THE PR STARTER’S PACK
Undertow Media counsels junior PR practitioners on how to stand out in the New Zealand media landscape
The PR industry as a whole can be daunting to the un-initiated. Let alone a fresh-out-the-box graduate who is looking to put reams of theoretical knowledge and hypothetical assignments into practice.
Junior PR practitioners will enter an agency, client stable and media database with no reputation preceding them.
In terms of building trust and respect amongst your clients and arguably, more importantly, your key media, this is ground zero.
While logging hours and turning out timely, accurate, effective work will quickly endear you to your employer, it will take a little longer to create a positive and effectual media relationships which is gained over time. Therefore, it is imperative that relationship building with journalists and publishers is a top priority.
Here are the top tips from Undertow Media on how to create an effective relationship with media, built on trust and respect, in a timely manner:
Be clear and concise when pitching, write your points down and make sure you understand what you are trying to achieve / the product and the brand before you make the call. Start with a question to the journalist (non-rhetorical) and listen and respond appropriately to their answer.
Aim to be less of a messenger and more of an ‘arranger’. Media are inundated with requests and messages to push, aim to be helpful. Take the path of least resistance and plan for answers to questions and document requests before you are asked.
Look upon pitches as a personal challenge but don’t be too sensitive. Even the best in their field receive knockbacks and encounter hurdles daily.
Be personable, be accurate, be helpful, be clear and concise. Your job is to make a journo’s life easier, not harder.
And finally, make sure to look upon pitches as a personal challenge but don’t be too sensitive. Even the best in their field receive knockbacks and encounter hurdles on a daily basis. The key is that you have identified the media best suited to your client and are armed with all the tools to give it your best shot.
As a handy aide to help you in your pitch and press release planning, read through this helpful A – Z article we’ve sourced for you.