By Afolabi Akinkuehin
Media is the bread and butter of a PR agency, therefore, it is of utmost importance to PR professionals to maintain good and healthy relations with their media contacts. To get their clients’ coverage done, be it in print, online or electronic media, it is the journalists in various media houses that PR executives deal with.
There are various things related to an organization that need to be communicated to the public or sometimes to be curbed down if it has a negative angle attached to it. It is then that a PR firm comes into action.
It may be any activity, announcement, inauguration, honour, or any other event that PR persons need to convey to their client’s target audience through the media. The sole objective of media relations is to get good and positive coverage for your client without paying anything. It can either be through advertising as well.
It is not that easy for PR professionals to deal with media people as it involves lots of challenges. One of the ways to ensure a positive relationship is to become familiar with the beats they cover and drop in to introduce yourself and your clients with them.
A PR agency maintains a compiled media list consisting of various newspapers, magazines, electronic, radio and online media. Therefore upon an occurrence of any event, specific media people can be contacted and press releases can be shared with them to get the coverage done.
The media acts as an intermediary between an organization and its target public that creates awareness for the organization with an ability to create a positive impact on the chosen audience. In this way, organizations build public support as they are able to reach out to their audience.
PR experts contact the media for various occasions related to their client:
Launch of a new product/service; Initiation of new outlets; Organization Institute events; Launch of organization’s promotional campaigns/activities; Recent disasters, strikes or organizational closures; Awards/accolades for the company; Company dignitaries/celebrities visits; Involvement in social activities; and Community Engagement.
Thus, a PR firm needs to maintain healthy media relations.
Akinkuehin is
the Chief Executive of Distinct Guides Institute of Professional Studies, 206,
Arakale Road, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria,
+234 806 446 4664
