Written by Yusuke Kamimura. Translated by Marc Wilkinson
Problem 1: Can’t get an appointment with the media
This is a really common problem I hear from corporate public relations (PR) representatives. Our clients are often amazed at how easy it is to get appointments, even with unconnected media.
Many people who have trouble getting appointments are usually asking the media the wrong way. “Can you please write an article about this news? It’s interesting news, so please make it into an article. There is no advantage for the media to fulfill these “requests” for free. In many cases, the media will say to the PR representative, “Please send us the material. We’ll consider it”. and it usually never moves forward.
The reason we can get our clients appointments with the media so easily is because we don’t ask for them. The stance of “consultation” is the key. A reporter’s job is to write articles that will generate buzz (articles that are useful to readers). We make appointments with the stance of consulting with the client, saying, “I think it would be interesting to read this kind of article in your media, but please let me consult with you about what is missing”.
Rather than just thinking about publishing articles about your products and services, PR representatives should think about what kind of articles would be interesting in the media from the readers’ point of view, so that they can create a strong pitch to the media. So, don’t “ask” for an appointment; rather, set up an appointment to “consult”. This creates a win-win incentive for the media representative.
Problem 2: Don’t know what kind of media is available.
With the widespread use of press release distribution services, it has become easy to distribute a press release to over 100 media channels simultaneously. There are so many media outlets, its near impossible to have heard them all without extensive research. Sending a press release without knowing the media to which it will be distributed is the same as sending “junk mail”.
The first thing you should do when you start working in public relations is get to know the media. There are thousands of media outlets, including TV program names, newspapers, magazines, and online media. From these, pick out all the media that relate to your company/brand/product. Look for relevance from a variety of angles, such as media reporting on the industry of your product or the industry of your product’s customers.
For television, it is important to understand not only the name of the program, but also the contents and demographics. For magazines and newspapers, it is important to understand past features, serials, and columns. If you can narrow down the media channels to the sections that are most relevant to your company’s public relations content, it will be easier to formulate a PR strategy.
Many PR professionals choose broad television channels, national newspapers, and popular magazines as their target media. However, what should not be neglected are the specialized newspapers and magazines. Since they contain in-depth information about the industry, niche media channels can be a valuable source to find new customers and strengthen your brand appeal. In order to know effectively convey your PR content, researching and creating an extensive list of your target media should be a high priority.
Problem 3: Communication between PR representative and the company. Sometimes Public Relations is not valued internally.
Sometimes PR professionals lament that they don’t get the recognition they deserve from within the company, stating, “My company doesn’t understand PR. We need to rethink the goals of PR. If we evaluate the results of PR based on the number of media coverage, advertising conversion value, and impact on sales, we will end up concluding that web marketing is more cost-effective”. The result is a debate about what PR is all about.
PR stands for “public relations,” and it is an activity to build relationships between society and companies. The purpose of PR activities is to send out and receive messages to and from society. Rather than setting only the media exposure of the company’s products and services as the goal, the evaluation of PR professionals can be improved by using the value of their relationship with the media as an indicator.
For example, there are not many PR representatives who can give a clear reason why the company’s product/brand release was not picked up by the media. A PR expert however. Will know that the more media contacts they have, the more feedback they can get to determine the direction of their next PR measures and product development. Public relations professionals who are able to comprehend and utilize the opinions of media & society can become a valuable asset in their company.
SUMMARY
These questions came from a compiled list of common concerns by those who are new to PR and those who are already experts in PR. By re-evaluating the way we think about PR, we can achieve stronger communication that is good for all three parties: the company, the media, and society.
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