Building Positive Reporter Relationships

Reporters can provide powerful visibility for you and your business, and they’re typically happy to spread your message. But to have a good relationship with the media, you need to begin by recognizing that it is indeed a relationship – a two-way effort.

Reporter Relationship Do’s

Reporters are people, too.

Get to know the reporters and journalists with whom you work (or want to) on a human level. Reporters are more than their jobs; the more you understand them, their passions, and their interests, the easier it will be for you to know when your story will be relevant to their audience.

Do Your Homework

If you are the person pitching a story, make sure you know what the reporter typically covers, and prepare the information they need to make a good decision. If you are the person being interviewed, be sure to demonstrate both the local, national, or international relevance to the story. The story must have an impact to the reader or viewer that goes well beyond the impact to your company.

Be Available

Be there for your reporter connections when they need you. They may need an expert quote or an angle for a story that you or an authorized corporate spokesperson can contribute to; be available for them.  Make their jobs easier even when it doesn’t benefit you. The reporter will be more likely to come back to you when they have a story in which your company can be mentioned.

Build Trust

Keep your facts accurate and your stories relevant. Reporters and professional journalists put their reputations on the line with every report, so be someone they can rely on to deliver information they can use.

Reporter Relationship Don’ts

• Don’t treat every interaction with a reporter as an opportunity to advertise. If you are too self-promotional, they’ll stop calling you. No one likes to be used.

• Don’t hound reporters and journalists. The editors typically control the publication schedule, not the reporters; when a story runs is often out of the hands of the reporters.

• Don’t ignore their preferred contact method. Some reporters like texts, others email.

• Don’t be rude if they can’t use your story.

Developing positive reporter relationships can be incredible ally in your effort to share information with the public at large, but it only works if you treat the relationship with respect and value.