When most people think of media relations, they think of press releases. To be sure, writing and distributing them is one of the most important parts of the job. But press releases may be the most overused tool in the media professional’s arsenal to the detriment of other tools that might have greater results.

When I worked in broadcast news for ABC News and CNN, the fax machines virtually never stopped. We got press releases by the dozen, and by the end of each day, we had a ream of press releases. They each had something in common. They each went unread.

To break through the clutter, you’d be wise to occasionally skip the press release and send a personalized note to a reporter instead. This works particularly well when offering a reporter an “exclusive,” a story that you will only pitch to a single news organization.

Here are three tips to help make sure your letter gets read:

1) Offer an Exclusive — News is a competitive business. If a reporter likes your story – and is convinced that his or her cross-town rival won’t have it – they are much more likely to carry your news. The offer of an exclusive is an effective tool, but should be thought out carefully, since the news organization that doesn’t get the story may hold it against you.

2) Conduct Reporter Research — You may have a brilliant pitch – but if you send it to the wrong reporter, it’s useless. Make sure you properly identify the correct reporter for your type of story.

Once you’ve done that, indicate to the reporter that you’ve been following his or her work, and that your story is similar or related to another story he or she has recently written. Mention his or her previous articles by name. A shockingly small number of media relations professionals take the time to do this, so the reporter will instantly deem you more credible than the average “PR flack.”

3) Subject Line — Reporters from National Geographic Traveler and People magazines recently told me how critical they consider an e-mail’s subject line. A boring subject line means that the e-mail will probably never even get opened!

There are certain things you can do to break through the clutter. I’ve found it effective to write “Offer of Exclusive” in the subject line, or to include the reporter’s name in the subject line, as in “To David – New Research Shows Children Increasingly Illiterate.”

But virtually nothing beats a genuinely creative and attention-grabbing headline. I recently saw an e-mail sent by a company that uses clamshells to make jewelry. Their subject line? “Clams aren’t just for chowder anymore.” You better believe that most reporters were curious enough to open that e-mail!

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations (http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com). He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and also headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

It doesn’t matter how cruel the reality programs get, there always seems to be an endless supply of people willing to humiliate themselves to get on television. There’s just something exciting about appearing in front of millions of people.

In fact, just knowing someone that’s going to be on TV or on the radio is exciting, so when you know you are going to be on the air, send an alert to your mailing list.

Send notes, e-mails, faxes – whatever it takes – so they know when they can catch you. You’ll be surprised at how many people tune in. After all, they now know a real celebrity!

Of course, most people will still miss it. It isn’t as easy to send a "reprint" of a TV or radio appearance, but it can be done. Get a video copy of your appearance. (Never ask the reporter (unless they offer), they have to get to work on their next story.)

Call the station the next day and see if you can get a copy. If not, call a media monitoring service in your area. Most cities have one. They tape every local TV and radio broadcast and can provide the video or audio you need.

Afterwards, send copies of any video or audio tapes (smart move: get them edited to 5 minutes length maximum) to your best prospects and referral sources.

Recently a longtime vendor sent me (and a thousand others, no doubt) an e-mail saying he’d be on 60 Minutes that weekend. I couldn’t watch that night but I sure was thrilled for him – and impressed. And he was top of mind for a good few days. Which is exactly what he wanted to happen when he sent me that e-mail.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

The words are pop culture heroes.

Movies such as “The Insider,” books like “All The President’s Men” and television series including “The West Wing” have immortalized them.

“On-the-record,” “on background,” “on deep background” and “off-the-record” are celebrity phrases, used regularly as shorthand to represent the mysteries of the journalism underworld.

In reality, these words aren’t used all that frequently in newsrooms; moreover, they’re not particularly helpful. Unless you’re a whistleblower or working on sensitive issues at the highest levels of government, it is almost always better to remain “on-the-record,” meaning that everything you say can be published and attributed to you.

As simple as this basic rule may seem, spokespeople regularly get coaxed into saying more than they intended. They may become comfortable with a reporter, decide to trust the wrong journalist, or develop the mistaken belief that a member of the press has agreed to their terms. It often backfires, with the interviewee facing an unwelcome dose of public scorn when the story hits.

Here are three reasons you should (almost) always stay on-the-record:

1) Definitions Vary – Different news organizations – and different reporters within those news organizations – define terms such as, “on background” and “off-the-record” differently. A simple Internet search reveals the problem – to some news organizations, off-the-record means the reporter can’t mention your interview to even her mother, and to others, it means that your comments can be printed anonymously with the corroboration of just one other source. Without shared agreement on what the terms even mean, agreeing to an interview as anything other than on-the-record is a crapshoot.

2) Agreement Breeds Confusion – In 2002, Washington Post reporter Sally Squires interviewed Gary Taubes, an author who had written a controversial article for The New York Times Magazine challenging the accepted wisdom about the role of dietary fat in weight gain. Before agreeing to the interview, Taubes insisted that he have final approval of his quotes before they were allowed to run – in other words, that his comments were off-the-record until further notice. Ms. Squires agreed – or so he thought – so he was shocked and embarrassed when his overly candid remarks were printed. Far from being unusual, the ambiguity of agreements between reporter and source often leads to mismatched expectations.

3) “Official” Interviews Don’t Exist – Many interviewees think they are on-the-record during the “official” interview, but off-the-record before and after. In fact, anything said in the presence of a reporter is quotable, including the off-handed remarks made at last night’s dinner party.

In August 1984, for example, President Ronald Reagan famously leaned into a microphone for a sound check just prior to his weekly radio address. Joking around with those gathered in the room, Reagan quipped “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”

Even though the comments weren’t broadcast live, the microphone was on and two news networks recorded them. They almost immediately broadcast the comments, which they clearly deemed newsworthy in the midst of the Cold War.

The incident sparked international outrage, with the West German government pouncing on Reagan’s comments as a sign of his ill will.

White House Spokesman Larry Speakes claimed that the news organizations acted irresponsibly since any remark made before the official radio address was “off-the-record.” However, since the journalists didn’t agree to that condition in advance, they had every right to air it.

To be sure, there are occasionally good reasons to leave the safety of an on-the-record conversation. Instances of corruption or fraud, for example, can be leaked to a reporter in an attempt to hold public officials or executives accountable. But do yourself a favor. If you’re unclear of the rules or unfamiliar with the reporter, get a professional opinion before proceeding. It might save your “off-the-record” comments from appearing on tomorrow’s front page.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations (http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com). He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and also headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

Lights…camera…ACTION.

That’s what often happens when people think of using media for advertising or other promotional purposes. It’s the focus on ‘action’ that often means the results are somewhat less than expected. A bit of planning can greatly improve your chances of success.

Before you contact any media outlet there are a few things you should think about:

1) Choose the right media.

2) Make sure you have an interesting story (or advertisement).

3) Treat media contacts with respect.

Here’s some advice to help you use media wisely and improve your results.

1) Choose the right media.

>> Press (newspapers - daily, weekly, paid or free) -

* Great for targeting ‘now’ buyers who are looking for current specials and promotions.

* Generally reaches an older demographic.

>> Television (metropolitan or regional) -

* Huge reach potential ensures many people have the opportunity to see your advertisement. Although often there is much wastage as many viewers are not in the target audience.

* Combination of visual & audio is ideal for ’show and tell’ demonstrations.

* Issues will be more likely to be covered if they can be explained or highlighted with the use of ‘visuals’ - live footage, photos, pictures, interviews etc.

>> Radio -

* Due to the diversity of radio station music/talk formats you can more easily identify demographics of audience.

* Higher frequency can be achieved due to relatively low cost of medium.

* May add credibility to small firms as audio presentation can be professionally produced at a low cost.

>> Direct Mail -

* Can create high impact material with detailed information.

* Ability to target individual users and personalize message.

* Responses can be easily tracked and measured.

>> Email -

* Very short lead/production time. May use text, HTML, rich media format.

* Can easily be personalised using in-house information.

* Ideal to attract customers back to a web site for additional details and ordering.

* Quick response and feedback possible.

>> Catalogues/Flyers -

* There are many types of catalogues. Choose a style and frequency to suit your product, audience and budget - e.g. paper stock, use of colour, photographic style, layout, topic etc.

* Can promote a range of complementary products in a themed environment.

2) Make sure you have an interesting story (or advertisement). If you are creating an advertisement consider these points:

- - Do you have a headline that is benefit oriented?

- - Do you quickly spell out the benefits in the first few lines of copy?

- - Are all contact details legible and correct?

- - Use a picture to add interest.

- - Can you use colour?

- - Your company logo should appear at the bottom of the ad, not the top.

- - Where is your ad going to appear in the publication:

* Which issue?

* Which page? Left or right hand side?

* Is there an associated feature/editorial opportunity?

* Where are your competitors positioned?

If you are submitting a media release or contacting a journalist/reporter for coverage:

- - Make sure you have covered the 5 W’s:

* Who, What, Where, When, Why.

- - Have your contact details at the bottom of the release.

- - Make sure you have a credible ‘news’ angle. Use numbers, trends, emotional situations, quotes from people involved etc to add interest for a reporter.

- - Write concisely without using industry jargon. The release should be 400-500 words maximum.

- - Try and send your release to a specific individual, reporter or journalist.

3) Treat media contacts with respect.

Most people in the media work to revolving deadlines. Make life a bit easier for your media contact by working within these deadlines, and in return you will usually receive a fair hearing.

Reporters try to maintain an objective approach to stories. You may think your new product release or upcoming event is hugely important. But don’t imagine the media will always see it your way. Give them a reason to get excited but stick to the facts.

If you are seen to be too pushy your story will often be ignored. Don’t harass the reporter with numerous phone calls, emails, faxes etc. It is OK to call the reporter first and check their beat and ask how and when they prefer information to be supplied. For example, many newsrooms will not accept emails with attachments due to virus concerns. Then send your (properly prepared) information, and wait for them to contact you.

In summary, to get the best results:

* Choose the right media

* Write your material to be effective

* Contact the right person, and

* Submit your information in an appropriate way.

Oh…and don’t forget,

Lights…camera…ACTION - using the media should be fun.

(c) 2005 Marketing Nous Pty Ltd

Stuart Ayling runs Marketing Nous, an Australasian marketing consultancy that specialises in marketing for service businesses. He helps clients to improve their marketing tactics, attract more clients, and increase revenue. Stuart also offers telephone consultations and runs regular marketing seminars. For additional marketing resources, including Stuart’s popular monthly newsletter, visit his web site at http://www.marketingnous.com.au.

Publicity seekers know that Christmas can provide a bonanza of media coverage. Every media outlet, it seems is cranking out a special edition on gifts for the winter holidays. So, Christmas is the time to get ink for your product.

For many of these opportunities you need to be thinking at least six months out so that your product or service finds its way into the special sections. Magazines like Better Homes have long lead times, while newspapers have deadlines a few weeks from the holiday. Don’t forget trade magazines that reach your customers. Electronic media typically will work closer to the actual holiday date. Another avenue to consider is syndicated columnists, who also have shorter lead times.

A great way to get coverage is to suggest an overarching story idea into which your product or service fits. Think about the users as well as the use for your offering, and think about the publication.

Let’s take some of my clients for example. Charleston Cookies might be positioned as part of a story in Southern Living about Gifts of the South, or Gifts For Southerners Who Moved North. Bank of Commerce stock, which is now on sale, could be part of a story on Kids’ Gifts That Keep On Giving. Ty Boyd’s Executive Speaking Institute might be part of a story on the Gift Of Learning.

A pet store might publicize Warm and Fuzzy Gifts. Your product might fit into Gifts for Teens, Gifts for Executives, Gifts For Chilling Out, Gifts For Those Who Have Everything: you get the idea.

Now, here is what you should send to the media. Send a pitch letter, or email, that explains how the gift fits into their editorial needs and with their readers or viewers. A one-page release and product photos also should be sent. If you send via email, do not attach a bunch of photos. Find out how the editor prefers to receive them and follow her instructions.

Our next task is to decide where to send the information. Yahoo! has a directory of media that you can use for free. There are all sorts of paid services – like Bacon’s - that provide media lists. Better still is the excellent Christmas Gift Guide produced by the League of American Communications Professionals.

Get to work now, and get the gift of coverage this Christmas.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, Verbatim and Youth Link USA.

Well, for starters, because good public relations can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences. And that can help business, non-profit and association managers like you achieve your managerial objectives.

But remember to let the PR tacticians handle the special events, brochures and press releases. As a professional manager with public relations reporting to you, you have more important things to do.

Like, for instance, planning to do something positive about the behaviors of those key external audiences of yours that most affect your operation. Especially when you persuade those important outside people to your way of thinking, then help move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Here’s a path you might follow as you put your public relations action plan in play: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

What an approach along those lines can do, is help you avoid an over-concentration on those tactical brochures, press releases and special events, and focus your resources instead on those key, all-important, outside groups of people.

And what might you expect in return? Among other results, customers making repeat purchases; new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources; positive bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; community leaders beginning to seek you out; prospects starting to do business with you; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

Just who will do the work this implies, should be an early concern. Specialists from a public relations agency? People assigned to your operation? Your own public relations staff? However, regardless of where they come from, they need to be committed to you and your PR plan beginning with key audience perception monitoring.

During early conversations with PR staff, you need to be certain that those assigned to you are clear on why it’s vital to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Hopefully, they’ve already accepted the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

The sooner you go over with them how you plan to proceed, the better, especially how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

If money is in the budget, don’t hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program. And always remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Your new PR goal will address the worst distortions discovered during your key audience perception monitoring, and probably call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially troublesome rumor.

But identifying the right strategy is the real key. This refers to a strategy that tells you how to get to where you want to be, and there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick will taste like banana-mango ketchup on your canteloupe, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Because crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking really IS hard work, you need your first-string varsity writer to create some very special, corrective language and aim it at members of your target audience. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/opinion towards your point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

The job now is to select the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. This can be done after the draft is reviewed by your PR folks for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens of tactics available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

For better or worse, a message’s believability can rest on the credibility of the vehicle used to deliver it. So, you may decide to introduce it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

Calls for progress reports are an early warning for you that it’s time for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Actually, most of the questions used in the first benchmark session can be used again. But this time, you will be watching carefully for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction. And that’s real progress!

But, of course, you can lose momentum. Should this occur, you can always speed up the program by adding more communications tactics, and increasing their frequencies.

Why public relations? An easy question for the professional manager. Because it’s crucial that you achieve your managerial objectives, you must alter individual perception in a way that leads to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences, thus insuring the success of your operation.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1495 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

THE TWO MINUTES UNDERDOG

Edward Everett was one of the most famous orators of his time. Standing before an audience of thousands in a Pennsylvania field on a cold winter’s day in November 1863, he delivered one of the impassioned speeches that made him famous. His two-hour speech reportedly captivated the crowd.

The poor fellow who was scheduled to speak after him had only prepared a two-minute speech.

The man was Abraham Lincoln, and the speech was the Gettysburg Address.

Less is more.

ACCOMPLISH MORE BY SAYING LESS

Most interviewees are experts in their fields. They have a lifetime of acquired learning in their subject, and could easily pontificate for hours about even the smallest detail. Their expertise rarely fails to impress at dinner parties, and they are regarded as wise counsel amongst friends.

But in the setting of a media interview, they almost always say too much.

Perhaps they feel the need to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge in an attempt to build their credibility. Conceivably they think that giving a reporter extensive background is helpful. Or maybe their nervousness uncontrollably propels them to chatter endlessly. Either way, they’ve lost total control of their message, and are inevitably disappointed by their quote in the next day’s paper.

An interview isn’t about demonstrating knowledge – it’s about organizing knowledge. Instead of downloading raw information to a member of the press, interviewees should prepare no more than three main message points (single sentences) prior to the interview. During the interview, questions should be answered directly – but quickly – before segueing to a prepared message.

In general, try to keep your answers to 30 seconds or less; complicated questions can occasionally require up to a full minute. By doing so, the audience stands a much better chance of actually remembering your most important points. Remember – even the smartest audience won’t be able to recall everything you said. But they will remember the highlights – if they remain unburied by nonessential verbiage.

THE LESS YOU SAY, THE LESS YOU STRAY

Another reason to “talk short” is that it limits your risk of saying something you’ll ultimately regret. As an interview continues, most interviewees become more comfortable. That’s a good thing. But too often, they become victims of what I’ve dubbed, “The Seven Second Stray.”

The Seven Second Stray is the often inevitable moment when a comfortable interviewee makes a slightly sarcastic or flip remark. The spokesperson may have been on message for the other 59 minutes and 53 seconds of an hour-long interview. But I can almost guarantee that the reporter will ultimately use the less-than-favorable seven seconds. Why? Because it’s unscripted, off-the-cuff and probably more dramatic than everything else you’ve said.

BILL CLINTON BOMBS

Before he became president in 1993, Bill Clinton was best known for his 1988 nominating speech at the Democratic National Convention.

His speech droned on for more than an hour. Television cutaways showed delegates of his own party nodding off. When he finally uttered the words, “And in conclusion,” the delegates cheered wildly.

A few nights later, he appeared on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” Carson’s first question? “So, governor, how are you?” Without pausing, Carson reached under his desk, pulled out an hourglass, and turned it upside down. The audience roared.

Less is more.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information or to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training tips, visit http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com.

You may remember Forrest Gump’s Vietnam pal – the one who grew up shrimp farming and was fond of listing the dishes he used to make. “Pepper shrimp,” he started, gearing up for his lengthy monotone monologue. “Shrimp soup. Shrimp stew. Shrimp salad. Shrimp and potatoes. Shrimp burger.”

That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the front page of The Washington Post’s Food section last February. Staring up at me was a half-page photo filled with all sorts of yummy-looking prepared shrimp. The delectable photo was followed by two pages of text glorifying the tasty creature.

But missing from the article was any mention of the environmental concerns about shrimp. For example, the capture of only one pound of shrimp in the ocean kills more than 10 pounds of other marine life, which just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

At the time, I was working with an environmental group. We quickly moved into action. I called a scientist with whom I worked frequently. We drafted a fact-filled two paragraph letter to the editor and submitted it to The Post. It was published the next week, one of the rare letters to appear regarding an article in the Food section.

How did we break through the hundreds of other letters submitted to the Post each day – and more importantly, how can you? Here are seven rules to getting your letter published.

1. Act Quickly. We had our letter in the hands of the Post within 24 hours of the article’s publication. The quicker you submit your letter, the greater your chances of being published.

2. Know the Rules. Most news organizations post the rules for letter submissions – including preferred length and method of delivery – on their websites.

3. Be Concise. Most newspapers will run letters no longer than three paragraphs in length. If you don’t edit your letter, the news organization will either decline to run it or will edit it for you. Maintain control of your words by keeping your letter short.

4. Keep it Simple. Letters to the editor aren’t places for complicated jargon. Your letter should be self-contained, meaning it’s understandable to readers who missed the original article.

5. Take a Stand / Issue a Call to Action. Editors like letters that take a strong position. Be direct, controversial, or adversarial, and tell readers what you want them to do – it enhances your likelihood of getting published.

6. Localize. Most newspapers are considered local or regional. If your letter concerns something larger in scope, give a relevant example. For instance, if you’re writing about your concern over global warming, explain how the effects of climate change would affect the local community.

7. Follow-Up. Most letters pages get an influx of new letters each day. Placing a phone call to your newspaper’s letters desk often gets it removed from the bottom of the pile.

In reality, most letters won’t contain all of the above ingredients, but they should include as many as possible. The Washington Post letter we successfully placed contained six of the seven; we failed to make it local since the original story was global in nature.

As an example, the published letter is below:

EXAMPLE OF A PUBLISHED LETTER TO THE EDITOR

"Your recent article ‘So Much Shrimp’ [Food, Feb. 25] failed to mention the tremendous environmental costs associated with shrimp fishing. Each pound of wild shrimp caught causes the death of 10 or more pounds of other marine life. This ‘by-catch’ is simply tossed back into the ocean. Shrimp fisheries are responsible for more than 11 million tons of by-catch deaths annually. When shrimp trawlers drag their heavy nets across the ocean floor, they destroy coral reefs, sea grasses and other marine life; flatten terrain; and kill numerous fish, turtles, starfish and crabs, among other creatures.

New techniques for farming shrimp are beginning to resolve issues relating to pollution, genetic contamination, disease, and destruction of natural coastal mangroves and wetlands that have long plagued aquaculture operations. Consumers can help by learning about the economic and environmental costs on destructive fishing and fish farming."

Signed,
Sylvia Earle
Executive Director, Global Marine Program, Conservation International

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information and to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training e-tips, visit http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com.

The media’s role is to package and spread news, current affairs and public interest information to the public. They have great power to shape and influence public opinion, to target and exploit audience reactions, emotions and opinions.

Setting up and maintaining good relationships with the media can be of enormous benefit. Effective media relations promote trust and balance between the media and an individual and their organisation.

Once you’ve proved yourself as a useful and dependable information source, you’ll realise it can; help to get your story into a news cycle, and provide opportunities for the media to approach you for comment on appropriate stories which in turn helps a journalist add depth, by filling gaps or backing up information, to their story.

Effective media relations is about working with, rather than against, the media. That’s not to say you can’t have a robust relationship with the media. However, adopting this approach gives you better access to journalists when there is something to say in the media.

Being available for comment when asked is another essential ingredient in effective media relations. In a crisis, your well-established media relationship can also provide you with a stronger opportunity to get a fair hearing in response.

Consider for a moment reactive media relations - the only time you deal with the media is when things go wrong. The reactive situation puts pressure on outcomes and doesn’t always allow for your messages to be delivered in a positive way. Obviously pressured reactive responses, or worst still, no response at all, can negatively influence public opinion of you and your organisation.

Media relations is also about; putting out regular media releases on appropriate issues that catch the eye, with short paragraphs written in newspaper style; actively providing comment on issues and or decisions; knowing what builds or makes a story; and knowing how to keep a story alive and when to let it go.

Using the media effectively can help you win public support. Public support is critical when trying to convince others, such as government or bureaucracy of the merit of a particular proposal or application.

Once you’re comfortable talking to the media you should take a proactive approach to your media relations. The benefits are well worth it in the long run.

If you’re not ready to manage your own media relations, but would like to work toward it, consider approaching a specialist in the field. They can provide advice or management as appropriate on media issues, help write media releases, distribute media releases, organise news conferences, facilitate one-on-one meetings with journalists, as well as deal with crisis and issues management.

Effective media relations can help you and your organisation develop a media profile. The benefit of a media profile becomes obvious when doors open wider for you within government, business and the community.

Mark Croxford advises clients from the government, private and corporate sectors on Government and Media Relations. He is a co-author of Talking to the Media. Talking to the Media teaches readers the skills and techniques they need to exploit the media’s strengths, limitations and demands. Don’t spend any money on media training until you’ve read Talking to the Media http://www.talkingtothemedia.com

Did you Know That Even TV Remote Control Units Can Get Press and Media Coverage?

It is widely and yet wrongly believed that only very famous, fascinating or controversial people or products can get valuable press coverage and publicity through the distribution of press releases.

This would seem to shut out a vast majority of small businesses and their products and services from benefiting and profiting from the lucrative world of the press and media. It would also seem that the vast majority of online and e-commerce entrepreneurs are not in a position to reap the rewards of PR or public relations benefits. One would think that small businesses would not have a chance in the PR world. Only thing is …. that this is just not true!

In fact nothing can be further from the truth. The reality is that virtually anybody and any product or service can get valuable press coverage, capable of attracting a colossal amount of attention and the orders that go with it, thus making a huge impact on the success of any business, irrespective of its’ size or nature.

The key behind the success of any public relations campaign hinges mainly on a well written press release and high quality targeted pr distribution. The most successful press releases are the ones that highlight the most interesting aspect of a new or existing business in a way to make it press worthy and that speaks directly into a particular listening audience.

Highly successful press releases campaigns have been conducted on a wide variety of different products and services. It is surprising to know that some of the products that have received extensive coverage as a result of quality targeted press release distribution services include what one might normally consider as common items such as: golf ball washers, TV remote controls, eyeglass lens displays, shopping websites, bracelets and a host of other everyday products and services.

Such seemingly everyday ordinary products have been the subject of press worthy articles that have led to coverage in numerous large newspapers like the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald and the San Francisco Chronicle amongst others.

Skillfully written press releases can also lead to full write-ups and photos of products in Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine, Family Circle Magazine, Home and Graden and many other publications. This is also not to mention TV segments in popular television shows like the Regis and Kelly show and Good Morning America… or perhaps the motherload of TV exposure - the Oprah Winrey show.

Quite often press releases offer the sort of editorial coverage than no amount of money can buy and often times it results in a total image transformation with a meaningful impact in the market. Much of the best exposure can be in particular trade publications the offer the most reward to a business. It has been said many times before that targeted press release distribution can offer an element of exposure that than no amount of paid advertising can come close to achieving.

It is important to note that the size of a particular business does not really matter. In the hands of a skilled PR person or spin doctor (as the press are fond of referring to them as), any entrepreneur with some clear minded focus and a quality marketing and advertising company can get press and media exposure they need to generate some meaningful publicity that can dramatically transform the fortunes of their small business.

For more information on how you can get a quality targeted press release written or have your press release distributed to the targeted media contacts in our 600,0000 press and media contact database, please visit our Advanced PR department at Majon International.

About the Author

Matthew Hesser is President and CEO of Majon International, one of the most popular internet marketing and advertising companies on the internet located at: http://www.majon.com

To get a high quality targeted press release written and/or distributed to the press and media, as well as get GUARANTEED media and press coverage for your business please visit: http://www.advanced-pr.com