Something that a lot of people aren’t aware of in the Lakeland public relations is how public relations professionals have to build up a good relationship with the local media. A lot of people have some sort of idea that public relations and journalists are two opposing sides fighting over who gets to tell their version of the story first.
Interestingly enough, there is a branch of public relations called media relations that deals with building up relations with the local media like journalists.
It makes sense why it’s important to build a good relationship with journalists, after all, these are the people who tell your story to the public and make a huge impact on how your company is perceived by the public.
So if you’re in the Lakeland public relations industry, here are some ways to build a good relationship with the local media.
Pitch relevant content
Remember that journalists get a lot of story pitches every day, and if you’re pitching to a national media outlet, they can receive story pitches in the hundreds. With this in mind, you have to make sure that you pitch a story to them that they will find relevant.
Journalists dislike working with public relations professionals who spam them with stories that are irrelevant. Also, if you’re going to be pitching a story, you have to make sure that its content is clear and contains all of the information that they’re going to need to tell your story.
Leaving a good professional impression on journalists is a good first step in building a good relationship with them.
Know what kind of stories they want
As you continue to work with journalists, you come to learn what kind of stories that they like best. It’s important to pitch the right kind of stories that they’re looking for and fits in with their niche, no matter what it is.
Journalists are more likely to be receptive to stories that they’re interested in, so if you’re looking to pitch a certain type of story, it’s important that you know the right person to pitch that story to.
Take the time to learn more about your media partners
Building up a good relationship with the media is not something that happens overnight in the Lakeland public relations industry. This sort of thing takes a lot of time to get right and involves a lot of planning and effort on your part.
You should be taking the time to learn what kind of medium your local journalists prefer, whether it’s print or online media, and what kind of topics they usually cover. Taking the extra time to learn their own personal preferences can go a long way in building up a great relationship with your local journalists.
