Build Media Relations From the Ground Up

Checklist 2 min
Download 
While the media is not an audience, they are a conduit to an audience. Establishing a positive relationship is key in using their influence to push the command message.

Use this checklist to enact a media relations plan that will potentially shape the community's attitude toward the military. Large media outlets will not necessarily have the same availability or accessibility as smaller agencies, so courting smaller news brands, magazines and newspapers could warrant a more positive relationship.

  1. Set goals and objectives for building a relationship with media outlets.
  2. Survey media outlets available to you in the local area.
  3. Research each outlet:
    1. Determine the goal of the organization.
    2. Note what they typically cover.
    3. Assess their disposition (positive, neutral, negative) toward the military/government.
    4. Review their typical news cycle.
    5. Understand what a headline story in the news looks like and how the media outlet covers the topic.
  4. Identify which audiences the military is and is not reaching.
  5. Brainstorm how the public affairs team can grow their relationship with the media:
    1. Invite agencies to the installation to cover a story.
    2. Host a media day to give everyone access.
    3. Call agencies to ask what they are doing and what they want; share something the command is doing to create interest.
  6. Prepare to connect with outlets:
    1. Create a press kit, fact sheet or another resource that contains background information on the unit or installation.
    2. Compile common questions and answers the media might ask the PA team.
  7. Reach out to individual reporters who cover DoD-related stories:
    1. Introduce yourself.
    2. Tell reporters your area(s) of expertise and how you can help them.
    3. Provide your contact information.
  8. Follow through on planning and implementing the events and strategies gathered during your brainstorming session(s).
  9. Set checkpoints to evaluate if the PA team meets objectives.
  10. Build an internal media list that factors your intended audience(s) and relevant media contact information; review and update this list periodically.

Discover More You May Like

View All Checklists
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ethan Conde, 42nd Communication Squadron client system technician works on his computer at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Feb.19, 2025.

Annex F Development

Template
1 min
Use this template to develop an Annex F to provide additional details and guidance for an OPLAN.
Chaplain (Maj.) Kimberly Hall, installation chaplain, talks with a military spouse in her office at the base chapel at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., March 8. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Jerry Saslav)

Persona Framework

Template
1 min
Customize this template to capture audience personas that fuel content strategy.
A hand holds a magnifying glass over two people, with one person outside of the magnifying glass.

Gain Audience Insight with Personas

Article
6 min
Explore how personas help promote strategic content creation and improve audience engagement.
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman hosts a Town Hall meeting in the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., May 23, 2023.

Understanding Your Audience 101

Collection
5 items
These resources help you research and identify certain aspects of your audience for effective communication.
A person holding a megaphone, one reading a newspaper, another using a smartphone and someone looking at a computer.

Relevant Actor Construct

Article
4 min
Learn who relevant actors are and how they impact narratives and information efforts.
Illustration showing six people, some with laptops, having a discussion around a table. The background contains integrated digital symbols that represent a website, instant message, text, graphs and a lightbulb.

Stakeholder Analysis

Article
4 min
Learn how to categorize your stakeholders to prioritize and tailor communication and achieve your goals.

View More