To establish good media relations, we need to understand the needs of the media from several levels, in fact, it is like doing sales, to know what the user needs, and then, with different methods to meet the user's needs.
The needs of the media are just three: access to important news stories; personal career development for editors and reporters; and advertising and business needs of the media.
And companies need to get their message out through the media to the people in the eye of the beholder.
In this way, the enterprise can find the point of convergence with the media needs in the following three areas.
First, to help journalists get news clues
Media coverage of the new room, providing facts and views, to influence public opinion. There is more pressure on PR to do media relations now. For example, just four or five years ago, Jingdong Group's media relations list is only about 300 people, basically traditional media, now this list quill 10 times, a large number of industry media, self media is included.
In hot industries such as automotive and Internet, a product launch invites three to five hundred media to belong to regular operations. On the other hand, the more media, the more intense the competition for high-quality new between, who can provide valuable news clues to the media, who will be able to get more coverage.
So, how to help journalists get news leads?
1, invite journalists to participate in important press release activities
If you are an industry leader, the release of important products is the media to be the first to report, such as the listing of Apple's new products. Do a good job of media relations, you have to invite journalists to participate in such activities, otherwise he would say, so important things do not invite me, and later asked me how to help you?
Now a lot of product releases are live, such as Apple, millet, hammer and other cell phone product releases, some of the conference also charge tickets, all the information to the public at a glance, then invite journalists to the scene there is no effect? Of course, the reporter on the scene can experience the real atmosphere, the audience's reaction, you can make a more exciting report.
In addition, some companies will be on some key media to eat small stove method, revealed in advance - some information to the media before the official release of the product to do warm-up and paving, provide more background material, so that in the release of the product, the important media reports will be more than the general audience to see more in-depth.
2, for the reporter to arrange for an exclusive interview with the top management of the enterprise
The media need to obtain valuable information and views, they have their own channels, and they also want to get these contents from the enterprise. For industry media, content from companies, especially industry leaders, is especially important. They also hope that they can get certain privileges, such as interviews with CE0. For traditional media, including CCTV, to be able to interview the likes of Apple's Cook, Tesla's Musk, and Huawei's Ren Zhengfei is a matter of desperation, which is particularly important for increasing the media's ratings, readership, and influence.
Media journalists also want to meet more people who can provide new interstitial clues and perspectives. In my early years as a correspondent for Xinhua News Agency in London, responsible for economic and sports coverage, I was particularly keen to establish contact with economists from some of the major banks, such as HSBC and American Express, and when I encountered a major event, I would call and ask them for their views, and then put their words into the story.
Today you see a lot of media reports, but also on the basis of the narrative facts, quoting some experts, these human resources are usually to be accumulated. If you are in the enterprise, there are financial experts, technology experts, big data experts, can be introduced to the reporter, in order to ensure that the enterprise information can be controlled, the enterprise experts understand the risk of dealing with the media, you can establish contact through the arrangement of public relations.
3, invite journalists to visit the enterprise's production and technology development
Experienced journalists always say, don't look at the WeChat, live broadcast of these means are more developed, the reporter still need to go to the scene, the scene is not the same feeling.
In an industry like automotive, arranging for the media to test drive and feel the product is one of the most important PR tools and one of the main ways to do good media relations. Take journalists to test drive, test drive routes are special to reflect the product performance of the place, such as off-road vehicles in the non-tarmac road, sports cars in the mountain road, cars in the beautiful scenery of the lake, the test drive experience is also an opportunity to communicate with journalists in depth.
We often say that travel can best enhance the understanding of people, not only the car's test, other industries to participate in exhibitions, factory tours, overseas travel, are with the reporter in-depth communication opportunities.
A PR counterpart told me that he took the media to Finland to travel to the sauna in winter, the snowy cabin is particularly romantic, no one around, two people from the hut out a few steps, the results behind the door was blown by the wind bang closed, two people bare body was locked out of the door. The service desk was a bit far away, called every day, so they had to cover their lower body to the nearest small store and call the Finnish bath service desk to open the door. After many years, the two have to be silent for a moment when they meet, and then burst out laughing.
The purpose of the trip is not to take a Finnish bath, so that the media to see the real factory, real products, real business people, in order to make the dissemination of more feeling, more effective. We often talk about the situationalization of marketing, for the product is relatively simple, the user is difficult to reach the enterprise, you can use the manufacture of fleeing from the north such as events to do marketing, while the product is visible to have a sense of the enterprise, to let the reporter experience that feeling.
I worked for the U.S. GE, once invited more than 20 cancer patients to visit the GE Medical Products Research and Development Center, GE's advanced CT, magnetic *** vibration of the medical equipment diagnosed their early stage of cancer, to get timely treatment, this time they came to [see with their own eyes those who invented life-saving technology]. A group of people who don't know each other, fate connects them together, they embrace, talk, communicate, the whole process is reported by the media on the spot, and also made into a propaganda film, this kind of situationalized communication effect is particularly good.
Of course, not all factory tours have this auspicious dramatic scene, but let the reporters feel the enterprise, take them to the production line, R & D center, see the real products, contact with the people who design and produce the products, which is auspicious for them to do a good job of corporate reporting, and establish a closer emotional connection with the enterprise.
Two, to help journalists personal development
You may want to ask, PR and journalists is a working relationship, I can help them develop their personal career? Of course you can, it is also part of the daily media relations.
1. Help journalists build their position in the industry
Leading companies can help journalists build their position in the industry.
Look at the strong team of industry journalists now, from the early years of home appliances, IT, to the current Internet, automotive, the media to promote the development of the industry, the journalists themselves are also the beneficiaries of the development of the industry, many journalists become respected experts in the industry.
At the end of 2016, an eco-corporation rented a chartered plane to take the media to the United States for a launch event, a pinnacle of the industry's push for media. Over the past 20 years, large corporations have helped media establish an industry perspective, a global view. Now that the tide has turned, many of the companies that helped foster the industry's media have lost their aura, and fewer and fewer people are patronizing the Finnish baths, while at the same time, the rise of new lines of business is shaping a new generation of media.
To help journalists establish their position in the industry, you'd better:
1, become an expert in the industry yourself;
2, let yourself and your business grow with the media;
3, hold journalists up as opinion leaders.
In many international and domestic high-end industry forums, top journalists with high reputation in the industry may become guests of honor and forum guests. Some automobile company owners even seek the advice of well-known industry journalists during new product development.
2, to help journalists career transition
Journalists and all the workplace like people, will also be jumping ship, will also be transformed. If the reporter in the media circle to change jobs, change to a new place after, must need the industry's old friends support, you also need him to fulfill the new media support. In such a transition, to provide him with a good industry perspective, interview opportunities, media relations can be twice as effective.
Some editors and journalists want to do traditional journalism for the rest of their lives. For example, my graduate student Wang Xiangwei, a native of Jilin in the northeast, was the first mainland Chinese to become editor-in-chief of an international mainstream media outlet when he became editor-in-chief of the English-language SCMP in Hong Kong a few years ago. Now he is a consultant for the SCMP, and also writes a weekly column, penning more than, English is better than Chinese.
Now the journalist team is particularly young and unstable, and the post-85 generation has become the mainstay of Chinese editors and journalists, while the average age of mainstream media journalists in the United States is 47 years old. Many young editors and journalists do not necessarily do a new life, the media has become a hot topic in the PR world, a number of media people, including myself, have turned to PR, and media people to start their own business.
For editors and journalists who are thinking about their future careers while working, corporate PR can provide information, connections, and a lot of other help, and there have been more than a dozen media people who have consulted with me about corporate PR, and then successfully transitioned to PR.
Then you will ask, the reporter does not do the reporter, the relationship is not broken? In fact, this is the opportunity for PR people to accumulate their own contacts, your position in the industry, reputation, to a large extent, is the media people to establish. Even if these people left the media industry, your reputation is still there. I have repeatedly been helped by journalists who have left their jobs and changed careers, and their own reputations and connections will also have a long-term impact on your corporate PR.
Third, respond to advertising and business needs wisely
The media's need for advertising and business partnerships makes corporate media relations subtly complicated. Smart media will do solid content, strong influence, and then wait for enterprises to come to the door to cooperate; a little less media, will look for enterprises to talk about advertising cooperation in a friendly way, they will respect the wishes of the enterprise; the worst media, is the enterprise does not give advertising to explode negative.
Almost every public relations have encountered not to throw ads by the media explosion of negative things, individual cases caught the obvious evidence of extortion, you can use the report and legal means to solve the majority of cases is a gray area, look at each other's understanding and **** knowledge.
Now, in addition to very official media, and cases like Caixin Media where the editorial and business departments are clearly firewalled, most media have some gray policies on advertising, soft copy, cooperation, and news coverage. It is illegal to take money for news, but there is no problem with media giving friendly coverage to friendly companies.
You must be asking, is it easier for companies with money for advertising to do well in media relations? Not necessarily.
I've been in PR for 20 years, half of that time with advertising, half of that time without advertising, and I don't really feel there's much difference between that and media relations. The benefit of advertising is that you get favorable media coverage and the corresponding positive coverage, the risk is that you can never cover all the media with your advertising, and the more media you advertise to, the more cynical the media that don't advertise to you become. So, when you don't have advertising dollars, you throw your hands up in the air, and when you don't have advertising dollars, you don't necessarily have to be treated differently by the media.
Dealing with advertising-related media should pay attention to the following issues:
1, according to the media's influence on advertising, not according to the personal relationship with advertising;
2, in-depth cooperation than the purchase of soft more effective, legitimate use of media resources to achieve the overall communication objectives of the enterprise, rather than bring a bunch of painless soft important;
3, Never in the face of being exposed to negative, direct advertising to buy peace. You avoid this robbery and show weakness, more ferocious wolves will pounce on you.
Finally, let's talk about a few issues that need attention in media relations.
1, can you take the reporter as a friend?
This question is benevolent, my answer is that PR and the media is a partnership, sometimes it may be better than a friend, sometimes not as good as a friend. The definition of a friend is someone to whom you will give unprincipled support. PR to the media, or vice versa, can not be this auspicious unprincipled.
The most ruthless words between friends and girlfriends are, [this time you don't support me, we are still friends]. I have encountered a very good relationship with the reporter, said the leadership let me to you to point out the advertisement, this month's plan will not be completed, can you help. In this case I usually refuse, but promise to find a way to help in other things. I have also encountered media reports negative, looking for good relations with the editor to help, but did not pull the negative. The industry has self-regulation, the jungle has rules, a lot of things, to take their own.
2. Should the media be treated equally or differently?
The reporter is the uncrowned king, is the most unspoken level; but the reporter also lives in reality, the reality makes you have to make a difference, the interview with the CEO can not be arranged for too many people; the launch of the seat there is always a front and back row of the points.
Therefore, the principle of dealing with media relations is: to equalize the attitude, reasoned differentiation. Give more consideration to the characteristics of the media, such as television media need a good shooting position, self media need to be fast release, official media need to be politically correct, industry media need expert perspective. In the travel arrangements, with reference to the government's level of treatment, individual respected old journalists can be given priority.
3, on the report of the negative corporate journalists, should be more close or more distant?
Look at the reporter's motivation. If he is just to fulfill their duties, especially to complete the task assigned by their superiors, there is no need for special accusations, continue to maintain relations, show your generosity, he will be more grateful. If he is reporting you negatively for want of advertisements and other unethical reasons, such a person should be distanced. However, more often than not, it's a mix of the two, and still requires the judgment of the publicist.
To summarize the lesson.
Building a good relationship with a journalist involves:
1. Helping the journalist to get news leads;
2. Helping the journalist's personal development;
3. Responding reasonably well to commercial and advertising needs.
In dealing with the relationship with journalists, the issues that need attention are:
1, brand public relations and journalists on the public is a partnership, on the private can be a friend relationship, public and private can not be mixed;
2, in the presence of many journalists, the general principle of equality, according to the level, the industry status of the journalists and other standards of appropriate differentiation;
3, on the newspaper You need to be rational in your treatment of negative journalists, and distinguish between what is professional behavior, and what is personal revenge.
Content from: brand public relations - practical guide | Li Guowei