The Art of Media Relations: Building Strong Relationships with Journalists

The Art of Media Relations: Building Strong Relationships with Journalists 

With so many people in the media being laid off from newsrooms, establishing and nurturing relationships with journalists is more vital than ever to secure great coverage.  And yet, starting those relationships might be a bit daunting. After all, most journalists aren’t up for a random chat on the phone or coffee in the middle of the day because of the increasingly busy lives they lead. So how do you do it? Well, it’s actually quite simple, and a whole lot of fun!

First, you have to find the right journalist. An easy way to find the most relevant journalist for you to begin a professional relationship with is by researching and targeting the media people who are most relevant for the organization you represent. One of the easiest ways to do this is by using an AI-driven journalist database, such as Propel! This makes the process extremely simple as it enables you to dive into a journalist's previous work, find their beat, and understand their writing style. This will help you find the right person not only to pitch, but also to follow and start talking to.

Become a Journalist Resource

This will also help you understand the journalist's perspective. Journalists are inundated with pitches and press releases every day, with each PR pro vying for their attention. Therefore, when starting out building a journalist relationship, it’s crucial to tailor your pitches and communication with them to align with their beat, interests, and audience to ensure that you are actually bringing them something of value. Personalization goes a long way in capturing their attention amidst the noise, and shows your respect for their time and expertise.

Furthermore, being strategic in your timing is crucial when reaching out to a journalist, and Propel's AI-driven features can help a lot in understanding how and when to reach out to build a relationship. By tracking real-time trends and monitoring journalists' activities, practitioners can respond quickly to media requests, provide timely updates, and offer expert insights on trending topics a particular member of the media is writing about. This proactive approach not only shows that you’re reliable,but also positions you and your contacts as valuable sources of timely and relevant information. Over time, this fosters trust and credibility with the journalists you’re in contact with. Integrating AI-driven journalist databases into journalist relations strategies empowers PR professionals to build stronger relationships, enhance engagement, and achieve greater success in securing media coverage.

How to maintain a relationship

As with all relationships, Moreover, nurturing relationships with journalists goes beyond transactional interactions. By leveraging the platform to build genuine rapport and foster connections on a personal level, practitioners can create a real sense of camaraderie and mutual respect. Eventually, these efforts will lay the groundwork for long-term partnerships built on trust and understanding, strengthening the relationship and ultimately PR success. This can be done by following and liking a journalists’ stories, providing a genuine comment on a story without tying it to a pitch, and helping journalists out even if something doesn’t tie into an organization you represent. Basically, by being a kind, genuine person, you’ll be able to create a meaningful and deep relationship with a journalist, something which will lead to more collaboration and maximizing opportunities for media coverage.

But with so many journalists out there it can be hard to keep track of who has the best relationship with who. Using a PRM (like Propel!) can really be a helpful tool with this. By utilizing the PRM's features, teams can actively listen to journalists' feedback, track their interactions, and adapt their approach accordingly. A PRM provides insights into each team member's relationship with each journalist. This means that whenever a pitch is going out to a particular journalist, the team can easily identify who has the strongest relationship with them and coordinate outreach accordingly.

But at the end of the day, the art of journalist relations requires one thing to keep in mind - journalists are human too! The deeper and more meaningful the connection, the more mutual respect each one of you has for each other, and the more genuine you are, the better your relationship with the journalist will be. By prioritizing authenticity, transparency, and genuine engagement, you lay the groundwork for enduring partnerships that not elevate your organization's visibility, but also a connection with the potential to last a lifetime.