5 WAYS TO RECHARGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MEDIA
Have you ever wondered why certain businesses and organizations are making headway and always in the news for the right reasons? We will give you the answer!
Organisations that understand the power of media relations succeed in building a positive public image for their brand. They harness media influence to build trust with their stakeholders through the dissemination of quality information regarding their products and services and achievements or impact in society.
The secret behind this positive media presence or public image is the work of a professional media relations expert who does the background work.
Non-governmental organisations and businesses are always seeking ways to communicate with their public. They have challenges communicating effectively and sometimes they do not have the time to undertake the huge responsibility of formulating and sustaining a relationship with the media that will facilitate easy distribution of vital impact information to the public.
Media relationship is not about simply using the media to pass on information to the public, it is about establishing a concrete relationship with the media practitioners and their organisations. It involves building a reputation of trust that fosters mutual respect between your organisation and the media.
we have decided to share the following insights to guide you in making an informed decision when contemplating the building of relations with the media to propagate your messages.
2. Build a Personal Relationship with Media Representatives: Personal relationships with your media representatives will strengthen your connection and build trust between you and them. It will also make them feel special and attached to your organisation, so they will always look out for you and be available when you need them. Listen to their shows, read their articles, and provide them with honest feedback. Reach out to them regularly, know the special moments in their lives and celebrate with them when they are celebrating and mourn with them when they are mourning. Show them it is a relationship, not that they are only being used to further your interests alone.
3. Share Opportunities with Them: You can further concretise your relationship with your media contacts when you share opportunities with them. For example, are you aware of a workshop that can benefit from? You can sponsor or support them with letters of recommendation to attend trainings or fellowships that can improve their skills and practice. You can also organise free trainings for them or even share grant or other opportunities that indicate your interest in their growth and wellbeing.
4. Communicate Effectively: Effective communication is important in building a media relationship that works. Always make sure that you carry your media representatives along as you plan your events, and ensure that they get proper briefing before the event. You should also provide them with backup or reference materials on the project to ease their work. You can also share key points on the angles from which you want them to tell the stories to the public about your project or programme. But, don’t make it all public relations; make sure you get them newsworthy angles to the stories.
5.Know the Strength and Limitations of Media List: Your media representatives are not all the same and do not necessarily reach the same audience. For example, a TV audience or different print and even online audiences, so knowing the particular audience that each of your media contacts serves is very important in measuring the reach of your communication drive. And their regional preferences in terms of media acceptance so it is important to know which media outfits are most regarded within a particular region or even in a particular state. For example, a radio station that has high followership in Lagos may not have the same followership in Kano or Enugu, hence you will need to know and manage this difference accordingly.
Knowing what you want out of a project and working towards achieving the objective that you have set up for your project or organisation is key to a great relationship. This also implies knowing the right target audience for your message or campaign, as this will affect the message and channels of distribution, and this includes knowing your media organisations and media personalities.
Isu Media Ltd helps NGOs achieve these goals. Because of our professional experience, we help our clients to do the difficult task of selecting the right media outfits, audience segmentation, and message development as well as placement. By doing this, you would build a solid relationship that will be mutually beneficial. As an organisation looking to constantly stay in touch with your publics, you would definitely ask the question of why you should choose us to manage your media relations needs. Why not engage with the media yourself? Credibility, experience and track record of trust are very important.
At the end of any media relations contract, there are expected deliverables. We track these and deliver a report that is a detailed analysis of what and how the media reported the event. Attached to the report will be files of audio or video recordings, and links for relevant sites. This report helps our client better account for expenditures on the media, and for reference purposes. Documenting report also helps your organisation’s image, partners are open to more collaborations when they work with organizations that are credible and transparent in their businesses.
As an organisation, we believe in bridging the gaps that exist in communication for development organizations. Your organization’s activities need to be in the public eye, in consistent, positive and credible ways because the growth of any organisation needs the validation of the publics they serve. With our wealth of knowledge, we are sure to deliver on your next event effectively. You can reach out now.
