I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the Communications Manager of a very successful sports website and mobile app company. Their app has over one million downloads. I don’t know if he would care but I’ll keep his identity unknown — We’ll call him James. Our focus was on media relations, but we spoke about general public relations issues as well. The following are some highlights of our conversation.
Being Proactive and Reactive
Asked whether his approach is proactive or reactive, James responded that he must act in both manners, as the situation dictates. A company must always be proactive in order to thrive and stay ahead of the pack. If you are not actively selling your product or brand then you risk ceding ground to your competitors. Staying relevant is the key to survival for companies in today’s fast-paced environment. Likewise, external factors that affect the company’s image and standing with consumers must be dealt with. It is naive to think that consumer concerns or negative media coverage does not require a timely and appropriate response. These issues snowball if not dealt with in an expedient and effective manner.
Getting media coverage is an area where James must be proactive. His company relies heavily on blogger reviews. This means James must reach out to them and find a mutually beneficial reason for his company to appear on the target blog. A company’s product may or may not receive coverage without a concerted effort. It is a safer business practice to reach out to bloggers and traditional media to make sure they know about your product. In this regard James must maintain an up-to-date list of media contacts. He scours the web on a daily basis to monitor competing apps and the coverage they, as well as his own, receive. Things move fast in the world of mobile apps and websites, and there are constantly new threats and opportunities to be aware of.
Getting The Coverage You Want
Not only does a company want coverage, they want coverage that can relate to the company’s culture and ultimate goals. The best way to do this is to have a clear message to offer the media. Give them details that you want to make its way into the coverage. If you are not providing a complete story or message then you give the media member incentive to fill in the blanks in ways that might not reflect your brand in an accurate or desired manner.
Ignore Bloggers at Your Own Peril
James believes that bloggers can be just as influential as traditional media. Traditional media often looks to blogs for information. This is especially true in the industry in which his company competes: technological services. Blogs are typically specialized to a degree that even a columnist of a particular newspaper section is not. Consumers looking for reviews and recommendations for apps will search the internet. So when his company has an update for their app and want to get the word out he will contact bloggers. One of the more influential blogs for mobile apps is Android Central. In order to get coverage from a blog like this, James must convince them that it is beneficial to them to cover his app. To do this he would mention that his company has one of the leading sports apps and that there will be many people interested in hearing about the new version. This means more clicks for the blog’s website and more coverage for his company. James tells me the key is to find a mutually beneficial reason for his product to be covered.
Skills Required to Be in Media Relations
Asked what skills are recommended for a media relations practitioner, James stressed the need to be personable. Relationships need to be built and sustained to ensure you have the connections needed to get coverage for your brand. You also need to make sure these are transactional relationships. Your contacts will lose interest in you and your company if you are not providing them with material that is useful to them. It is also important to make sure you are accurate in what you do; Sloppy work can spoil a relationship. And just like most areas of public relations, good writing skills are imperative for those in media relations. James has a personal blog to keep his writing sharp. Even if you have junior staff writing your press releases and website content, you have to be a good writer yourself in order to effectively supervise their work.
Assorted Timbits 