Media relations may have kick-started its existence as the prime pillar of the public relations field, but the industry has since evolved and matured to encompass a far more
complex combination of practices. Nevertheless, the media relations sub-function remains integral to PR efforts across all organizations, and changing trends in business and
technology have further deepened its evaluation capabilities.
However, based on a recent survey by PR News and Medialink, "Media Relations: A Daily Grind or Not?", communications executives show mixed responses on techniques used
to field media inquiries, as well as on the nature of their working relationship with journalists. It's not a slight to the profession, but a call to action: Despite the
technological surge over the past decade, there are still surprising signs of how much time is wasted responding to media requests because of the archaic methods employed.
Case in point: 17 percent of the 700+ respondents report spending more than 10 hours per week handling media requests for PR materials. Perhaps this number is unnecessarily
high due to two other findings: 93 percent of respondents claim the majority of the files requested are done so digitally, but a startlingly high 58 percent don't have online
newsrooms.
"That the digital format is most frequently requested is an obvious call to action for decision makers to make material available online," says Larry Thomas, COO of Medialink.
"So it's even more surprising that the number of respondents who don't have an online newsroom is so high."
Surprising, yes, especially considering the resounding demand from journalists, who frequently turn to such online features to get information quickly and easily. In fact, a
recent study released by newsroom software developers TEKgroup International revealed that 99 percent of surveyed journalists believe companies should have online newsrooms -
that's up 20 percent from the 2005 study (see PR News, 09-11-06). What's more, they rank the top-five most "important" to "very important" elements of an online newsroom
to be press releases, a search module, PR contacts, photographs and product information.
So if journalists expect online newsrooms and PR executives spend so much time fielding requests, the solution seems obvious: Create an online newsroom, as it will satisfy
journalists' needs and cut down on the amount of time spent handling inquiries.
If budget is the main setback in constructing such a feature, Thomas urges communications managers to quickly dismiss that assumption. "The fact that companies don't create a
newsroom because of budget constraints is a myth," he says. "People would be surprised at how inexpensive they can be, and at how quickly they can be up and running." Plus, the
benefits will quickly cover the costs, as the amount of time and resources previously spent handling requests by hand can be redirected to other initiatives.
PR professionals who have yet to create an online newsroom should explore the various tools available for such an endeavor, from templates that can be purchased inexpensively
to custom packages constructed with the specific company's needs in mind. There are options for pocketbooks of all sizes, and features that complement any level of technology
know-how. The viability of PR's media relations efforts may hang in the balance.
"PR is not very curious about technology in general," says Mary Buhay, SVP of corporate communications for Medialink. "It's time to pull people from the dark ages."
Contacts:
Larry Thomas, 212.812.7154, [email protected]; Mary Buhay, 212.812.7006, [email protected]
Media Relations: A Daily Grind Or Not?
1. How many hours per week do you or staff members spend responding to media requests for PR material? Select one.
0 to 2.5 hours 35%
2.5 to 5 hours 31%
5 to 10 hours 17%
more than 10 hours 17%
2. Rank these media resources in terms of most often requested of you by journalists. (1= most; 6= least)
Documents
1 61%
2 17%
3 8%
4 4%
5 4%
6 5%
No response 1%
Photographs
1 24%
2 41%
3 16%
4 6%
5 5%
6 6%
No response 2%
Video
1 6%
2 6%
3 14%
4 20%
5 22%
6 28%
No response 4%
Audio
1 5%
2 5%
3 5%
4 12%
5 29%
6 39%
No response 5%
Graphics
1 6%
2 16%
3 37%
4 17%
5 13%
6 8%
No response 3%
Slide presentations
1 5%
2 5%
3 8%
4 17%
5 11%
6 49%
No response 5%
3. Which format represents the majority of files requested by the media? Select one.
Digital 93%
Hard Copy 6%
No Response 1%
4. Rank these in order of the most requested method of delivery? (1= most; 6 = least)
1 92%
2 2%
3 1%
4 0
4 1%
5 1%
6 2%
No response 1%
Express or overnight shipment
1 2%
2 29%
3 22%
4 17%
4 9%
5 6%
6 9%
No response 6%
Regular mail
1 2% 4 13%
2 8% 5 8%
3 24% 6 13%
4 26% No response 6%
Fax
1 3% 4 9%
2 34% 5 7%
3 18% 6 9%
4 15% No response 5%
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
1 3% 4 24%
2 13% 5 9%
3 14% 6 17%
4 10% No response 10%
Satellite delivery
1 4% 4 5%
2 1% 5 26%
3 1% 6 47%
4 3% No response 13%
Proprietary media submission systems
1 3% 4 9%
2 1% 5 18%
3 2% 6 51%
4 3% No response 13%
5. Do you currently have an online newsroom to help fulfill requests from journalists? Select one.
Yes 41%
No 58%
No response 1%