Tactics to Build Positive Relationships with the Media
Building relationships with key media targets is a good way to grow your business. It’s tremendously powerful to have an industry blogger, journalist, or social media influencer mention your brand online. You’re connected to a larger and dedicated audience. But this isn’t a tactic for the impatient or those who want instant results overnight. It’s about building positive relationships with the media. Here’s how:
- Engage consistently – Showing up on their feed and commenting once a month isn’t the best way to build a relationship. Engage with your targeted media rep at least once a week, more often if possible.
- Engage in a timely manner – Responding to a post that’s a week old won’t help you become a memorable brand or connection. Use tools like Hootsuite to monitor your targets. Know when they post or engage online so that you can become part of the conversation.
- Offer Value – Make sure that everything you say online to your chosen media rep offers value to them and/or their audience.
- No Expectations – Don’t make your value contingent on them reciprocating. When you offer value or a free trial or a product demonstration, give it freely without any strings attached.
- Promote them – Share their posts and content on your feed, assuming it’s valuable and relevant to your audience. You can also quote them in your content and cite your source by including link to their articles or posts.
- Research and Learn – Know who you’re engaging with. Read what they’ve written, and research your mutual contacts (if there are any). Make sure that the comments and content you share with them are relevant and personal. If they think you’re sharing the same information with ten other people, they won’t likely be interested.
- Be In it for the Long Haul – Relationships aren’t built overnight. Don’t expect them to be with the media either. Be patient. Take your time and build a quality relationship that will last.
- Provide Collateral Material – When you pitch a story idea to the media, make sure that you provide them with as much additional information as possible. Make it easy for them to cover your news and to engage their audience.
- Follow Through – If you say you’re going to do something, follow through on it. Make sure that you are true to your word. Whether it’s sending information or responding to a question, follow through.
- Reach Out in Other Ways – It’s easy to respond to a comment on a blog or social media. But what about sending an email, picking up the phone, or using snail mail? Connecting in other ways will set you apart.
If you integrate these tips and tactics into your media outreach, your results will dramatically improve. Get focused, start engaging, and reap the rewards.
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