Hi, it’s Georgia again! In my last blog post I looked at the benefits of technology and how the new Apple iOS update was revolutionising the way we work. Although there is obviously plenty of room for technology in 2017, whilst at Approach PR I have also learnt the importance of media relations.
Despite millennials consuming news in a strikingly different way to previous generations, the role of social media has yet to cause the demise of newspapers and magazines. What has happened is newspapers have shrunk resulting in greater competition for coverage.
Fortunately, Approach PR has an excellent reputation built by contacting journalists, building relationships with them and even meeting them face to face; an approach that though considered to be ‘old’ or ‘traditional’, guarantees results and coverage.
Having strong contacts and relationships with journalists is one of the very things that clients are paying for when they choose to work with a PR agency and yet there are still businesses offering to remove the ‘middle man’ by essentially selling your press releases in for you via an app or online program.
This might potentially save time, but what is missing from this new technology is the personal touch, the chance to form a relationship with a journalist and ultimately increase your chance of earning coverage. A computer program simply cannot develop an understanding of your client’s key platform and cannot form relationships in the same way that humans do.
Likewise, ‘traditional’ media relations work both ways and having a solid reputation increases your chances of a journalist approaching you directly the next time they need a story. Forming relationships with journalists can also ensure you get a certain amount of control over the story and message being sent out about your client’s brand, allowing you to shape their public image in an incredibly positive way.
During my two weeks at Approach PR, not only have I rung journalists and news desks myself to ‘sell-in’ but I have also sat with the rest of the Approach PR team every morning to read and review the day’s newspapers. Though simple, both of these tasks have proven to be more effective than email could ever have been, something that just goes to show that regardless of technology, the personal touch of ‘traditional’ media relations remains a winner.
Image sourced from Pixabay
