Falling in love with the media

The media market is a lot like the dating scene – there are single guys and single girls but they’re not necessarily in the same place or communicating on the same level. PR professionals are the matchmakers, or wingmen, if you will, facilitating the communication between clients and the media.

Avoiding the blind date blues
As many single women will tell you, there’s a ‘man drought’ and attractive, highly eligible women feel they have to go to ridiculous extents to get a second glance. With such stiff competition, it can be a serious battle to get any attention at all. PR’s make sure that their clients have the right “packaging” to succeed in the media meat market. This may mean giving their client an overall image makeover or simply identifying and enhancing their best assets and ensuring that they speak the right language. As they are so involved in their business, clients sometimes can’t see their own media potential. PR’s are great at seeing what it is about a client which makes them media-sexy and playing it up.

Put away the scattergun
Standing on a street corner and asking out every passer-by will not get you any dates (or you should be highly suspect about the quality of ones who do say yes). Similarly, the scattergun approach is no more effective in PR. Good PR’s make the effort to get to know both clients and journalists to the extent that they are able to identify their needs, wants and objectives, enabling them to set up appropriate matches. Rather than pimping their clients indiscriminately to a general media list, good PR’s identify compatible hits and approach each one separately in a personalised way.

Be wary of strangers
Adopting a yes policy sounds great in principle, however in practice you might find yourself in compromising situations with inappropriate people. Contrary to popular belief, not all publicity is good publicity. PR’s are like your fairy godmother, screening unsuitable media suitors who may have less honourable intentions.

Like dating, publicity has the potential to sweep you off your feet. With the right PR agency, your organisation could be on the path to a long term love affair with the media and not just a one night stand.

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