Sharing media savvy secrets of the inner lives of the media to give you a leg up for Successful PR campaigns.
The quote sums up for me this matter of understanding the media. (Not including the tabloids and shock broadcasting in this picture.)

“I am not in the business of providing a free ad or promotional service for anyone whether I know them or not. My job is to write a balanced, compelling story with news value for my readers. I am more interested in issues of impact than image, and if you give me that, then and only then can we strike a deal."

Question: Do the media like to form relationships with people who are pitching them?

Answer: What I have learned from my 28 years of successful PR, branding, marketing and public relations is that the media’s definition of a relationship is, that they are interested in you playing your part. This “part” is about understanding the media and pleasing the media. Doing it professionally, with dignity, and with competency. In short, media people are not interested in being your friend.

Question: What’s the rule of thumb for inviting the media out to a meal or a drink?

What PR, marketing, and branding media savvy topics will make the media open their arms and say yes to giving you publicity coverage?

· Timely / Current events or tie-ins

· Crisis of any kind, animal vegetable or mineral

· Emotional subjects

· Controversial subjects

· Entertaining subjects

· Problem solving topics

· Subjects that fill a need

· Subjects that fill a void

· Subjects that educate

· Subjects that empower and enlighten

· Subjects that heal

· Something the audience doesn’t already know

What makes you media savvy? It’s by understanding the media and pleasing the media. This is accomplished by dealing in wants, not needs. How? By pitching a story that draws from the readers wants, not their needs, from their agenda not their needs.

Why the media says no to your pitch.

· Treating the media as second-class citizens

· Assuming they are there to do your PR bidding

· You don’t take into consideration that they are busy with all the branding and publicity pitches

· You don’t care if they are on the other line talking to another public relations person

· You take them off your mailing list when they are unemployed. Not media savvy

· You think you are their best friend and that they are yours

· You think that just because they wrote on your PR, marketing and branding ideas before that they will do it again

· You think that because you have to offer them public relations strategic relationships you are just the best thing next to sliced bread

How do I learn how to please them and give them what they want?

When you are contacting the media do PR, branding, publicity, marketing and public relations, the best way I know for pleasing the media and understanding the media is to be media savvy. Watch the shows, follow their columns, study the make up of the features.

Know how they think and what they’re looking to present to their audience. When you go to pitch, not only will this knowledge will put you on equal footing in each and every phase of the dance you do when you write your releases, pitch letters, and do your follow up, but it will show how media savvy you are. They will be that much more open to hearing your PR pitch, your branding strategies, your marketing moments.

And most importantly, send them a thank you note for the on air interview, the story in print. Believe it or not, this gesture goes a long way in obtaining successful PR, and establishing you in their mind as a true Public Relations Person.