The first rule of effective media relations is to create clear messages or to decide what you want to say. However, the second rule can be very important: to come up with an effective way to deliver those key messages. Well-crafted messages must be clear, concise and preferably in the form of a complete sentence, though even statements that adhere to those standards are often omitted from a news story, as they simply are not interesting enough to warrant ink or airtime.
Media relations have its own basic rules, which include the following items: establish media contacts, know the subject matter and have a good story to tell. Experienced PR professionals know the media landscape inside out and have built strong relationships with key journalists and their publications and programs. They are constantly monitoring and evaluating the media's needs and the way they operate and approach their readers and viewers and use this insight to develop successful media strategies for the clients. This is backed up by first class copy-writing, interviews, press conferences and media roundtables, tracking and analysis of media, media training, media tours, media database development and maintenance, media monitoring and analysis.
They also combine PR tools in an intensive media relations campaign in order to achieve their objective. The campaign is usually based on the following tactics: press releases (major news announcements), feature articles (on general topics, such as liberalization of the market, new services and trends in telecommunications), informal meetings with media (in order to build strong relationships with key influential journalists), press briefings, interviews and client case studies.
Sometimes, the best way to garner excitement about a product or service is to simply get out there and spread the word! Media relations specialists can research, plan and book so called 'media tours' with regional and/or national media. They cannot only pitch and schedule world-class interviews, but also plan all accommodations and assemble other opportunities, such as book signings or speaking events. Public relations and media relations agencies work closely with clients, trying to know their particular businesses and marketing strategies in order to create and develop strategic PR promotions. Agencies create programs that combine promotions, events and PR into fully integrated campaigns, providing a layer exposure, not available through other marketing disciplines and affording our clients cost and time efficiencies and execute a single strategy utilizing multiple channels.
Strategic PR promotions often look at the following: a PR mission that means a desirable final end result and when (terms) PR objectives or what key elements are that make up the end goal, PR strategies - an analysis of the strategic option for achieving these objectives, PR tactics - detailing actions, which will give the strategies every chance of working, PR timescales, responsibilities and controls - who is going to do what by when? Strategic PR promotions include promotions in such areas as: sales promotion, events marketing, product seeding, guerrilla marketing and crisis issues management in order to offer clients unique interdisciplinary capabilities.