Have I mentioned that I hate to be late? I mean really, really, it-makes-me-nauseous hate to be late.
And eventually, I rolled my way through 70-mile-hour speed limits, going 20, to St. Cloud State University to meet my friend Joe and to speak with a group of students about how public relations people and the media can have positive working relationships.
I shared my tips yesterday, but thought it would be worthwhile to recap some of what Joe shared, too.
1. The advent of email (albeit several years ago) has led some PR people to get lazy. Very lazy. He shared how just yesterday he got an email from a PR person who sent it, all at once, to every single reporter and producer at every single TV and radio station, all the newspaper reporters in the city. And didn't even BCC them. The press release, in itself was fine, the approach was not. His tip? Take the time to communicate directly. No one wants to feel like they have received generic information, even if they have. Of course there are times when news is really news, and everyone needs to get it at the same time. But when it's not, don't pretend it is.
2. Schedule your stories and press conferences to be convenient for them, not necessarily for you.
3. If you want a good story, give reporters the time and access they need to get a good story. For instance, in the case study we shared, for one of the stories, Joe and his photographer, Brett, came to film on three separate occasions "just in case" something happened. Nothing did. And that was okay. We gave them the access they needed. So when something finally did happen, they were there.
4. Know your media. Know what they do, what they cover, and how they cover it. And pitch your stories accordingly.
The students were great and asked smart, thoughtful questions. So, despite the long drive on slick roads, I loved doing it.
