Media Relations

With so many voices clamoring for attention, total silence might be the only way to cut through. Philadelphia Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins illustrated that point in a June 6 video of a locker-room press conference that instantly went viral on Twitter, and has racked up over 1.88 million views as of this writing.

Is there an industry that’s changed more lately or received more attacks than media? With this background PR News surveyed more than 400 communicators about their views of media relations in this uncertain environment and beyond. In short, communicators believe media relations will continue to be an important part of PR, but to be successful they’ll need to adapt to how it has changed. It is unclear they’re prepared to do so.

During the Obama administration and since the political rise of Donald Trump, Americans have grown more accustomed to expressing strong convictions on social media, and brands that are even tangentially related to such commonly held strong opinions have found themselves under pressure to weigh in quickly. Trending news stories lead to social posts, and suddenly brands are in the hot seat.

Corporate responsibility leadership or PR spin? That’s a question the media has been pondering regarding Starbucks’ trainings to combat racial bias in its employees. The coffeeshop giant is shuttering all of its stores across the U.S. for four hours the afternoon of May 29.

Watching the political scene can provide PR pros with a tuition-free course in media relations, argues veteran communicator Arthur Solomon. His 2017 columns about political communicators’ missteps were some of our most popular. He’s back with more lessons from the first half of the 2018 political season, including this gem: If you crave loyalty at work, bring your dog to the office.

Measuring media relations success has to start at the top. Meaning, before you start collecting insights from your coverage, you need to have a benchmark of what your ideal story is, and everyone, from the CEO level down, needs to be in agreement about what that is.

Communicators know even a few words can move markets. A great example is what’s happening surrounding President Trump’s promise to have the Commerce Department investigate whether or not imported cars and parts are doing structural harm to the U.S. auto industry. Should Commerce rule that they are, the president could slap significant tariffs on imported autos. Until that decision is made, uncertainty will reign and auto industry communicators will be in the hot seat.

Communicators are more aware than most that words matter. Words can move markets. There are few better examples of this than several small statements made May 23. President Trump said the U.S. automobile industry’s health is… Continued

David Leonhardt of The New York Times called out himself and fellow journalists for failing to include enough women as sources in articles. How can communicators, who often are the journalist’s conduit to expert sources, turn around this situation? Dina Burns and Patrick George, directors at KP Public Affairs, offer suggestions.

Social media can be a wonderful tool for media relations professionals, as we know. Yet it is only one of several ways to communicate with journalists. Face-to-face meetings, which you can arrange for brand executives during a media tour, can help build a personal relationship with journalists. We asked communicators about their must-haves and tips for conducting successful media tours.