About Media Relations

How to Develop a Relationship with the Media?

Telling your story involves presenting an idea to a journalist. You can deliver your message by e-mail, snail mail, in person, or over the phone.

Your message will be best received if it is newsworthy, concise, and well organized and arrives at a time that is convenient for the reporter. If you know the reporter and have worked with him or her in the past, you may also stand a better chance of seeing your message become a story.

Here are some quick reference points:

• Before approaching the media, learn what each publication covers.
  
• Learn what each reporter covers.
  
• Find out when—and how—the reporter wants to be contacted.
  
• Ask your public affairs officer to approve your idea before you contact a reporter.
  
• Boil down your message to a 30-second elevator speech; editors are busy.
  
• Always give your contact information.
  
• For e-mail messages, do this:
  
  • Use a succinct subject line.
    
  • E-mail each reporter individually.
    
  • Never send attachments unless the reporter requests them.
    
• Focus on building relationships with reporters.
  
• To build goodwill, offer to help reporters—even if you can only provide information that isn’t related to your agency—and always deliver when you say you will.
  
• Always follow up.

Read more about the basics of delivering your message:

• What Information to Share?
• Who Should Receive the Information?
• How to Deliver your Message?

Then, choose your tactics.

What Information to Share?

You could share ideas for these types of stories:

• Major News
  
  Late-breaking “hard” news full of facts and figures—a new program, a groundbreaking report, a sudden increase in the number of mothers seeking child support—is reason enough to contact the media.
  
  What’s the litmus test for major news? Here are some qualities that make an occurrence news:
  • It has just happened.
    
  • Nobody has heard of it yet.
    
  • It’s unusual.
    
  • It’s big.
    
  • It’s dramatic.
    
  • It highlights conflict.
    
  • It has universal appeal.
    
  • It adds a local twist to a national story.
    
  • A famous person is involved.
  When evaluating a happening at your organization, think about what you see on the news, and ask if your news is of similar significance. If it is, start sharing your story.
  
  
• General News
  
  New hires, new hours, new offices—these may warrant a blurb in a publication and serve as one more way to build awareness of your agency. You can also publicize the activities of your staff. Has anyone received an award? Written a book? Joined a professional association? Taken on a leadership role, either in your office or in the community?
  
  
• Calendar Listings
  
  If you are holding a community event or seminar, submit your listing to the local calendar to build attendance—and long-term name recognition.
  
  
• Feature Stories
  
  A good avenue for “soft” news, feature articles tell the human interest side of the story. They may tell the story of a single mother or profile a leader in the field. They might also show, from a personal angle, how your office helps your clients or showcase a day in the life of a child support officer.
  
  While feature stories usually are not time sensitive, keep an eye out for news related to child support that could serve as a hook—a timely reason to do a feature story.
  
  
• Trend Stories
  
  Alerting a reporter to a trend positions you as cutting edge, so stay in tune with what’s happening in the world of child support. Here are some ideas:
  • Is there more focus on fatherhood?
    
  • Are child support payments up?
    
  • Are more agencies focusing on the needs of Hispanics?
• All of these are trends that reporters may want to cover.
  

Who Should Receive the Information?

In addition to sharing ideas for stories, you can identify people at your organization who are willing to comment on the news. Reporters then can call these experts, also known as sources, to gain insight on happenings within the child support field.

When the quotes from these in-house experts appear in the news, they can raise two things for your organization:

• Credibility.
  
• Name Recognition.

To identify your experts, consider who has a unique perspective on or special training in child support. If an author or researcher is on staff, that person is a prime candidate as well.

Create a formal list of experts in your office that spells out each expert’s

• Areas of expertise.
  
• Current contact information, including cell and home phone numbers in case a reporter calls after hours.

Remember that what an expert says to a reporter—and how the expert acts on camera—can make or break a media opportunity. Even the best sources can use an occasional refresher on talking to reporters. Those who have not served as sources before should have formal media training.

How to Deliver your Message?

To successfully deliver your message, you must first do your homework. Take some time to learn about the reporters and media sources that might cover your news.

Make a list of media in one or more of these five groups:

• Print (newspapers, magazines, newsletters).
  
• Television (news or talk shows, public service announcements).
  
• Radio (news or talk shows, public service announcements).
  
• Newswires.
  
• Online news publications (Web sites of traditional media, online-only new sources, blogs).

When you have a story idea, contact your public affairs officer so that he or she can approve the release of your idea.

Then follow these steps:

• Identify Reporters.
  
  To establish important relationships with the media, first research which media sources and which reporters cover child support and related news. Read, watch, or listen to those media on a regular basis to get a feel for the types of stories each publication, station, or site produces.
  
  Then, pay attention to who reports the stories that relate to your organization. Once you’ve identified who covers your beat, study their pieces to determine what specific topics they are most likely to cover.
  
  Also make a note of topics they have covered recently. If there is developing news, they will likely revisit the topic with updates. If a softer news story or feature has run recently, do not use that topic—they probably will not repeat it in the foreseeable future.
  
  Not sure where to start? Several resources compile media lists. One is Cision, formerly Bacon’s. Use these lists as a guide, and call each publication or station individually to update your own list. You will also want to investigate smaller media that serves only your area.
  
  
• Build Relationships.
  
  To raise your organization’s profile, initiate a relationship with the top reporters on your beat. And remember the “relations” in media relations. When you contact journalists, ask how you can help them.
  
  Make a note of the types of information the reporter seeks, and if you see an item of interest, forward it to him or her even if it does not directly relate to your organization. The reporter will thank you and will begin to look more favorably on your future ideas. He or she may also remember your name when a need arises for an expert to comment on a story.
  
  You should also find out when your reporters are on deadline, and be sure never to call them during those times.