When you’re constantly on the prowl for media opportunities, it’s tempting to take anything and everything that’s offered to you. But while most media opportunities do yield positive results, there are those rare occasions when things go bad. Sometimes, an interview might unexpectedly go south or an article might turn out to portray your company in a negative light.
What can you do to limit the chances of this happening to you?
It all comes down to screening your media opportunities carefully beforehand. In a sense, it’s about measuring the risk versus the reward. Is the coverage you might get good enough to overcome the risk of things potentially turning negative?
While there’s no surefire way of avoiding a nasty situation, following these simple tips will help you better evaluate your media opportunities.
- Learn about the audience – Not all media coverage is created equal. For example, getting a story in a magazine that almost no one reads, especially no one from your target audience, is pretty much pointless. On the other hand, there may be instances where it’s better to get covered in a small, niche publication that does a good job of reaching your target audience rather than in a huge publication that doesn’t reach your audience. Quality over quantity.
- Read the publication – Whether it’s a blog or a magazine, take a while to read through past issues and articles to get a sense for the type of content they publish. Put yourself in the place of some of the other companies that have gotten coverage in past articles. Would you want to be there?
- Study the reporter’s history – You need to spend time reading the reporter’s past work to get a feel for the type of coverage they typically provide. Simply Google the reporter’s name and see what comes up. What type of tone do the articles have? If most tend to be negative and critical, this is a pretty big warning sign that you could be the target for negative coverage.
- Consider the type of coverage – Obviously, you’re going to have much more control over the tone of a bylined article you submit to a publication than you would if you were getting interviewed live on TV. Certain types of media coverage (broadcasts and blogs are 2 examples) have higher risks than other types. They may also have higher rewards though.
What are some of the steps you take when evaluating media opportunities? Share your tips by leaving a comment.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab your free 160-page copy of the Big Press Release Book – Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/big-press-release-samples-book/