Building Relationships: Five Tips for Networking with Journalists
Best Practices
Posted 22 Jun 2017
In this digital era, scrolling through a Facebook feed might give one the impression that we are all connected to one another. After liking so many shared articles or videos on social media, we all must know each other well. But if one is honest, liking someone’s photo or an article on Facebook does nothing to build a relationship. One can clearly and conveniently share information with another person through the internet, but important contacts are not created that way. Sharing a meal and discussing their private lives, even just once, can make two people much closer than daily chats on WhatsApp might.
This does not only hold true for personal relationships—in professional relationships, simple actions and gestures can make all the difference. Good relationships between companies and journalists are not built through sending out press releases. In the end, the amount of personal contact one has with clients should surpass that of one’s competitors.
How does one best go about interacting with members of the press? In this case, “building relationships” is not a buzzword, but is a strategy for success. These are our five tips for networking with journalists.
Personal contact with companies plays a big role for the media: it is important that a speaker provides a face for the company. This works best through a personal introduction. Naturally, the company’s executives are the focus of press attention, but the employees and the company philosophy also become more accessible through personal contact. For example, a great opportunity for building rapport with the press is to host factory tours or press events within company headquarters. Similarly, customer stories are especially important in the technology industry, particularly to communicate how a product offers a practical solution to an everyday problem. If journalists are invited to company events, or better, to see a company’s technology at work in its manufacturing plants, the press not only gets a greater perspective of solutions a company can provide, but relationships with the company also feel more tangible.
Many product theme pitches fail because the articles are too marketing-heavy and too biased towards their product. Therefore, it is important that a company acts as a “thought leader” in the media for a specific area of expertise. Journalists seldom report on a manufacturer’s individual product. Rather, the media reports much more on trends. Why not also offer expert commentary from one’s company’s experience in the industry and individual views on a popular topic? In this case, timing is crucial. During real events, like a major hack, expert commentary would be very relevant. If one contacts a journalist proactively and offers his expertise on the topic, the journalist may ask for his expertise in the future—the beginning of a lasting relationship.
With the thousands of press releases sent out every day, it is different for one company to stand out. How can one be sure that the news one communicates stands out? First of all, it is important to ensure a constant information flow. The focus of a communications strategy should not be the newest function of the product. The decisive factor is how the new product, technology or event fits in your overall communications strategy. Therefore, it is necessary to tell a story to create a connection between individual products and innovations to paint a holistic picture of a company.
We spoke of the theme of trends when discussing expertise, but here we will elaborate further. Journalists want to know how every branch of a company faces challenges. Moreover, identifying new industry trends is on the to-do list of most publications. Therefore, why not discuss innovative approaches, research studies or upcoming products with journalists before they begin trending with the competition? The trust the company expresses for the journalist would further a professional relationship and would lay the ground for later collaboration.
As a PR agency, our clients often ask us to establish new contacts with publications—from vertical media in specific industries to daily and economic press. The first task would then be investigation. Who writes about the client’s competitors? Does the client have another view on a theme about which an article was recently published? Showing interest and appreciation of a journalist’s work can be the first step on the way to build a good relationship with that journalist. If you take our other tips to heart, nothing can go wrong. ?
Finally, we have one more tip: have patience, and do not give up! Networking with the press is a long process; it is never simple, and it sometimes requires a great amount of creativity and courage. At the end of the day, however, persistence pays off 99.99% of the time—both in professional relationships and personal ones.
