PR Pros & Media: 5 Tips When Working With Journalists

Our local PRSA chapter recently hosted a virtual town hall event where we had the pleasure of hearing from two well-respected TV news journalists from NBC 15 in Madison. John Stofflet and Gabriella Rusk shared their insights into the unprecedented and challenging news events over the last 18-months and how communicators can effectively work with journalists, benefitting reporters and companies alike.

Here are five tips on how best to work with journalists:

1.      Be quick to respond – even if it’s a no, follow-up. Reporters are on deadlines!

2.      Acknowledge request – for example, “We know you are on a deadline, and we’ll get back to you in X amount of time, etc.”

3.      Be accessible – if you always say no to an interview, a reporter will start to look elsewhere for a source.

4.      People and visuals – sometimes it should be a CEO who does the interview, someone else who uses your product, an employee, etc. is a better way to tell a story. And, don’t forget about how to tell your story visually. What type of video (or photo) opportunities are there to complement the interviews?

5.      Build relationships – relationships are a two-way street (especially one built on trust and honesty), and relationships are mutually beneficial to the PR pro and journalist.

 As a former journalist and now a PR professional, I appreciate both sides of the relationship. Reporters are on deadline and looking to tell the best, most compelling story, and companies/PR professionals want to share the news that helps tell the company’s story in the best light.

 PR professionals and journalists should build relationships based on mutual respect and trust with the common goal of sharing interesting, informative, and factual stories.