Media relations form part of strategic public relations activity – focused on building, nurturing and maintaining a company’s relationship with the media.
This requires an understanding of how the media works, what drives the news agenda and how companies can make the most of their interaction with journalists – whether they work for local, regional and national media or specialist trade publications.
Working with an experienced media relations agency is an effective way to navigate the often challenging – but also rewarding – relationship a business can develop with relevant media.
Metamorphic PR keeps up to date with the changing media landscape and what the media wants from businesses.
Insight from the editor of a well-respected B2B trade publication outlined what type of company media relations output will resonate with journalists and, in turn, their readers:
The editor also noted that a bona fide business story is one that transcends the company and, therefore, is both interesting and of value to a wider audience.
According to Edelman’s 2020 Trust Barometer – a trusted, global research report based on 34,000 respondents – 63% of people in the EU trust traditional, mainstream media. This is greater than internet search (55%), owned media (43%) and more than double the percentage for social media (29%).
The Trust Barometer adds that more than a quarter (26%) of people consume news either weekly or more often and 50% of them are “amplifiers” – this means sharing and posting several times per month the news they read.
With such an engaged media audience, businesses can and should invest in media relations activity – and that also means leveraging the wealth of knowledge and expertise among their employees.
Edelman’s research found that 68% of people, when forming an opinion of a company, said that hearing information from a “company technical expert” is the most trustworthy source – more than an academic, general company employee or CEO.
Identifying, training and developing your business’ technical and subject matter experts to engage with your media relations agency and the media is a great opportunity to communicate with an audience predisposed to trust what they say – and help build trust in your organisation.
As Edelman’s research shows, the mainstream media – local, national and specialist – is still an important factor in people’s search for information they can trust.
Business leaders and marketers need to recognise that well-planned and executed media relations activity retains its relevance and its value in 21st century communications. Therefore, distributing stories and in-depth features that resonate with the widest possible audience, across different media platforms, is essential for companies’ media relations activity.
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