Over the years, my respect for reporters and their editors and producers has grown exponentially. Understanding the dynamics of a newsroom (now often virtual) is so important for your PR professional to navigate when trying to make a pitch: the outlets’ tight deadlines fueled by competition and digital media, fewer reporters covering more beats, the financial pressures as ad revenue continues to decline, and the mere velocity of the day’s news that demands coverage.
Clients are better served when they truly understand a reporter’s perspective (and workload) so that they appreciate all the work reporters do and are better positioned to provide all relevant elements when greenlighting a story idea for their public relations team to pitch. Not only will this streamline the process, it can also lead to better communication, foster stronger relationships and increase the likelihood of media coverage.
This understanding also helps dispel some common misconceptions clients have about reporters’ roles and how they work with your PR team. For example:
Reporters are PR professionals: No, they are journalists who gather news and report facts. PR professionals manage communication strategies and messaging for organizations.
Reporters appreciate lots of follow-up. An important aspect of a professional media relations approach is a PR practitioner’s balancing act between telling their clients’ stories and respecting reporters’ time and attention span. Constant follow-up on story ideas that don’t align with their editorial priorities could be viewed as intrusive and off target.
Reporters are just waiting around for a good pitch. Reporters are under enormous time constraints. They have strict deadlines and field far more story pitches than they can actually cover. So, when they agree to do your story or they reach out to you looking for expert commentary for a story they are already working on, respect their deadlines and be ready to provide all the relevant data, sources, contact information and visuals, if appropriate, all at once. Not only does this make the reporter’s job easier, it streamlines the process from pitch through to placement for all involved.
Reporters can guarantee coverage. No matter how great the story idea is, it is never guaranteed to run. Further, there is no assurance that a story will appear in the same light as the pitch. Reporters have editorial discretion and it’s the publication’s prerogative about whether and how they wish to cover the story. Full control by the client comes with sponsored (paid) content.
Reporters are only focused on the negative or sensationalistic aspects of a story. While this is certainly true for SOME media outlets, the vast majority of reporters want the facts and want to share a balanced story.
The media is biased. Some reporters and publications have a bent in terms of the stories they choose to cover and how they approach a story, but reporters want to share the truth and are ethical. Their personal views don’t matter, and newsrooms have editors and processes in place that serve as good checks and balances to better ensure objective reporting. And if there is an error in a story, most reporters are keen to have their story corrected. At the same time, reporters are not entirely neutral. Context matters when relating a story.
We can control the timing of the story. A lot of factors influence the timing of a story. Sometimes there are legal constraints; sometimes your story will get bumped because of more pressing hard news, and sometimes a story will never make it onto a news site or the page because the environment has changed or the story got moved too many times and is no longer timely or newsworthy.
A reporter’s job is to tell your story. No, their job is to provide valuable information to their audience, not to sell or promote your company or service or product. Again, sponsored content or traditional advertising is perfect for that.
A reporter who is also a friend will definitely cover your story. While relationships and even friendships may mean that a reporter will reach out to first you when seeking an expert resource or that they return your call or email sooner, reporters still have editorial responsibilities and will evaluate your story pitch objectively. There are no “free passes” to press coverage here.
Remember that reporters work for the news outlets that employ them and their editorial priorities differ from a company that’s eager to share its news, thought leadership, or insights about their industry. Working with a PR professional who understands how newsrooms and reporters operate, and knows how to work collaboratively with reporters, will help companies achieve their public relations goals.