What Does Media Relations Mean?
Media Relations can be described as a company’s interactions with editors, reporters and journalists. The media can be newspapers, radio, television and the internet. The goal is to communicate a company’s newsworthy message, story or information using the appropriate media outlets.
What Makes Up Media Relations?
- Interviews – company personnel talking to the media about company news, the company’s area of expertise, or other related issues. Interviews are:
–Newspaper
–Magazine
–Procedure
- Radio
–Live
–Taped
- Television
- Online
- Media interviews are third party endorsements
- Logos and interviews can be used in promotional material
What Makes Up Media Kits
- Press releases – announcements from the company on company news. The first paragraph of each press release is the most critical. It should the contain the who, what, where, why, and how.
- Press Kit – Press kits are also known as media kits
- Major media rate a potential guest from a scale of 0 to 10. No press kit rates a zero
- Most media prefer an online version
- Elements of a press kit
–Headshot of personnel who will be speaking to the media
–Bios of company personnel
–Company logo
–Information on the company
–FAQ’s
–Sample of previous media coverage
–Press releases
How To Secure A Media Interview: The Media Pitch
- Two paragraphs
- First paragraph outlines a story with questions that can be answered by the company spokesperson
- Second paragraph gives the authors background and how they can answer the question
- Is basically the story for the reporter
Sample Media Pitch
The online retailer, Amazon has long seemed like the 900 pound gorilla. It continues to grow stronger and bigger forcing publishers to bend to its will. It even jumped into the development of a Smartphone this summer. Yet despite this, the company isn’t meeting profit forecasts. The publisher Hachette is embroiled in a titanic battle with Amazon over the price of e-books. A group of authors are seeking to persuade Amazon to stop withholding books from sale when it negotiates with publishers. Amazon evidently felt heat from this group Wal-Mart is seeking to take on Amazon with a newly designed and revamped website. Amazon began fighting back this weekend by forming a group Readers United to pressure Hachette, the nation’s fourth-biggest book publisher, in its dispute with Amazon over the price of e-book. Adding to Amazon’s woes is Wal-Mart that is seeking to take on Amazon with a newly designed and revamped website. Has Amazon gotten too big? Is it trying to do too much? Could it be headed towards a fall?
Able to discuss this and more is Kevin Paul Scott, co-founder of ADDO Worldwide and author of the book, 8 Essential Exchanges. Mr. Scott says that Amazon is being pulled in too many different directions. It is trying to be everything instead of doing what it does best. He says competitors sense blood in the water and that unless Amazon changes direction it could be headed towards a fall. He has appeared on CNBC and FOX Business Network for his expertise. Would you be interested in interviewing him on this?
