Prior to joining RL&A in June 2007, I was a reporter with Westfair Communications, publisher of the Westchester County Business Journal, so I’ve been on both sides of the communications spectrum. As a writer, I relied on PR professionals to keep me in the loop regarding their clients’ business happenings and what was going on in the industry. Relationships were easy to build during my time as a reporter because, as a member of the media, I was the one people were pitching on a regular basis, particularly local PR professionals whose clients were looking for business press.
Now that I work in PR I’ve learned that, while relationships are important, they are secondary in the quest for effective PR. The key to landing high-profile media placements that resonate with a company’s target audience is the ability to communicate and tell your story in a unique and compelling way.
Now that I have been working in PR for a while, I know that one can have Oprah Winfrey, Matt Lauer, Katie Couric and their executive producers in their rolodex as contacts, but a relationship with them will not guarantee media coverage. However, come up with a story angle that fits in with the content they typically cover, communicate your pitch effectively and with a unique twist or expert, and you may be in business. In fact, it’s this skill that can help you develop and sustain these relationships over time.
The most successful PR people do a great deal of leg work before they even send out a pitch. They research the writer or producer, they see who has covered the specific topic in the past, they only pitch media who cover the topic being discussed, etc. You won’t see media coverage resulting from a technology pitch that was sent to a health writer. Tailor your message to the person and outlet you’re pitching. It’s this behind-the-scenes work that establishes your reputation as a credible resource to media and helps form and sustain beneficial relationships. Sending people in your rolodex pitches that don’t fit their coverage/audience will surely hurt your relationships.