What is news?
The world around us is changing. Not necessarily because of an election, but how to use and interact with technology. We need to be smarter, wiser and more connected to the world around us to know fact from fiction. We need to be vigilant and question where our news and information is coming from and who is telling it. Believe what you want but know for every issue there is always more to the story being told or the pictures and video being shared.
To get quoted in the media - Build Relationships
I have a friend who manages a number of properties and he is always quoted in real estate stories but has never used a PR firm.
He has developed relationships with a number of reporters in the region by sharing information with them over the years. Studies and research, tips and other great insight that would help them craft a solid story.
He gave more than he received and for that reporters would quote him as a third party resource. Over time. the advice was sound and the reporters started to quote him more and more.
If that is something that interests you, know what you can speak on and what you can share. Identify the reporters who cover those issues and follow them. Share their stories, send them an email or Tweet about their story, something you would add, perhaps additional insight into the issue and remain available and responsive should they eventually call you.
Is the media industry in a state of panic?
Last week, The Patch laid off a majority of its local editors, bringing an end to great coverage of local events and community news that are dailies were just not covering. But AOL's venture was not making money and the new owners decided they wanted to go in a new direction.
Also last week, Ezra Klein left The Washington Post after pitching a new business idea, that Post was not interested in but Vox Media was. Days later, The Washington Post announced it was going to expand its newsroom and hire more reporters to cover the world of politics, more photo editors, data visualization specialists, news desk staff and web designers among others.
These moves, reinforce that the media industry remains in flux and until we have a better handle on how people like to get their news and how advertisers want to position their products, we will continue to see the media market evolve and try to reinvent itself, over and over again.
Like the media, the public relations industry must also continue to evolve to remain relevant. We need to stay on top of emerging trends, where reporters are moving too and how we can work to best position our client's in the media that matters to them. Perhaps that is working to bolster our client's on-line presence and treating our clients as a media company, directing traffic and attention to their site rather than constantly pitching new stories. However, it depends on our client's budget and how we can best work to promote the issues and products they want to position in the marketplace.