Media Relations

Who should attend?

• Corporate and government spokespersons
• Public Relations and Media Relations Managers
• Marketing and Communications Managers
• Owners and directors of PR consultancies
• CEOs, Directors and Staff who undertake media interviews

Learning Objectives

• To understand how media works and benefit from effective media relations
• To identify story types and how they should be ‘pitched’ to editors
• To gauge the importance of stories and how media will assess them
• To plan a successful press conference and give winning interviews
• To relate to and understand the importance of new and social media

Course Content

How to Establish Successful Media Relations

• Understanding the difference between media relations and public relations
• Establishing, managing and maintaining relationships with target media
• Appreciating news values and analysing reporters stories
• Who is who in the news structure; reporters, editors, desk journalists and others
• Importance of maintaining lists and data on target journalists

Pitching Stories Successfully

• Identifying reporters’ beats and understanding their importance
• How to pitch your stories to key journalists
• Recognising news deadlines and observing them
• Planning, setting out and writing successful press releases
• Understanding how and where reporters get their news material

Identifying the Importance of Stories

• Deciding whether a story is for all media or specific news outlets
• Gauging how important a story might be to media
• Gaining a reputation as a dependable source of information for reporters
• Following up your story with reporters
• Developing and utilising ‘tip’ sheets

Press Conferences and Interviews

• Planning, preparing, implementing and following up a press conference
• The difference between a press briefing and press conference
• Preparing for an interview and understanding the reason for it
• Adopting television skills for before during and after an interview
• Pitfalls and how to avoid no comment and off the record

Techniques for New Media

• Media relations and the 24 hour news phenomenon
• Media relations on line
• Devising and managing web news conferences
• Auditing and monitoring social media and utilising ‘citizen’ reporting
• Differences in approach to traditional and new media