Coaching

Best practices in media relations management

In sessions led by our founder, Patricia Jones, you will get the inside scoop on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to setting up successful communications programs for an organization. Patricia tried it all so you don’t have to, and with her help you will walk away with the tools you need to implement your own media campaigns.

Media relations 101

We believe that effective media relations is a combination of understanding the news media, developing a story pitch, and knowing how to talk to a reporter. Our trainings are customized based on your individual needs with the ultimate goal of enabling you to build your own media relations program. We will help you understand what reporters are interested in and what makes a story “newsworthy.” The fundamentals of our program cover:

  • Behind the scenes: how newsrooms operate and what you need to know when dealing with the press

  • Developing an action plan for a media campaign

  • What makes a story “newsworthy” and how to translate your story into news

  • How to research, develop, and maintain a targeted media list

  • Learn the difference between a media alert, press release, and pitch letter

  • Developing key speaking points

  • How to pitch and follow up with reporters and editors

  • How to use social media to communicate with the media

  • Using b-roll to tell your story

  • Short lead vs. long leads: how far in advance do you need to pitch the media for a story?

  • Using by-lined content as a tool to reach your target audience

  • How to handle breaking news

  • Media training your spokespersons

After trainings we’re available to help as you implement your own campaigns.

EFFECTIVE IN-HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMS

If you run a communications or media relations department at a nonprofit or company, we can help you take a fresh look at your department’s daily operations and long-term strategy. We know from experience that in-house communications teams can sometimes be perceived as mysterious “black boxes” to co-workers with no understanding or experience with communications.

We start off with an analysis of your department and then develop an action plan to set your team up for success. We’ll cover issues like:

  • How to educate colleagues, supervisors, and leadership about the role and value of communications in the organization

  • Tracking systems used for setting baselines and measuring success