Years ago, as a reporter for another publication, one PR NEWS editor received a call from a livid PR exec at a consumer magazine, demanding to know why his publication had not
been covered in a regular magazine feature. The PR professional (and we use the term loosely), accused the editor of ignorance and unleashed an expletive-laced tirade that
resulted in absolutely no coverage for his publication.
Most PR professionals have encountered similar situations: For whatever reason, a media outlet covers your industry, covers your competition - and leaves you out of the mix.
Some experts swear that every reporter has his or her biases, while others say if your company is missing out, you've dropped the ball. But whatever the reason, the most
successful PR pros - the ones who can turn missed coverage into a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship with a reporter - take a measured (and expletive-free) approach
to solving the problem.
Stop Whining, Start Working
"Many people believe that when they don't get coverage, everything is the reporter's fault," says Kelly Morris, head of public relations for Taylor/West Public Relations in San
Antonio. "Reporters are not out to get you. My advice is always to stop whining and start working."
Morris advises PR pros to first look at their relationship with the reporter: What is your relationship; how do you cultivate it; when did you last send the reporter
information; and, more importantly, when did you last send information that was for the reporter's benefit and not for your organization's? Once you've conducted that personal
audit, "Do some sleuthing," Morris says. Find out who is doing the competition's PR and what they're doing to win the reporter's attention.
Next, it's time for a heart-to-heart with the reporter. "There's a real catch 22 when you are successful as a PR person. The more journalists you know, the harder it is to keep
in touch with all of them," says Steve Winston, director of PR for Comforce Corp. So if you miss out on coverage, reach out to that reporter and find out why. Winston advises
communicators to send a letter or call, not to accuse the reporter of ignoring your company, but to compliment the journalist on the story. "First say what a great article it was,
then explain why you were so interested in it. Try to establish why, in the future, you'd be an excellent resource, and bring up one or two provocative angles to make the story
interesting for future coverage."
Finding out why the reporter didn't cover you can be an eye-opening experience. "You really never know all the obstacles a reporter may be facing within his own shop," Morris
says. Sometimes there's a simple explanation. In many cases, it's simply an issue of convenience: The competition is always prepared with a source or returns calls more promptly.
Getting an honest opinion on your company, your product and your pitches can make a world of difference. Atlanta's Duffey Communications, for example, holds "Influencer
Summits," "glorified media tours," says Matt Wright, senior account manager. "You sit down with the reporter, and it's not a pitch. If my baby's ugly, tell me my baby's ugly."
Those frank discussions can also be eye-openers for the reporter. "Sometimes yesterday's fashion editor who is now covering the high tech industry just needs to be educated,"
Wright says. Once you've built that understanding with a reporter - and established a relationship - the journalist will often turn to your company as a resource in the
future.
Investigating Other Options
The reality, though, is that many reporters won't revisit a given topic for some time. "'Next time' is two or three years away," says Eric Yaverbaum, co-founder and president
of Jericho Communications and author of Public Relations Kit for Dummies.
In order to attract attention from journalists who have been there and done that - or who really do have a bias in their reporting - most experts say you'll have to get
seriously creative. Yaverbaum, for example, counseled IKEA when the furniture retailer moved into Houston. "In Houston, you're part of that community or you're not," he says.
"Coming from another country was not going to be a big advantage." But Houston journalists were wowed by IKEA's massive community relations project, in which the company put up a
tent in its parking lot and offered a variety of free services for children, from eye tests to fingerprinting. "Even if you had a bias about IKEA, if you worked for the Houston
Chronicle, you had to cover this," Yaverbaum says.
Brian Pia, VP for Luckie Strategic Public Relations in Birmingham, Ala., is getting similar results by offering reporters "the 7/11 approach: We eliminate all the hassles and
roadblocks, and we do all the independent research." Pia represents Bayer Corp.'s lawn and garden division, Bayer Advanced, and gets significant competition in the media from the
well-known Scotts brand. But Pia and his team are pitching what amounts to a pre-packaged story. Working with a highly credible horticulturist, they've developed "10 Steps to
Beautiful Roses," taking the mystique out of growing roses. Naturally, one step is to use Bayer Advanced Rose and Flower Care, "but the other nine are helpful tips to help
gardeners grow roses," Pia says.
The Last Resort
Still not getting coverage? Consider the competition. "If you look at who's been commenting with which reporter, it gives you a wonderful opportunity to go to the [competing
outlet]," says Michael Shmarak of Ketchum's communications and media strategy group. "You can say, 'You may have seen the recent coverage that says xyz. We can tell you 123.' You
pitch your own unique proposition."
(Contacts: Morris, 210/805-0320, [email protected]; Winston, 561/994-9500 ext. 106, [email protected]; Wright, [email protected]; Yaverbaum, 212/645-6900; Pia, 205/877-9870, [email protected]; Shmarak, 312/228-6898)
Five Fatal Media Mistakes
Missing out on coverage? Mike Crawford, president of M/C/C in Dallas, says you may be making one of these five fatal errors:
- Lying. Think Geraldo Rivera and the difficulty he has had trying to regain credibility after the infamous Al Capone's Vault fiasco. When someone lies to a reporter, it
jeopardizes that reporter's credibility. - Rescheduling and Canceling. Deadlines must be considered, and rescheduling an interview more than once can result in one of the following scenarios: First, the reporter can
cancel altogether. If this happens, the reporter may look to the competition. Secondly, the reporter could decide to make the interview very difficult on the interviewee. - Manipulating. Providing a reporter with a slanted or twisted view, with the intent to manipulate a message, is almost as bad as lying. Mistakes may be overlooked, but
deliberate and premeditated manipulation usually is not. - Refusing to Answer/ Dodging Questions. Refusing to answer questions or consistently answering questions with information that doesn't apply makes a reporter's job difficult.
Going off on a tangent wastes everyone's time and will force the reporter to look elsewhere for sources. - Shameless Self-Promotion. Reporters aren't interested in sitting through a half-hour sales pitch. They aren't customers, but they can influence what potential customers will
think of a company. The purpose of an interview is to gain exclusive information and insight.
-Mike Crawford, M/C/C, 972/480-8383