Establishing Relationships

As I recognize often as featured in my recent interview with Authority Magazine, PR is a people business. Think about it, you’re always working to establish relationships. On one side, we find ourselves working with spokespeople/clients pitching their stories. We work with them on media training to ensure that certain message points are being delivered and to make sure that they feel comfortable and confident in their environment. Preparation is key!

On the flip side, we are working with reporters, producers and editors who, you guessed it, are also people. Knowing how to interact with them, being mindful of contacting them during certain hours because they are feverishly working towards a deadline and understanding the importance of relationship building all are extremely important in the industry and all point back to people skills.

Establishing relationships is integral to the process. On one side, when you’re able to establish a solid foundation with a reporter on behalf of a client when it comes time to write on a topic that is applicable to the client’s industry, the reporter is likely to think of you as a relevant source and may even reach out to you proactively (this is for sure a win!). On the other side, it’s absolutely imperative to develop a solid relationship with our clients, to become their trusted advisor when it comes down to establishing a PR strategy and supporting their media journey when it comes to securing media opportunities that align with goals and guiding them with message points and interview process.

Solid relationships support strategic outcomes.