Life & Technology

An underrated tool in public relations is the relationship-building meeting with the media.

Is it a waste of time, or does it serve a purpose?

What is a relationship-building media meeting?

Simply put, it is an introductory in-person meeting between a brand’s spokesperson and the journalist(s) who cover the brand's industry. Hold one at the Client premises as it presents an opportunity to give a tour of the campus (example: read about how a CEO of a fast food chain met up with a journalist to reconsider his negative view at one of the outlets). Or, the meeting could be at a mutually convenient venue (Hotel lobby, etc.).

A relationship-building exercise is a no-expectation-of-coverage interaction. Every other meeting with the media is an effort to get covered.

The attempt initially is to catch up with mainstream publications that cover various industries and are always in a rush to get their stories out.

How valuable is a relationship-building meeting with the Client or Brand? I want to share three learnings from my stint as a public relations practitioner. 

How does a no-expectation-of-coverage media meeting help the Client?

There are a lot more reasons why such media meetings are beneficial. Media training helps spokespeople make the most of media meetings. 

Relationship-building media meetings are beneficial for Journalists and PR practitioners too. More on those, later. 

"If something happens, we'll hire a freelance communications practitioner to respond." 

Public Relations is not a defensive tactic. Approaching Public Relations or using communication practices defensively will make it harder to get people on board with your nonprofit cause. 

What happens when public relations is a defensive tactic?

A proactive approach is always better than a reactive one. When the attention turns on you, you will be much more believable when you respond because of the trust you built over time telling your stories. 

Consider the following three approaches to drive your communications and online presence.

In today's digital age, news travels quickly and gets amplified by social media. Be proactive in your PR efforts and build positive relationships with your stakeholders. A documented communications strategy will help you in the long run. 

Media Interviews can be tough to navigate without prep work for regular, media-savvy spokespeople. I would never take any media interview for granted, for that matter, any interaction in life. Every interaction today is a personal branding opportunity. It does not mean you need to fake it. It is a call to add value. 

Sharing three essentials to ensure a successful media interview. Here are my brief thoughts on each of them; 

Know your media

If you know your audience, you will need to know your media too. A trade publication will always have a different focus than a mainstream financial. 

Researching previous articles on the subject will help you prepare a fresh perspective for the readers. 

Evaluating the journalist’s past stories and writing styles can provide insight into what to expect from the interview.

Capture key messages

What’s in it for you? 

What’s in it for the media? 

How will it help the reader? 

Crack these three, and it’s a win-win-win for all. 

Make sure you practice different approaches when responding to probable questions with your Communication team. 

Sometimes interviews can veer off because of various industry or trend-related changes. Exploring different angles helps bring the conversation back to what you need to say, apart from what readers need to hear and what journalists need to cover.

Remember, No such thing as “off-the-record” after the 'official' media interview.

Everyone is looking for stories that can go viral. One off-the-cuff response can reap trouble. 

If you aren’t sure of the numbers, let the Communication team get back to the journalist with the exact figures. 

Stick to your area of expertise. Speak only when necessary, outside of the interview. Avoid post-interview chitchats so you can stay away from opining on sensitive topics.

Never make forward-looking statements unless you are sure. Or it is an agreed-upon ‘prediction’ internally. 

Not all interviews are the same. These suggestions are suited for first-timers or if you are meeting a journalist for the first time. 

In the beginning years of my Public Relations career, I woke up to a negative line in a restaurant review feature for one of my clients. This client was an oriental restaurant, a new kid on the food scene. I got numb with fear, but my boss reminded me that she had already updated the CEO and that he would handle it personally.

A mere mention in a leading newspaper has the power to change the perception and hurt any company. To write negatively about a newbie with great ambitions, and already planned to set up multiple (three digits) restaurants across India, was not something to take lightly.

This crisis required a special touch. Delicate handling that I knew my CEO would be able to manage with relative ease.

The CEO personally called the journalist and requested another shot at the food. The CEO joined the journalist for lunch that day.

A confident client is a PR practitioner's delight in a crisis

The journalist genuinely enjoyed the food. He also apologized for taking a stance based on a single experience. A bad hair day in the food industry is a more risky business than ever before, with everyone able to post a review instantly. The journalist was humble enough to admit he should have visited a few times.

When you are with the CEO, the experience has to betop-classs, right? The journalist got a tour of the kitchen. He appreciated the cleanliness and hygiene measures. He enjoyed witnessing the speed of cooking and serving food.

The CEO led the entire tour, confidently explaining and answering the journalist's questions. Within weeks the journalist, after a few solo visits, wrote a positive review.

Such CEOs are a gem, one of a kind. Accessible, available, and admirable.

Getting to work with spokespeople who are both intelligent and empathetic evolves you as a professional. A front seat to watch them do their magic is educational and a confidence booster. 

Every brand, be it a nonprofit or business, requires a spokesperson. 

Not everyone can be a spokesperson.

Not everyone should be the spokesperson of an organization.

The primary spokesperson of any company is typically their CEO. Having a single spokesperson for media interviews is any day better than having different voices or perspectives represent an organization. Multiple spokespeople make sense when you have the right people to elaborate on specific business units. 

When the CEO is inaccessible, the journalist tends to reach out to “anonymous” sources. He or She could be any employee with insight into the inner workings of the company. This is risky for the company because such “anonymous” sources will misrepresent and speak from a meager context.

I want to highlight three reasons why organizations need a spokesperson;

One Voice.

The best person to speak for an organization is its CEO. Why? Only she has a 360-degree view of the organization’s health. Every other leader in the organization reports to the CEO, making her the best person to provide a holistic perspective. An organization with spokespeople apart from the CEO has specialized representatives for their respective departments. E.g., an HR Head would talk about hiring, learning & development, culture, etc. The Finance Head (the numbers guru) stays focused on the financial performance of the organization. There will be times when specialists from core (E.g., engineering) teams are called in to respond to technical details, along with the CEO.

The CEO is almost always the primary spokesperson for any organization, be it a Corporate or Nonprofit. 

At small or medium nonprofits (grassroots organizations), the leader tends to be the sole spokesperson. Strategy, planning, and budgeting are the nonprofit CEOs’ prerogative. She will be the best person to highlight impact.

Consistent Messaging.

The Voice of an organization ensures consistent messaging across media platforms, offline or online. Consistent messaging involves both form and sequence. What I mean by form is, ensuring that the message shared with different media on a given topic is in line with the overall messaging. No two media should have disparate views on the same topic from the same organization.

When we work with journalists over a long period for regular features, the cascade of information must not be repetitive. The key spokesperson is aware of what was said earlier to ensure the messaging flow is sequential and follows a timeline. This is useful for the publication as they look for updated inputs for their stories.

Response-able Spokesperson.

In times of crisis, every organization requires to respond immediately. To inform, educate and empower with critical messaging internally or externally. Or even when there is an opportunity for an organization to be part of a larger feature story that positively highlights its positioning. Media stories often require insights from organizations well-versed in a particular industry or Cause. Being part of those stories help position the company as an expert, building trust and confidence. 

COVID-19 has kept PR professionals alert like never before. Working overtime ensuring their spokespeople reflect their hard work in the background. 

“Speaking with one voice is paramount in crisis communications. Countless times officials have needed to contradict or re-explain the president’s miscommunication. The president has sought to blame China for the virus and previous presidents for a lack of preparedness. He’s also bashed the press repeatedly and said at times the Democrats were to blame.” –

Excerpt from an article on PR News.

Training spokespeople is critical because not everyone is media savvy. Some still go their own way, despite all the training. Training a spokesperson before any media interview is a necessary exercise. It doesn’t matter how good they are. We know experts have been known to drown in swimming pools too. 

Public Relations is the long game. 

Nonprofits are in the long game. 

Building credibility requires time and trust. Public Relations helps build trust. PR also prepares nonprofits promptly to leverage the power of media.

What are five long-term media opportunities that nonprofits can leverage? 

Unique interview

How are you uniquely impacting your cause as an organization? Is your method a new one that will help lift mankind out of its misery? Are you the first one to make such strides in this area? 

Whatever sets you apart from your peers in the space is a potential story you can pursue with the media. 

Profile your people

Almost every mainstream media has a section to profile individuals making a difference in the community. A diligent search across print, television, and online will help locate relevant ones. 

Larger industry stories 

Participating in industry feature stories is a great way to position yourself in the eyes of your audience. Keeping in touch with journalists relevant to your space is a good approach, if not the best.

Say a journalist is doing a feature on human trafficking. Your expertise will be valuable for the story. A quote or insight you can provide will add value to the story and educate the public. Your value as a reliable source will help you gain similar opportunities. 

Trending stories

When some cause-based issue begins to trend in the news or a trending story is relevant to your nonprofit, reach out to the journalist. 

Media briefings or 1o1’s

Frequent media catch-up meetings are a great way to build your media relations. No strings attached briefings, meaning no expectation of coverage. The journalist learns about what you do and the cause. Hopefully, the journalist will leave with enough information for multiple story angles. Keep that in mind when talking to a journalist – story ideas. 

Another important detail, no meeting is off-the-record for anyone. It is always official. 

These are easy-to-find opportunities, not necessarily easy to get done. Persistent effort is necessary. Apply these media opportunities to spread your word as a nonprofit or startup.