of the proposals may sound repetitive. As a result, many emails or cold calls end up becoming a passing event forgotten by the end of the day.
  
  Companies must establish regular contact with journalists. The frequency of communication need not have to be extremely high (a call or an email every day is just overkill and inevitably annoying). Still, interactions on a bi-weekly or monthly basis are a good pace to start with.
• Always come prepared: Because journalists are hard-pressed for time, if they give you the benefit of the doubt and entertain a meeting or a pitch, don’t blow it by showing up unprepared. Come with multiple stories ready beforehand. Journalists may have different article agendas depending on their calendar for the quarter.
  
  It’s best to keep a few stories that differ in content, objectives, and themes. This indicates that you’re serious about the pitch, and the journalists will appreciate you for making their lives a little easier.
• Familiarize yourself with a journalist’s background: Every journalist is like a fingerprint – unique in their own right. They write about different topics and have their own styles of conducting research. Journalists may write about the same industry, but they have different writing styles or approaches to the same topic.
  
  It’s your job to study the backgrounds of the journalists you wish to establish a relationship with. It’s akin to applying for a job. Companies may be hiring for the same role, but each company has very different requirements and expectations. How you present yourself to each organization during the interview will differ from company to company.
  
  Additionally, try to pitch stories that are relevant to what the journalist writes about. Journalist ‘A’ might be interested in covering events, while journalist ‘B’ would be known for covering in-depth interviews in the tech space. You cannot ship out the same press coverage to both, thinking there’s a 50-50 shot of it getting picked up. Leave this kind of math in school.
• Don’t leave breadcrumbs: Investigative journalism is something journalists are required to do. But that doesn’t mean they like putting their investigative skills to use just to find you or get a hold of the media relations team in your company. This isn’t a game of “I Spy” after all.
  
  Keep a media section with all the pertinent contact information available on the company website. Anything that you think would be relevant information for journalists, put it in this section. It saves everyone a lot of time.

Media relations tips: do’s and don’ts

The world of media relations comes with its own set of rules. Here are a few tips to keep in mind to avoid committing any faux pas:

• Create a media kit: A media or a press kit can be incredibly valuable for journalists. If your story idea gets picked up, it’ll need images, details, and any other material required to give it more oomph. Media outlets like to tell interactive stories and tend to have a good eye for assets that could be added to an article or spread.
  
  But it’s hard to find relevant images for company-forward pieces that talk about a product or use case. While you could email all the pictures and interactive media you feel are suitable for the story, a better option is to have a media kit on hand.

• Don’t send PDFs: Attaching images and PDFs to emails is a faux pas in the media world. It’s the equivalent of wearing green tennis shoes at a black-tie event. You can do it, but you’ll get weird looks from everyone who matters. Ask any journalist, and they’ll tell you that downloading a heavy PDF file is not their favorite pastime.
  
  Additionally, receiving multiple PDFs or images can put a heavy load on journalists’ computers. A media kit gives them the liberty to pick which image works best for an article without having multiple back and forth with a company for more image samples.
• Stay updated on the editorial guidelines: Most guidelines cover the same things (keep the write-ups factual, make sure the articles are grammatically sound, and stick to the deadlines), but every publication does have its own set of unique rules. Try to keep a sheet with every publication you’re targeting and note all their guidelines. Editors will appreciate businesses who respect their policies and make error-free submissions.
• Don’t bombard journalists with phone calls: Following up with media outlets is great. But making too many calls or sending emails serves no purpose. Journalists know an interesting story when they see one. Multiple phone calls won’t change their minds. A good practice is to wait a few days for a response. If you don’t hear back in a week, it’s a good idea to follow up with them.
• Have a newsroom on your website: With so many journalists hunting new stories every day, it’s a great idea to have and maintain a newsroom on the company’s webpage. Inbound PR has become more widespread than ever.
  
  Having a newsroom containing major organizational updates ( a round of funding, an acquisition, or a company expansion) serves as a skeleton for potential news coverage that several publications might pick up. Plus, it’s an excellent way of generating more traffic and appearing on search engines.
• Be careful about time-sensitive content: “Press embargo” is a term used for time-sensitive news releases. Typically, businesses or sources request media outlets not to publish a story before a particular date. While the practice is quite common, publications prefer that any embargoed releases are sent a few days before the news can go live, as opposed to several weeks.
  
  Furthermore, anything that’s time-bound (like an event) will need reminder emails sent to the publication so that they’re aware of when to push the news and when to pull it out. Journalists won’t have your calendars at their disposal, so it’s your responsibility to keep dates in mind.

Extra! Extra! Hot off the press!

Media relations is just another pillar in any communications strategy. Before the world can hear about your company and what it has to offer, your message needs to pass through the gatekeepers of the media. Public relations and press releases are vital to building and maintaining a company’s image, and media relations are the key to achieving that.

There is debate on whether the role of media organizations as gatekeepers of information and the audience, has faded, ushering in the death of traditional journalism. Today, brands can take over the role of reporters and tell their own stories and news. However, companies don't have what journalists and media outlets do: reach.

Press releases, media relations, marketing, and public relations are all part of one big family known as integrated communications. Companies must tear down PR, marketing, and advertising silos to improve measurement and ROI. This is the goal of integrated communications. It’s more than just a branding activity that businesses think they can do without; it can bring quantifiable results when you do it right.

Are you struggling to write the perfect press release? Learn how to write a press release.