As media experts we can do much better

How is a corporate communicator to relay serious information in a world of shrinking news holes, reduced access to reporters, hard to reach editors and a well populated digital world?

We have to reconsider our approach to media relations, which has long  been premised on pitching stories to reporters. The old way is dead  and the  top down model of communications, where the news agenda was determined by the very few who deemed  what was important is forever gone.  But how should the media relations expert get by in the digital world;  5  things stand  out for me:

1) Think multi-media. Today’s press release should be sent off in ways that allows it to be repurposed across platforms. Attaching  digitised video and photos are now a norm but I also like linking  information to third party sites, this  stands out for an editor

2) In the digital world it’s about the 100 m race. Speed matters. As spokespersons we are often ready to comment in the shortest possible time frame when it comes to traditional media.  And just like we monitored newspapers religiously we must apply  the same  vigilance to journalists  who are filing stories  on-line. There is a simple reason why. Comments from Joe Public  are posted in real time and  some of them can be very negative. Should the story spread  so too does the  feedback.

3) As business communicators we have to face the fact that with Google, a story never dies. In fact it may take on  a second and a third life. News can be repurposed across platforms and could well move from an industry specific outlet to a mainstream media aggregator. (By virtue of the  lists I have on Twitter that platform has become my   personalised newspaper). A company in crisis needs to move faster to acknowledge the problem, set a context for curing the problem, then follow up relentlessly to assure that stakeholders are aware of improvements.  Toyota’s mistakes over the past few weeks prove this point.

4) We have to offer more  hard news because reporters will have to sell feature concepts to their editors to earn space in the papers. And newspapers  are working with fewer reporters on staff.  Expertise will matter now more than ever and we will have to be better informed about the industries  we work in, not simply the company or the product, to pitch effectively.

5) Companies should not assume that the entire horizontal conversation, the peer to peer  conversation happening on facebook and twitter  etc is premised on humor and short form visual content. Sure they can go viral distance but substance still remains the key.