Reporters can provide powerful visibility for you and your business, and they’re normally very happy to help you spread your message. But to have a good relationship with a member of the media, you need to begin by recognizing that it is indeed a relationship – a two-way effort. The media does not exist simply to function as your company’s advertising megaphone.

Franchetti’s Reporter Relationship Do’s

Reporters are people, too.

To build healthy reporter relationships, don’t treat members of the media as if they only exist when you need a mouthpiece. 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

Do the legwork. 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. Refer great news stories to 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.

Use Twitter

Reporters and journalists are almost all on Twitter, and they use it to ask questions, query the masses, and gather feedback. If you are a public relations professional, participate. If you are in the business and not in PR, be sure your corporate policy permits direct interaction with reporters before engaging with them on social media. Give your genuine insight (don’t mask it as an attempt to push your PR agenda).

Franchetti’s 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 ignore their preference for your own.
  • Don’t be a jerk. If they can’t use your story, don’t be rude about it.

Developing positive reporter relationships is a wonderful opportunity. Media professionals can be incredible allies in your effort to share information with the public at large, but it only works if you treat the relationship with respect and value.


Franchetti Communications delivers accelerated results by designing power-packed media interview and presentation training sessions around your unique goals, in person and via teleconference. Franchetti Communications works with corporations and business leaders to develop communication strategy, messaging, and PR strategy. Follow Franchetti Communications on LinkedIn, and be sure to download our special report: 6 Ways to Guarantee Your Message Cuts Through the Clutter.

One Response to Building Positive Reporter Relationships
  1. […] personal relationships built over time by PR professionals remain crucial to developing positive relationships with reporters, who do not have time to respond to irrelevant or mass-emailed pitches. Media outreach cannot be […]


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