Difference between revisions of "Building Personal Relations with the Media"
From NGO Handbook
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It pays dividends on your personal life, as well. You will find that some of your very best friends become the people you have met as reporters. You may not agree with them on one single topic of interest to your organization, but you realize they are wonderful people and they start to realize that you are too, and it makes them more receptive to your message. Media relations is a wonderful job to be in if you want to lead a full and rewarding life, because it is all about meeting people and selling ideas that you think make a difference. | It pays dividends on your personal life, as well. You will find that some of your very best friends become the people you have met as reporters. You may not agree with them on one single topic of interest to your organization, but you realize they are wonderful people and they start to realize that you are too, and it makes them more receptive to your message. Media relations is a wonderful job to be in if you want to lead a full and rewarding life, because it is all about meeting people and selling ideas that you think make a difference. | ||
| − | If you have a personality conflict with a media person, find someone else | + | If you have a personality conflict with a media person, find someone else—hopefully within your organization—to bring your message. Sometimes you might find someone in another organization that can be better at bringing that message around. The central thesis of this article is that effective media relations is all about personal relationships. When you have a bad personal relationship, then the whole construction falls apart for that particular media. If you know that, find someone who can work with you, or else write it off and move on. Moving on to "Plan B" may not be nearly as desirable, but a poor "Plan B" is much better than a totally unworkable "Plan A." |
| − | + | ==Eliminate "NGO speak"== | |
| − | ==Eliminate | ||
Depending on your audience, you have to be able to converse in the language of the people with whom you are dealing. Typically, that is more than one audience. If you are active legislatively, you need to know the legislative process. You need to know the language that they use. But when you are dealing with the media, you need to know who their audience is too. | Depending on your audience, you have to be able to converse in the language of the people with whom you are dealing. Typically, that is more than one audience. If you are active legislatively, you need to know the legislative process. You need to know the language that they use. But when you are dealing with the media, you need to know who their audience is too. | ||
| − | It is so easy to get wrapped up in the world of NGOs, and affiliated like-minded groups you are working with on a daily basis back home, that you think you do not have time to deal with the language of popular culture. The pop culture is the coin of communication wherever you are. What are the kids that you are dealing with watching on TV? What music and lyrics do they listen to? You need to know this so you can relate to them and speak to them on them on their own terms. | + | It is so easy to get wrapped up in the world of NGOs, and the affiliated like-minded groups you are working with on a daily basis back home, that you think you do not have time to deal with the language of popular culture. The pop culture is the coin of communication wherever you are. What are the kids that you are dealing with watching on TV? What music and lyrics do they listen to? You need to know this so you can relate to them and speak to them on them on their own terms. |
| − | The absolute best way to get the attention, the confidence, and respect of news people | + | The absolute best way to get the attention, the confidence, and respect of news people—and that is what you have to do—is through a combination of this kind of personal contact and to become a source of interesting material for them. This material should be timely, fact-based, intelligently prepared, accurate, and essentially useful. Some NGOs do this extremely well; others do not. And you need to eliminate "NGO speak." |
| − | + | An editor at a news service, when asked what were the major problems he encountered in dealing with NGOs, cited as the first thing when it came to news releases and to telephone pitches was “NGO speak,” which is also the “UN speak.” He recommended not to use acronyms or jargon when you are talking with a reporter. This is totally annoying to reporters and to others who are not part of the NGO world. Most reporters do not know what NGO stands for even if you say, "It is a non-governmental organization." | |
Imagine how reporters feel when they get a news release, or they get a phone call, and it is dedicated to the topic of UNFPRQ21. Mentally, they have hung up as soon as that is out of your mouth. They do not know what it is, and when it is presented like that, they do not want to know. It is alien to their life. Speaking in acronyms and jargons is not just an NGO problem, it is the same problem doctors have, engineers have, and so do economists. It is an insular world where you meet with others who speak that same language. It is all part of the mystification process that makes you part of an elite mystery, but also keeps you a secret from the rest of the world. You need to remember that a reporter’s job is to communicate news or opinion to regular people, to someone sitting on a barstool. Therefore, your job in media relations is to figure out why UNFPRQ21 matters to someone on a barstool, and then you communicate that without ever mentioning the acronym. If you communicate in simple everyday language to the reporter, you will get that, "Ah ha, I know what you are talking about, and I see why it is important." | Imagine how reporters feel when they get a news release, or they get a phone call, and it is dedicated to the topic of UNFPRQ21. Mentally, they have hung up as soon as that is out of your mouth. They do not know what it is, and when it is presented like that, they do not want to know. It is alien to their life. Speaking in acronyms and jargons is not just an NGO problem, it is the same problem doctors have, engineers have, and so do economists. It is an insular world where you meet with others who speak that same language. It is all part of the mystification process that makes you part of an elite mystery, but also keeps you a secret from the rest of the world. You need to remember that a reporter’s job is to communicate news or opinion to regular people, to someone sitting on a barstool. Therefore, your job in media relations is to figure out why UNFPRQ21 matters to someone on a barstool, and then you communicate that without ever mentioning the acronym. If you communicate in simple everyday language to the reporter, you will get that, "Ah ha, I know what you are talking about, and I see why it is important." | ||
Revision as of 09:10, 1 October 2008
Ideas and stories cannot be brow beat, whined, or nagged into the newspapers or onto the airways. The only way is by working with the media and marketing stories and ideas to them. The key word here is “with.” There is not much point wasting time bemoaning how bad the media are and the fact that they will not reshape their world to accommodate yours. Your job is to figure out how you can fit your ideas into their world, into their stories, and into their minds.
How do you go about marketing your ideas? To do it effectively, the most important thing is to get to know the reporters that you are dealing with, and the editors that will be writing the opinion pages or that edit the op-ed pages. Get to know the bookers and the producers at the radio and television shows that you want to have your people on. Though it is simple enough, it takes time. This article provides an overview of how to market your ideas to the media.
To read the rest of the article, please log in using your WANGO membership username and password (using the log in at the top, right-hand corner of the page). Not a WANGO member, but would like full access to the articles in the NGO Handbook? Join WANGO (http://www.wango.org/join.aspx) as an organization or individual member or purchase a year subscription for $30.
