Media Relations Is Not a Dying PR Skill

Peter Hilmer leads Flatiron Communications

"...we must be mindful that a great “placement” in and of itself no longer has the capacity to drive a contemporary communications campaign. Stand-alone news stories are simply too ephemeral or lost altogether in the vast ocean of dynamic content. For a story meme to take hold today, it must reside and be amplified across multiple news and social channels even if that means using alternative (e.g., sponsored) means for achieving it."
Peter Himler

You hear a lot about the death of traditional media.  

But I have yet to meet a client who does not want to be on TV, score favourable print coverage or hear the Boss on radio. Few, if any, demand more Facebook and less conventional coverage.

So, it was refreshing to read a recent post about media relations continuing to be important and no way is it a dying PR skill.  

New York-based PR pro Peter Himler says old school media is still critical for success but must be part of a broader engagement program.  He claims many PRs have failed to keep up with changes in journalism which means they are not earning the coverage they previously did in less digitally challenging times.

It's tougher than ever to get media coverage, so Peter suggests a good way to boost your chances is to avoid making the 25 mistakes that drive reporters nuts.

Read Peter's very thoughtful post.

...and while we at it ... a recent Neilsen Poll shows US consumers are more likely to trust traditional media advertising over other forms. So hold the funeral notices for traditional platforms.

Infograph courtesy of Statista Inc.

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Celluloid Cowboys and PR People

Yesterday's Hollywood cowboys - Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers - thrilled a generation of kids at Saturday matinees.  

Every week we cheered wildly as we watched them on the silver screen bringing villains to justice. To us kids they were authentic - plain talking and fast acting heroes living by simple frontier values where you helped neighbours and those in trouble. 

Hopalong, Gene and Roy never sought out trouble but they were quick to act if trouble found them. They used their horse riding, gun toting, two fisted skills to right wrongs and restore things to how they should be back at the ranch or in the town. Often they fought outnumbered when those around them had given up.  Yet week after week they prevailed and then rode quietly into the sunset. 

These 50s Hollywood portrayals of good versus evil were highly romanticised and politicised. Yet while the myths of the Old West are no longer be relevant, the essential message of these cowboy heroes - having simple values and sticking to them - are as valid now as when they rode the range.  

Honesty, promptness, balance and a willingness to listen and act in others' as well as our own interests should be our compass points

Solid, positive values underpin all enduring relationships with the people who matter most to us.  That applies especially to professional communicators.  Honesty, promptness, balance and a willingness to listen and act in others' as well as our own interests should be the compass points that guide our communications efforts in the coming year.  

In 2014 there may be circumstances and individuals who challenge our ideas of right and wrong.  Perhaps the silver screen examples of Hopalong, Gene and Roy might help us decide how we should act. 

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