Tips for Building Positive Media Relationships

Know the angle.

Before granting any interviews, assess how the media outlet or organization generally covers stories. Any story can be presented in a positive, negative or neutral manner. Know who you’re speaking to and what preconceived notions they may have about you and your organization.

Understand their audience.

Different media outlets cater to different audiences. Use this information to determine how best to reach the desired group.

Determine your objectives.

Set an expectation for the communication and anticipate what types of questions will be asked. Consider how various answers could be perceived by the outlet and its audience. Identify objectives and define outcomes; make sure the commander has at least an idea of what success could look like with this engagement.

Be proactive.

Ideally, you will have established a productive, professional relationship with journalists, media agencies and news outlets before a situation arises. If you’re new to a location, find out who your predecessor knew and trusted. Reach out to local contacts, introduce yourself and start establishing your own working relationships. Familiarity is the first step to trust. It’s on you to build those bridges long before you need them.

Request a line of questions from the reporter to ensure you have the most up-to-date data and information available, or provide a suggested line of questions to bring information the audience needs and will benefit from knowing.

Be mutually beneficial.

Within the boundaries of operational security and commander's intent, actively share information that would be helpful to your media contact. If it’s only them coming to you, they’ll grow tired of doing all the heavy lifting, which could unintentionally bias the reporting.

Be proactive with a phone call or email when you have something new to share, offer details as they come in and do your part to keep the lines of communication wide open.

Be responsive.

If a journalist calls or emails, be sure to respond – whether you have the information immediately or simply acknowledge receipt of their inquiry. Your acknowledgment allows you to open a line of communication and gather helpful information such as a deadline, audience and line of questions.

Communicate clearly.

Remember the ABCs of journalism:

• Accuracy: Speak only on what you know. Never lie, hypothesize or postulate to a journalist. If you don’t know or aren’t completely confident in the answer, tell them and let them know that you’ll reach out to a contact to find the answer. Be sure to follow up!
• Brevity: Get straight to the point. The longer you narrate, the more opportunity there is for confusion and miscommunication.
• Clarity: Have all your facts ready and organized for quick reference. Use tools like a 5x8 card or a briefing card to prepare for any interaction. Research and practice are key to clear communication and getting your message across.

Follow the ABCs, but let your personality shine through for an accurate tone that matches the weight of the information.

Remain alert to questions such as "What do you think?" As communication professionals, "we" don't opine but rather provide information on behalf of the agency.

Review and improve.

After a story is published, go back and review it.

• Did the command messages stay in?
• Was the story presented in the intended light?
• Were any key quotes left out?

These details will help refine message framing and better prepare your subject matter experts.

Should a reporter misquote, think before asking for a retraction or correction. If the mistake was a mistake of fact and jeopardizes agency integrity, then make the call. If it is a misquote that is more verbiage used due to the journalist's sloppy style of writing, let it go.

Complete an after action report and share your lessons learned with your teammates.

Stay up to date.

Some media outlets have high turnover, and if those relationships aren't maintained, they'll go dark very quickly. Establish regular communication with points of contact and keep up to date with personnel changes. Just like any other relationship, media relations require continuous attention to thrive.

Once you've established a positive relationship with the media, be sure to maintain it by continuing to repeat tips one through five.