An Inside look at Media Relations

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.

Reading to Write Better

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

– Stephen King

We communicators are not pioneers. We use an existing tool — the English language — and try to use it to the best of our ability. We deliver a message to a target audience using a string of words that we find appropriate.

Communicating is a simple concept but one that can be done in infinitely different ways. Ask one hundred people to write a paragraph about any one topic and you will have one hundred different paragraphs.

The words we choose are derived from our unique experience listening to speech and reading text. People speak and write in the language and dialect that they have been exposed to.  Everything you read is an experience that influences how you communicate, however subtly.

Sometimes we have a strong sense of what we want to say but can’t figure out how to say it convincingly. It’s a constant hurdle for the writer, one which I’ve tried to overcome multiple times as I write this very blog post.

That is why reading is invaluable. Ideas and feelings that are obscure can become lucid when articulated by somebody else.  Reading not only expands your vocabulary, it teaches you how to utilize the vocabulary you already have.

A writer never realizes their potential, because their potential is boundless. There is no finish-line. A writer is constantly evolving. Ask the same writer to write about the same topic five years apart and you will likely find two different products. New books and articles we read shape how we communicate. Not only that, they shape how we think.

“Think before you speak. Read before you think.”

– Fran Lebowitz, The Fran Lebowitz Reader

 Some writing is dull and some writing is clever. Some writing is succinct and some writing is bloated. To put it simply, there is good writing and there is bad writing. So how does one improve their writing? Writing workshops and grammar lessons will only take you so far. In my mind there are two ways to improve your writing: practice and reading.

We often neglect books or long articles and essays because we find ourselves overwhelmed with other responsibilities. We think we don’t have time for it. If you want to be an effective communicator there is no excuse. Reading and writing go hand-in-hand.

Instead of fooling around on your smartphone or tablet while commuting to work, read something. Instead of counting sheep in bed, read a book. Instead of turning on the TV while eating breakfast, read a magazine, article, or essay (http://www.aldaily.com has daily suggestions covering a wide array of topics).

Everybody knows that reading is beneficial. It educates, it elicits complex emotions, and it helps us see the world from new perspectives. People still neglect it. If you want to succeed as a writer, blogger, or PR practitioner there is no excuse. Make reading a habit and you will find the time spent is a small price to pay for the benefits you will receive.

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
– Charles William Eliot

The Horror of Trite Language

“The horror… the horror…” -Colonel Kurtz, Apocalypse Now (1979)

When I see people who describe themselves as a “people person” or a “dynamic candidate” I feel a little like Kurtz did as he lay dying on the jungle floor. The horror he was speaking of was the horror of war, but is it really any worse than the horror of bad English?

I am thinking in particular of the language of employers and those seeking employment. Job ads, resumes, and cover letters are littered with language so unoriginal and overused that it is devoid of meaning. A resume is not complete if it fails to mention the job-seeker’s willingness to be a “team player.” And employers must think they will attract the wrong candidate if they do not specify that they require someone who is “detail-oriented.” This type of language is ubiquitous; It’s as if you must include a requisite number of bullshit phrases to avoid seeming suspiciously out of touch with the rest of society.

When I was in grade ten, I was forced — school work at this age is never accepted willingly — to read George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language.” It stuck with me and has influenced my idea of proper writing ever since. Principle among his claims was that language should be clear and concise. Orwell concludes with six tenets that every writer should adhere to:

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

(ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do.

(iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

(iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active.

(v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

(vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

These are useful rules for writers of any pedigree. Those who have a mastery of words can be especially prone to complicating their writing; Self-indulgence occurs where simplicity should prevail.

Bad writing can be found in many places. Orwell directed his ire towards politicians, his perennial antagonists. Politicians are certainly deserving targets. Their language is a fog in which you will strain to find substance or intention. They have made the use of unclear language and stale metaphors an art form. Just try and say so much while meaning so little. It’s quite challenging.

There are many whose writing could be more clear and concise. However, my main problem is with those who intentionally write with no originality. In this article I have mentioned politicians, employers, and job-seekers. It should be noted that job-seekers do so only because they feel it is expected. Human resources, those who make the rules of the game which the rest of us must play, are to shoulder the blame. Clear and original language should be rewarded and trite language condemned.

I hope this post is a reflection of my desire to champion good writing. I fear it is a tirade written by a bitter man whose attempts at finding employment have so far been unsuccessful. I’ll leave that for you to decide.

The Value of Speaking with Confidence

Public speaking is a skill that is hard to master. For some people it is simply terrifying. The key to public speaking is confidence. When you think about it, it sounds so easy. All you do is open your mouth and exercise your vocal cords. You do it every day; When you buy a coffee, when you see a co-worker or classmate, or when you answer your phone.

If you can speak well to your friends, family, or a mirror than what is stopping you from doing it in front of others? It is all mental. People worry about how others will perceive them. Do I have something on my face?  Do I look fat in this dress? What if they see right through me and realize I have no idea what I’m talking about?!

Granted, the pressures are real. If you are presenting in front of your boss you generally want to impress. Doing a good job could mean positioning yourself for a promotion while mucking it up might earn you a reputation as someone who lacks confidence. If you are presenting in front of someone who’s business you wish to acquire, you’re presentation could make or break the deal.

Here are the five keys to giving a successful speech or presentation:

1) Prepare, prepare, prepare. You can never have too much preparation. Often what makes people nervous is the fact that their ignorance might get exposed.

2) Practice. Like many things in life, practice is imperative to mastering your presentation/speech. Try practicing your speech in front of a mirror or a supportive friend.

3) Stay within your element. If you are generally a serious person, stay away from comedy. There is nothing that will kill your confidence faster than trying a joke that falls flat.

4) Don’t say anything you wouldn’t bet your life on. The fast track to failure is to say something you aren’t full sure about. If someone poses a question — or even worse, corrects something you’ve said — that you don’t know the answer to you will be in deep water.

5) Be confident! This one is easier said than done. What you have to realize is that you’ve been put in this position to present or speak because somebody knew that you were the right person to do it. Try and keep in mind that this 15 minutes, or hour, or however long, is ultimately not THAT important. Even if you screw up, life will go on as before when you wake up the next day.

So although the pressures may be real, there is no reason to believe you can’t nail it. Follow these steps, keep things in perspective, and everything should fall into place.

If you have any advice please share your own tips in the comment section.

Welcome!

This blog is for anyone with an interest in public relations. Entries will be written by yours truly, but the idea is to create a forum PR practitioners to share ideas. Students of PR will find advice and guidance to assist the development of their skills. Professionals will find tips to improve their practice and a community of practitioners with which they can discuss best practices and emerging trends.

Public relations is a growing field that stretches across many industries. Clearly Communicating hopes to eventually discuss issues that affect those in every field. Whether you’re into investor relations, entertainment, or government relations there will be something that should interest you on our blog.

Topics this blog will cover include: writing, speaking, strategic planning, social media, media relations, and an anything else deemed relevant by our committee (of one).

New entries will appear weekly, if not more frequently. I hope to have guest bloggers from time to time in order to get a fresh perspective (hearing exclusively from myself might get boring!). If you would like to personally reach out to me you can e-mail me at andrewjosephdow@gmail.com.

So, Welcome! Contribute to the discussion by commenting on posts.  Enjoy!