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Further
Reading ...
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Outsourcing - Is it for my business? - Jakob Jelling
There are definitely advantages, but make sure you make an informed decision! There are a lot of advantages to outsourcing, however, there are also some disadvantages. Since this is such a huge issue, and such a large decision for you to make...
How to Choose the Best Small Business VoIP Solution - Gobala Krishnan
Copyright 2005 Gobala Krishnan Telecommunication cost is always an obstacle for small business owners, especially if you need to call domestic or international long distance. The long distance cost factor alone, depending on the type of business...
10 Ways to Kick Start Your Cash Flow - June Campbell
Is your cash flowing out faster than it's flowing in? This can happen for a number of reasons and can be a sign that your business is growing at a faster speed than you are ready to handle. Perhaps your best customer has given you a $100,000 order...
Be Brief! - Stephen D Boyd
Centuries ago great speakers often spoke two hours and more. But today when sound bytes on television news are the norm and serious problems are solved in an hour on a television drama, audiences are most interested in speakers that get their...
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Effective media relations – you won’t be talking to the media without it!
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Written By:
Mark Croxford
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The media’s role is to package and spread news, current affairs and public interest information to the public. They have great power to shape and influence public opinion, to target and exploit audience reactions, emotions and opinions.
Setting up and maintaining good relationships with the media can be of enormous benefit. Effective media relations promote trust and balance between the media and an individual and their organisation.
Once you’ve proved yourself as a useful and dependable information source, you’ll realise it can:
oHelp to get your story into a news cycle.
oProvide opportunities for the media to approach you for comment on appropriate stories which in turn helps a journalist add depth, by filling gaps or backing up information, to their story.
Effective media relations is about working with, rather than against, the media. That’s not to say you can’t have a robust relationship with the media. However, adopting this approach gives you better access to journalists when there is something to say in the media.
Being available for comment when asked is another essential ingredient in effective media relations. In a crisis, your well-established media relationship can also provide you with a stronger opportunity to get a fair hearing in response.
Consider for a moment reactive media relations - the only time you deal with the media is when things go wrong. The reactive situation puts pressure on outcomes and doesn’t always allow for your messages to be delivered in a positive way. Obviously pressured reactive responses, or worst still, no response at all, can negatively influence public opinion of you and your organisation.
Media relations is also about:
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/>oputting out regular media releases on appropriate issues that catch the eye, with short paragraphs written in newspaper style,
oactively providing comment on issues and or decisions,
oknowing what builds or makes a story, and
oknowing how to keep a story alive and when to let it go.
Using the media effectively can help you win public support. Public support is critical when trying to convince others, such as government or bureaucracy of the merit of a particular proposal or application.
Once you’re comfortable talking to the media you should take a proactive approach to your media relations. The benefits are well worth it in the long run.
If you’re not ready to manage your own media relations, but would like to work toward it, consider approaching a specialist in the field. They can provide advice or management as appropriate on media issues, help write media releases, distribute media releases, organise news conferences, facilitate one-on-one meetings with journalists, as well as deal with crisis and issues management.
Effective media relations can help you and your organisation develop a media profile. The benefit of a media profile becomes obvious when doors open wider for you within government, business and the community.
About the Author
Mark Croxford advises clients from the government, private and corporate sectors on Government and Media Relations. He is a co-author of Talking to the Media. Talking to the Media teaches readers the skills and techniques they need to exploit the media’s strengths, limitations and demands. Don’t spend any money on media training until you’ve read Talking to the Media http://www.talkingtothemedia.com
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| _Additional Resources ... |
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A Career with the FBI - Diana Clarke
Do you have what it takes to become an FBI special agent? Do you have a sincere desire to enforce federal laws and investigate crimes? This job requires hard work and can often times be dangerous and stressful. You'll undoubtedly be in close...
Achieve Goals - Joseph Robert Neil James
Pendulum Power - by: Joseph Robert Neil james. When a Pendulum was introduced to me on 1981.I was fascinated with its simple Yes and No signal. For many years pendulums have been used in various ways. During our lifetime we all have ambitions...
How to Monetize Your Free Website - Nicholas Dixon
For some time now I have been aggressively marketing my Geocities website without the prospect of any financial return. The site is content based so I did not expect to generate any product sales and neither was I able to lure potential...
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