10 Yetis Insight blog – 7 Ways To Build And Maintain Strong Relationships With Journalists

One of the most important parts of working at a digital PR agency is keeping journalists happy so building and maintaining relationships with key contacts is an central part of the job.

Journalists and PR execs should work in absolute harmony. We will scratch their back and in return, if we’re good, they will scratch ours. However you want to make sure you have established a strong relationship before you dive into the deep end!

Below are 7 ways in which to help build your relationships with journalists and maintain them, without seeming too forward.

Social media stalking

Social media is amazing when it comes to getting to know people and keeping in touch. It has never been easier to strike up a conversation with someone so there is nothing stopping you doing this to journalists.

Do make sure you keep it casual though and don’t go messaging them too often. Social media channels are also a great way to keep up to date with their work, their interest and gives you the chance to share low-key interactions. You can even show your support by liking or retweeting their posts but make sure you’re doing this appropriately and not just doing it with everything they share.

Networking

Networking can be an intimidating prospect, but it is so incredibly useful for those new to the industry. It’s something all PRs should try to do at least once a month. If your boss tells you of an upcoming event in your local area, do attend.

Even though you will be meeting journalists, try not to just talk about a campaign you want them to write about, instead keep the conversation casual and give out a business card or your social media details so you can send them more information at a later date if they wish to hear more.

Although it may be daunting, don’t be afraid to go to these events alone too; lots of people attend these events by themselves as it forces people to come out of their shell instead of sticking to their group.

Read their work

This is a no brainer, if you want to get close to a journalist, take the time to read their work. Not only will this provide you with the ability to impress them by talking about their past work but it also helps you understand what it is they will be interested in receiving from you.

Some journalists may even have their own personal blog where they will write about topics closer to them. When it is appropriate, be supportive of their work by sharing it on your own social media channels.

Tailor everything

After having read their work, this step should be much easier. Journalist will possibly receive hundreds of generic press releases every day so when you can, make them personal.

Make sure releases you are sending are relevant to them. Don’t send a health release to a journalist who only writes about gaming and technology. Not only will they not write about it but they will also regard you as the account exec who doesn’t quite know who to target!

It’s sometimes worth mentioning an article you enjoyed reading that the journalist has recently written or saying something like…

“Hi *Enter journalists name here* I noticed you recently wrote about swimming pool safety so I thought you might be interested in the following release which details the launch of a new gadget designed around pool safety”

…as it will imply to the journalist that you actually took time to understand their field.

Gifts

Just like you do with your friends, when it is appropriate and relevant, why not send journalists gifts! Everyone loves a freebie but remember that just because you are sending them something does not necessarily mean they will be able to write about a campaign that you’ve been trying to push to them for a while. This is a gift, not a bribe.

Be courteous

Journalists are busy people and they won’t always have time to listen to a pitch or have a chat on the phone. This is why it is vital, as I mentioned previously, that you tailor your releases to them as many don’t have time to thoroughly look through everything they receive.

Ensure you aren’t being too pushy; if a journalist is interested and you’ve tried to get in contact with them, they will call you back when they have the time.

It’s also wise to remember that even though they might not have contacted you for a few weeks doesn’t mean that the relationship is over. If you haven’t heard from one of your key journalists for a while, try emailing them asking how they are or how their weekend was. They could really appreciate hearing from you after a hectic couple of weeks!

TRY to meet up

My last tip is to try and meet up with your new journalist friends when you can. This can be difficult as, like the last tip suggests, journalists do often have very hectic schedules and unpredictable deadlines.

If you bring up the idea of meeting for a quick coffee to them, be flexible. This coffee could be an hour meet up or it could be a rushed 5 minutes before they run back to the office but they will appreciate the effort either way!