Build a Lasting Relationship

One of the most important criteria for good public relations is to build a lasting relationship. Treat the journalist as your target audience. A journalist needs you as much as you need him/her. He/she is always looking for stories to publish. If you can prove yourself as a reliable resource for a journalist, you will be looked upon as a friend, and this will benefit you in turn. The key is to create mind-space for yourself in the minds of the journalist. So that whenever he/she is planning a story, the first person that comes to his/her mind is you.

The following guidelines while talking to a journalist will go a long way in helping you to create a mind-space in the journalist’s mind.

• Introduce yourself before you need to make the pitch calls
• Intend to build relationships, not just getting the story out
• Know deadlines & communication preferences & honor them
• Have something in writing before you call
• Be available to journalists
• Always be honest
• Say thank you and be mindful how you offer feedback
• Avoid "no comment"
• There is not such thing as ‘off the record’

I am listing a few techniques that will help you build a successful and long lasting relationship with the journalist.

Informal meetings
It’s good to fix up a meeting with the journalist without an agenda. This is what we call an informal meeting. Most journalists also like to get friendly with a company's management as it means an easy access to quotes and stories. Actively call for informal meetings. These meetings should be void of any agenda to get a story in print. The meeting would be to get updates from the journalist on what is happening in the industry and the journalist would seek from you, your views and trends in the industry. Meet up with key journalists covering your industry, informally over a cup of coffee, lunch or dinner at least once every quarter.

Share information
Apart from news from a particular company, journalists also seek general analysis and research reports on the industry they are covering. Try and get hold of such research reports, industry data and analysis and share it regularly with the journalists. They would appreciate a proactive sharing of information without any pitch for a story.

Organise a workshop
Organise a workshop for the journalists covering your industry. You can organise the workshop even in the conference room of your office. The workshop should be in-depth and educational on any one topic of interest that you feel will help the journalist write his/her story better.

If you feel you have done something which has helped you build great relationships with the target audience, feel free to share it with everyone. Post it in the comments section or just email me at rahul@highergroundblog.com.