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PM Forum - Glasgow
Making the most of the media: Maximising your firm’s media impact
Alan Douglas, journalist, broadcaster and Director of the Broadcasting Business gave a fascinating presentation to the Forum, providing an insight into the media industry and how to work together for mutual benefit.
Prior to any communication with the media it is essential to decide what the key messages are that you want to project. This can be facilitated through developing a Pyramid of Communication for any spokesperson of the firm. The Pyramid can be put to paper, starting at the top with the key point that you want to get across and then working down to develop the detailed information supporting this point.
Working in such a way helps to ensure simple and uncluttered communication, which also reduces the risk of misinterpretation of your messages by a journalist. Today’s journalist faces great pressures. They don’t always have the time to research the background and detail of a given subject and so the clearer the information you are able to provide, the better. Build relationships with members of the media, they are always keen for interesting content which also helps to relieve demands on them.
What makes a good story? It is important to distinguish between promoting your key messages and what is truly an interesting story. People are always key elements of any good story. It is therefore essential for anyone tasked with a PR role within a firm to take time to talk to people within practice areas to find out what they are doing on a day to day basis. There are potentially hundreds of stories, you just have to understand your firm and find them
Trade media and local media can be a godsend in a PR sense – getting coverage is often easier and journalists often have a big slot to fill. It is important though to fully understand each publication and their audience: who are you communicating to; what are you trying to say; why; and how are you going to shape your messages accordingly?
The use of positive language (what IS happening) is essential in any firm communication. Negative language has an adverse effect on your messages. Alan introduced the concept of the Pink Elephant which is a sentence or phrase which says what is NOT happening – but by painting a vivid picture conjures up exactly the opposite of what was intended. He gave numerous examples, both in written and broadcast media of such bad communicating techniques, an example being: “There can be no whitewash at the White House” by President Richard Nixon.
Finally in this extremely interesting presentation, Alan turned to Web 2.0 and its effect on PR. For businesses the most essential thing to consider is the need for websites and blogs to be kept up-to-date at all times. Media often visit these as sources of information and cannot be blamed if the information they take from them is out of date. It is also important to keep media contacts updated through emails, perhaps for example, when your website or blogs are refreshed with new information or news.
Emma Wilson
Harper Macleod LLP
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