Media Protocol for Business and Life - Public Relations Article

By:Maria Boomhower The Master Communicator

When I was a Venue Media manager with the Commonwealth Games, I received some of the best coverage of the venues that I was looking after. I had some people ask me what was my secret.

I first inquired what they were doing and found out that some of them had an attitude of seeing the media as something to be suspicious of, to keep at bay and give as little as possible. In turn, the media had little regard for them as well.

There are many people who treat the media this way as well when it comes to their business, and then hope that the media will give them great coverage and a good story as well. This is a receipt for disaster.

First, true media does not have the time or energy to “GET” everyone. Often the people end up getting themselves in their worry or nervousness. They may say something dumb or negative or attack the reporter who is just doing his or her job. In most cases, the media does not have an ulterior motive and is just collecting information. If you do something foolish, remember though that it is not the media’s job to help you out of a crisis.

When you treat people with respect, they are much more likely to treat you the same way. Yes, there could be exception, but in most circumstances, I have found that it was never about me and more about what was happening to them at the time. For example, I had three cases where the people weren’t great to me, and in each case, they came back to apologize with gift or peace offering in hand.

They were each dealing with personal issues and / or were having a bad day. With forgiveness, you create a friend, someone who is more willing to help you out in the future.

Keep in mind that we need a symbiotic relationship with the media. There will be times when you want to announce an upcoming event, a breakthrough or change in your organization etc. How you have treated them in the past will affect what kind of coverage you will get and whether it is good or not.

The media can supply you with some very valuable free coverage and coverage that is 3rd hand. This coverage gives credibility to what you are doing or saying.

And should something happen that could be negative, the media may write the story whether you cooperate or not. For the most part, it is better to have your comments included rather than them only having half the facts or speculation to go on.

If it is a special event that will last for a while, coffee, treats and smiles go a long way with having them stay and giving good coverage. The cost of a coffee and a treat is small potatoes compared with the coverage that you can receive.

Oh, and my secret, just that. I treated them like human beings. I offered to get them coffee. And when the game went late, on the break I took them up to the athlete and coaches dinner area and gave them sandwiches and drinks. They were able to get great interviews and we received great coverage.

This can be a metaphor for many areas in our lives. Ask yourself, "How am I treating the people in my life that can help me the most?"

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: MediaProtocol, Interviews, Coverage, SportEvents, CommunicationTraining, Events, NewsReleases, PressReleases, PublicRelations

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

P.S. If you like what you're reading in this ezine,

you'll love the book, "Media Protocol"

It's a manual that helps you understand what to do and

not do when working with the media. While increasing

quality coverage and build credibility with the media

Media Protocol

All the Best!

Maria Boomhower

The Master Communicator

To sign up for a free report on

"The 7 Secrets to Communication Mastery" go to:

www.falconfreedom.com

Master Communicator Blog

Top Public Relations Articles
1). How to Become the Most Interesting Conversationalist Around By : Tim Wright Learn exactly how to become the most interesting conversationalist around - and attract people like never before!
2). Finding the Right Equipment Supplier Paramount to Success in the Restaurant Industry By : Kingston Amadan Most companies with any degree of overhead know that finding the right supplier of products necessary to run their business is of the utmost importance. For most businesses, it can mean a substantial savings and reduce the headaches often associated with searching for a reliable equipment dealer. For restaurants, however, finding the right equipment supplier can mean the difference between success and failure in the industry.
3). How To Turn the Spotlight On Your Company In a Top Newspaper By : Sharon Dotson Article tells readers how to get publicity by writing letters to the editor.
4). How to have lasting relationship with clients? By : CD Mohatta Clients are the most precious assets for a business. Without clients, there can be no business. With poor quality of clients, the business will be poor and if you manage to get very good clients and retain their loyalty, your business will only go up and up. This all sounds very exciting. But it is not easy to get very good clients and all the more difficult to retain them.
5). Public Relations - and what it means for your Franchise By : Walter Raleigh The First Rule for building a Successful Franchise Business is to establish a great PR operation. You need to build a good reputation and as quickly as possible. You have to understand the value and the overwhelming benefits that flow from having an impeccable, transparent and reliable reputation so make this a major goal, as the continued success of your franchise business depends on it.
6). Change Your Tone - Media Coverage Shouldn't Be Toned By Software By : Chris Morrison The world of PR is benefiting from dramatic changes in the way media coverage is being delivered electronically to your computer desktop or PDA of choice. Perhaps the nuisance of ink on your fingers is being replaced by a bad case of "BlackBerry thumb" -- but nevertheless getting your media coverage electronically has never been easier or more mobile.
7). What is Human Resources Consulting? By : Maureen Cook Human Resources: sounds depersonalizing, doesn't it, to describe workers in this way? It smacks of older attitudes to the workforce which are now seen as increasingly outdated.
8). Protection from Protectors By : James Hayes This article discusses the vulnerabilities and security holes introduced by security suites, the very programs that are supposed to protect a PC, not make it more vulnerable!
9). It's More Valuable Than Money - Your Community. By : Dannielle Brantley When you're enjoying dinner and dancing at your company's annual event or that Mojito at your associate's loft you are building something more valuable than your business bank account..."
10). Come Boldly! By : Ann Stewart Ask Him for whatever you need!

New Public Relations Articles
1). Guerrilla Marketing By : Jaci Rae How you can use guerrilla marketing, tips, tricks and ideas that will help you make money and sell online.
2). Your Expertise is Boring! By : David Avrin I see your lips moving, but all I hear is “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I know it’s not what you want to hear, but quite simply, if you are a speaker, author, consultant or other "expert" I see being interviewed by the news media, your expertise just isn’t very interesting. Information is a dime-a-dozen and yours is no different. So in this age of round-the-clock, on-demand, blue tooth, on line, high def.
3). One of America's brightest leaders and thinkers By : eyelogic Marshawn Evans, J.D., has garnered a reputation as an inspiring, articulate and intelligent orator. In the same mode as multitalented trailblazing women such as Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, Tyra Banks and Kimora Lee Simmons, Marshawn is a: media personality, distinguished entrepreneur, passionate youth advocate, inspirational speaker and up-and-coming litigator.
4). Are You Ignoring Your Customers' Requests? By : Willie Crawford Copyright 2006 Willie Crawford Many Internet marketing experts will tell you that the best way to find out what your customers want from you is to ask them. While that may be true, I believe that an even more accurate way is to just listen to what they're telling you, and to what they're asking you for. To illustrate my point, I'll use a couple of examples from one of my own niches.
5). Send Business greeting card this holiday season By : thomsonchemmanoor The holiday season is around the season. There are lots of cards and gifts being exchanged, with lots of money being spent in the air. This is the season to be jolly, and also to make others jolly through greeting cards and phone calls. When the holiday season comes, one starts deciding on whom to send business greeting cards to, and on whom not to send cards to.
6). How to Create a Better News Release By : Robert F. Abbott Many organizations and businesses want media coverage of their activities, and at the same time many newsrooms are looking for local (or even national and international) topics to cover. If you're belong to an organization that wants coverage, you can increase the odds of getting it by following a few simple news release (or press release) conventions.
7). Public Relations - and what it means for your Franchise By : Walter Raleigh The First Rule for building a Successful Franchise Business is to establish a great PR operation. You need to build a good reputation and as quickly as possible. You have to understand the value and the overwhelming benefits that flow from having an impeccable, transparent and reliable reputation so make this a major goal, as the continued success of your franchise business depends on it.
8). How to Remove Barriers To The Sale By : Bernadette Doyle Copyright 2006 Bernadette Doyle When a client is thinking about hiring you, two major questions in their mind are: ‘Can this person deliver what they say they can deliver?’ and ‘Will their approach work in our particular business?’ The trouble is no client can really answer these questions until after they have hired you. And that’s the catch 22. This is a major stumbling block which can delay if not totally grind the sales process to a halt.
9). Public Relations Strategies For Manufacturers and Industrial Suppliers By : Conrad Bailey By Conrad Bailey What you are about to read here is not what you would expect to learn about marketing industrial products via public relations, or what you would normally find from other PR sources. The reason is because the majority of public relations articles you'll find online are nothing more than hidden sales pitches from PR firms that offer advice based on what's best for their agency - and not the client.
10). Communication & Corporate Social Responsibility By : Robert F. Abbott In the past few years, the anti-corporate movement (including those opposed to globalization) has gained a bit of steam. What many people in the movement promote now is called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the idea that corporations should be responsible to all of society and the environment, as well as to shareholders. It's a shame they've gained momentum.