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Prolonging your Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Guest post by: Brianna McKinney

Article Overview: Learn the importance of building genuine rapport with reporters, being available, providing factual information, getting reporters calling you and rising above the norm with a simple thank you note.

Prolonging your Fifteen Minutes of Fame

The fame game can be transient, so if you don't want to become a one-hit wonder...

Build rapport with reporters

Some call it making a connection, building a relationship, etc; others call it schmoozing. Who cares what you call it? Just do it. It's important to remember that reporters are human, too. They can develop friendships just like the rest of us and building a genuine rapport with a reporter can sometimes play a role in continued coverage.

Sincerity is paramount in creating these relationships. Just like the rest of us, reporters can smell a what's-in-it-for-me type from a mile away. How do you create a genuine rapport with a reporter? Just treat them the same way you would treat anyone you desired as a friend. Treat the reporter with respect. Be kind and courteous. Be mindful of deadlines and meet or surpass them. Deliver information quickly and eloquently. Reporters are working just like everyone else and are typically on deadline. If they seem rushed, they most likely are.

Ask if there's any information you can provide them to make their story better or more impactful. If the reporter requests more information, get it to them quickly. Is an interview with another executive within your company in order? Help to line it up immediately.

All of this is not to say that you have to become best friends with every reporter you run across, as we all know that is not possible. What you should do is treat each reporter you speak to with courtesy and make their experience so positive and seamless that they'll want to use you as a resource in the future.

Be available

If you tell a reporter you are always available when needed, you'd better be available. If you can be available for an interview at a moment's notice, you are more likely to get called on to provide information and commentary.

As mentioned previously, most reporters work under tight deadlines. When they call for a story, it's typically not for tomorrow's news or next week's news. The story they're working on now will be yesterday's news, so if you don't want to be yesterday's news as well, be available. Drop whatever you're doing and make time to take the interview or provide information or you will soon be overlooked.

Get reporters calling you

Most of the time, reporters get calls begging them to do a story. However, those that have been a reporter's source for so many great stories may find that reporters are calling them begging for news. What a great situation to find yourself in!

Never infringe upon a reporter's trust

Reporters are stereotypically expected to check all facts, but that isn't always possible when under a tight deadline. Always assume that you will be quoted word-for-word and in doing so, ensure that you get your facts straight. If a reporter later learns that erroneous information was published in association with their byline, you'd better believe your credibility as a source is destroyed.

Send thank you notes

If a story is published or aired about you or your company, send a thank you note for the coverage. Just as in a hiring process, this simple gesture goes a long way and in this day and age many unfortunately have forgotten this common courtesy.

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Article Tags: credibility, factual information, genuine rapport, trust
Referred by: http://www.penmanpr.com



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