PR practitioners can develop campaigns and spin beautiful stories about their company or their client, but in the end, the media is the one that will publish those stories and articles. Journalists and writers will write these stories in any way they or their company want. Simply put, if a journalist hates you, all the hard work you've put into your PR plan and campaign will go down the drain as far as the papers, magazines, TV and radio are concerned.
"JOURNALISTS ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS."
This would be a good code to live by as a PR practitioner. Journalists and editors have needs and requirements that they have to fulfill as well. By having good relationships with these people and knowing their needs, it would be much easier for a PR practitioner to get a release or campaign covered. When trust is established between the two parties, it creates an ideal win-win situation where both - PR practitioner and journalist - get what they want.
Updating your contact list is also important in maintaining these relationships. Calling up a journalist only to find out that he is currently a ballet dancer shows that the PR practitioner lacks professionalism. Another important aspect that practitioners MUST know is how a newsroom operates. This will allow the practitioner to know the exact person he or she needs to contact. Knowing the reporting structure also allows for the bypassing of unnecessary communication channels.
The bottom line is, a PR practitioner must have good relations with media people in order to do their job well. It's not just a matter of making his or her job easier. It is what a professional PR agent should do.
Hi Syaz,
ReplyDeleteI agree that to be a PR practitioner, it is important to understand that building good relationship with the media is a MUST. Like you said, journalists are our best friends! If they are not, just pretend to be.
However, with the shift from traditional media to social media, journalists aren’t the only ones we have to be friends with. We have to be friends with technology as well. Being tech-savvy allows us to tap on the potential of these platforms to reach a larger audience and increase communication interactivity.
How do you think the increase in popularity of social media will change this situation where PR practitioners are still highly reliant on journalists?
Hey Jo.
ReplyDeleteHaha, your question reminds me of some of the issues we discussed in our journalism module such as "Is print media dying?" or "Is radio journalism still relevant?"
If you recall, most of us agreed that these seemingly "dying" media are more relevant than we think they are. Although it is true that almost everything is being shadowed by the likes of the internet and other new media, traditional media platforms continue to play an important role is disseminating information.
Majority of Singaporeans still read the papers. Even more people watch the news on TV. So even with access to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, a PR practitioner cannot afford to neglect channels like the press and television.
So while I agree that you "have to be friends with technology", as you have put it, I maintain my stance that "journalists are STILL your BEST friends". Haha.