Media tours: When the Event Ends, the Real Work is Just Beginning

By Amy Noesser Lee Account Executive, Houston

Nothing beats coming back from a grueling, yet successful, media event and basking in your shortened to-do list and back-to-normal work days. Realizing a stressor, like a media tour, is not only over but also done right is one of those feelings that makes this job worthwhile.

I returned from a rather arduous media tour in December and bounced happily into the office the following Monday, letting out the relaxed “ahhhh” of knowing that the New York trip was over, we met with more than a dozen key media, and better yet the client was happy. Of course, I planned on sending out quick and sweet thank-you notes to all the media we met with, hoping that our meetings opened the door for them to think of my client for any future stories. After that, I planned on mentally checking that trip off my to-do list and looking forward to those relaxing holiday weeks where we all clean off our desk tops and reorganize our file folders.

However, I got some advice that made me realize how wrong – but common – this train of thought really is. It’s our tendency to focus whole-heartedly on a project, but then move our attention to the next as soon as it’s “over.”

What I learned is – when a media event is over, the real strategic media relations is just starting. We tell our clients that we have to make that initial launch of their brand in small markets before they have a shot at anything like The Wall Street Journal or CNN, and really the same walk – crawl – run roadmap applies to building media relationships.  Completing a media tour is only the first step toward building a strong media relationship.

So, from there I stepped back, thought about each media conversation, and plotted out what exactly I could give each reporter to keep them on the hook. I had the best insight possible – I knew what they were interested in, they knew who I was and the brand I was representing. It should be an infallible pitch (well, theoretically).  And in fact, I’ve already gotten some traction with my targeted post-media tour follow-up.

My New Year’s Resolution is to never again check a box and be satisfied, but rather to only stop when those placements start rolling in. Try it. Locking down hit after hit is an even more rewarding feeling than reveling in the calm after from a long and stressful media tour.