by Kate Sutherland, Vollmer Media Team
As a member of Vollmer’s Media Relations Team, I am regularly challenged with introducing our clients to a variety of media, from national morning show and producers to local print reporters and social media influencers. Whether the client is a travel expert for Travelocity or the CEO of Helix Energy Solutions, all clients want to know how to become the media’s “go-to source”.
While the media continues to evolve and change, there is one tried and true tactic for building strong media relationships – meet them! In a world connected by blackberries and “friending”, many people forget the basic fundamentals of getting to know someone.
Sitting down for an in-person meeting not only helps you learn more about the media, but it helps them learn more about you. Actually putting a “face to a name” is a great first step to helping the media view you as a trusted resource, and conducting a media tour over one or two days is the easiest way to meet a lot of media, in a short amount of time.
Regardless of industry, the best place to start a media tour is New York City. While it seems easy enough to plan some meetings, there are a few tricks to coordinating a successful tour, especially in the Big Apple! Here are some of Vollmer’s top tips on how we help clients prepare for media tours.
• Check the Local Calendar – While it doesn’t seem likely that New York City’s fashion week would impact a major construction group, such as Skanska, it could. Most media outlets (even the Wall Street Journal!) will be understaffed and unwilling to make time for meetings during this busy week. Always keep an eye out for major events and industry/competitor tradeshows, and avoid visits during those times.
• Avoid Mondays/Fridays – These are notoriously bad days to set up meetings for obvious reasons, so always stick to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Think Outside the Box – If you are having trouble securing a meeting with the editor for the New York Times, consider bloggers that cover your industry and freelancers in the area. This is a great way to build credibility with media who may be just as influential with your target audiences and often also write for more than one news outlet.
• Fit In Other Business – While the focus of these tours are typically to meet with media, consider setting up a time to meet potential partners in the city you are visiting, including vendors, potential clients or long-distance networking contacts you may have developed.
• Create Itinerary & Verify Locations – Input all locations, times, contacts and their phone/email addresses into one easy to access document. Always double check the address of the meeting with your contact, or call their receptionist. It’s helpful to ask for exact cross streets, and if there are special check-in instructions (for example, if ID is required, or to enter through a side street)
• Confirm 24 Hours in Advance - Send each person a confirmation email 24 hours in advance of your appointment, reconfirming time and location.
• Check the Weather – Seems silly, but if you are relying on public transportation to get you to and from meetings, realize that there will be delays if it rains! This is especially true in Manhattan. It will be hard to rely on cabs in bad weather so consider renting a car or booking a car service to ensure you make it to every appointment on time. If you will be driving, add in a few more minutes than usual.
• Don’t Forget the News! – And the number one tip is....Bring news! If they agree to meet with you, the media will want to know what is going on with you or your company now, how it’s related to what’s happening in the rest of the world and how it will affect your target audiences – their readers.
If you are interested in learning more about Vollmer’s media relationships and coordinating a media tour, contact a member of our team – Kate Sutherland, kate@vollmerpr.com or Mary Kate Smither (marykate@vollmerpr.com).
As a member of Vollmer’s Media Relations Team, I am regularly challenged with introducing our clients to a variety of media, from national morning show and producers to local print reporters and social media influencers. Whether the client is a travel expert for Travelocity or the CEO of Helix Energy Solutions, all clients want to know how to become the media’s “go-to source”.
While the media continues to evolve and change, there is one tried and true tactic for building strong media relationships – meet them! In a world connected by blackberries and “friending”, many people forget the basic fundamentals of getting to know someone.
Sitting down for an in-person meeting not only helps you learn more about the media, but it helps them learn more about you. Actually putting a “face to a name” is a great first step to helping the media view you as a trusted resource, and conducting a media tour over one or two days is the easiest way to meet a lot of media, in a short amount of time.
Regardless of industry, the best place to start a media tour is New York City. While it seems easy enough to plan some meetings, there are a few tricks to coordinating a successful tour, especially in the Big Apple! Here are some of Vollmer’s top tips on how we help clients prepare for media tours.
• Check the Local Calendar – While it doesn’t seem likely that New York City’s fashion week would impact a major construction group, such as Skanska, it could. Most media outlets (even the Wall Street Journal!) will be understaffed and unwilling to make time for meetings during this busy week. Always keep an eye out for major events and industry/competitor tradeshows, and avoid visits during those times.
• Avoid Mondays/Fridays – These are notoriously bad days to set up meetings for obvious reasons, so always stick to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Think Outside the Box – If you are having trouble securing a meeting with the editor for the New York Times, consider bloggers that cover your industry and freelancers in the area. This is a great way to build credibility with media who may be just as influential with your target audiences and often also write for more than one news outlet.
• Fit In Other Business – While the focus of these tours are typically to meet with media, consider setting up a time to meet potential partners in the city you are visiting, including vendors, potential clients or long-distance networking contacts you may have developed.
• Create Itinerary & Verify Locations – Input all locations, times, contacts and their phone/email addresses into one easy to access document. Always double check the address of the meeting with your contact, or call their receptionist. It’s helpful to ask for exact cross streets, and if there are special check-in instructions (for example, if ID is required, or to enter through a side street)
• Confirm 24 Hours in Advance - Send each person a confirmation email 24 hours in advance of your appointment, reconfirming time and location.
• Check the Weather – Seems silly, but if you are relying on public transportation to get you to and from meetings, realize that there will be delays if it rains! This is especially true in Manhattan. It will be hard to rely on cabs in bad weather so consider renting a car or booking a car service to ensure you make it to every appointment on time. If you will be driving, add in a few more minutes than usual.
• Don’t Forget the News! – And the number one tip is....Bring news! If they agree to meet with you, the media will want to know what is going on with you or your company now, how it’s related to what’s happening in the rest of the world and how it will affect your target audiences – their readers.
If you are interested in learning more about Vollmer’s media relationships and coordinating a media tour, contact a member of our team – Kate Sutherland, kate@vollmerpr.com or Mary Kate Smither (marykate@vollmerpr.com).
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