10 things business people should know about dealing with the media
Talking with the media is a great way for a company or brand to gain exposure with the public, investors, and business partners.
Talking with the media can be a great way for a company or brand to gain exposure with the public, potential shareholders, investors, and business partners.
However, in order to be able to fully use the media as a tool for your business, you need to understand what they want from you and why they want it. Here are 10 important tips to remember when engaging with journalists.
1. Journalists are not the enemy
It is important to note that just because you refuse to speak to journalists, does not mean they won’t write about you and your company. They might just have to speak to someone else about a particular issue concerning you, and this means you have less control over what is published. Remember, the law is on your side when it comes to irresponsible and incorrect reporting.
However, the fact is that a journalist needs you to provide them with important, unique information. They do not want to lose your trust as they know that you will simply stop speaking to them, and talk to other members of the media instead – their competition. In this sense, journalists generally want to work with you, not against you.
2. A press release is never enough
Most publications do not like to use a press release as their only source of information. In fact, if your company puts out a press release, then you should expect and prepare for journalists asking for interviews. The journalist will want their content to be original, and will ask specific questions geared towards their readership.
3. Ask about target audience
It helps to understand what the journalist is looking for before giving an interview, and one way to find this out is to ask who the target audience is. Once you understand who you are talking to, you will have a better idea of what will be published and how to answer questions.
4. Position yourself as an expert
The best way to promote your brand or company is to provide relevant information, insight or advice that cannot be found elsewhere. Position yourself as an expert. If you are an entrepreneur and have had a company fail, then be an expert on what not to do in entrepreneurship. Allow the readers to learn from your experiences and failures.
Good advice would be to avoid the typical answers, and be unique. For example, most foreign companies operating in Africa talk about local partnerships being key to success on the continent. This is not new information. What is less reported on is the steps to take to successfully find the right local partners. Use your personal experience to offer unique answers.
5. Let them ask “stupid” questions
Many journalists report across a range of sectors. This means that they may not have the expert knowledge, and the understanding of terms and concepts, that you might have. What might be considered an obvious question in your profession may not be obvious to a journalist. Allow for a discussion to take place around difficult topics and try keep things simple. If a journalist does not understand what you are talking about, how are they going to explain it to their audience?
6. Don’t be offended when you are cut off
Allow journalists to control the interview. Very often journalists might have to cut you off from what you are saying as they know it will not be the central topic of their article, and do not want to waste your time or theirs.
7. Request questions prior to the interview
While most journalists might not want to send you the interview questions in advance to avoid getting prepared PR answers, it’s a good idea to ask that a journalist sends you a guideline to what will be asked. This allows you to not only do your research and prepare answers, but also helps you understand what a journalist is looking for in an interview.
8. Keep it real, don’t exaggerate
If there have been complaints from customers, and you say that all customers are happy with your service, then don’t be surprised when a journalist writes the following:
“While Joe Soap said that everyone loves their service, a quick online search showed that this was not the case and there have been a number of complaints concerning their service delivery.”
Keep it real and avoid exaggerated statements like “Africa’s favourite company”. Save it for the billboards. Remember that a journalist’s loyalty is to his or her readers. If a journalist discovers you are lying even slightly, then they might think that it is their duty to tell their readers this.
9. Never pay a journalist for coverage
This should not require any explanation but unfortunately it can be a common practice in Africa. Journalists' loyalty should be to their target audience, and anything that messes with that can undermine the vital role that journalism plays in society. From a business perspective, if you are caught bribing a journalist, you can do considerable damage to your reputation. No one likes a bribed journalist and no one trusts someone who bribes a journalist.
However, with editorial budgets being small, many companies often pay for the transport and accommodation of the media to attend an event. And this is where the line gets blurry. It is important to note that paying the expenses for a journalist to attend an event should never come with strings attached. You do not have a say in what is reported, or even whether the event is covered at all.
10. Don’t demand a final say in the published article
A lot of companies and sources ask to see the final piece before it is published. Journalists, particularly in the online space, usually don’t have time to email an article to be checked, edited and approved, and then wait for it to be sent back. In some cases, when reporting on a particularly complex topic, a journalist might offer to do this so that you can check facts. However, you should then only check facts and quotes. And if you are allowed to see the article beforehand, make it quick. Stick to, and respect, the deadline that a journalist gives you.
Remember, before an article is published, it usually goes through a number of people. In large publications an article will be written by a journalist, edited by a section editor, edited by a sub-editor and then approved by the overall editor. Journalists don’t always get a say in what the final piece looks like.