Coverage, coverage and more coverage
On April 07, 2016 PRISA hosted the JumpStart breakfast at FleishmanHillard which was attended by young professionals from the Public Relations and Communication Management industry. The atmosphere was refreshing and youthful, with everybody keen to find out more about the session’s topic of coverage.
The JumpStart initiative gives young public relations professionals a platform to voice their opinions and to learn in the process. As one of the attendees I felt that the JumpStart breakfast session dished out important hints and tips on guaranteed coverage. Much of what was being presented is already practiced, but it was good to hear these points again.
My takeouts from the session are:
Research is key
Getting to know the different media in our current landscape and the targeted influencers is pivotal to guaranteeing coverage. As a young professional, I could hear our own Senior Accounts Managers’ words echoed through this segment as speakers addressed us. Information is readily available and finding out more about journalists you plan to contact can be done through a simple google search. The job doesn’t stop there though; the next task is to ensure that the information is current and that they are still in the same position and cover the same beat.
Building relationships is the cornerstone of good public relations
Relationships can make or break campaigns. Building a healthy rapport with journalists will keep you and the client happy. We as professionals need to get to know the people we are speaking to on the other end of the line so that we can pitch relevant content and ideas to them in the most appropriate manner.
Targeting gets you coverage
Creating a media list with journalists you are certain will be interested in your story is key. Ideally these targets should be part of the top tier media list too. It’s important to be targeted and specific in your approach as well as to think creatively about the angle you are pitching to journalists.
I had a great experience at the JumpStart session. I met inspiring public relations innovators and the information presented at the session was insightful. I was reminded again that being a successful practitioner means that I have to research well, plan properly and compile stellar media lists of journalists and influencers that I have to get to know well. Things that I will always keep in mind are that coverage is determined by research, a properly compiled media list, relationship building and being human.