Have you experienced the excitement of media saying ‘yes’ to your story only to be disappointed in the actual media coverage itself?
It happens. Even to professional PR consultants who work with media for a living!
In fact, it happened in our office just recently when a client’s story that we were really passionate about only received a brief mention in the news despite a great press call, with excellent interview talent and visual opportunities. And we know some people have felt quite burned in the past when journalists have invertedly made an error in their reporting, or run with an angle different to what aligned with their own objective.
It’s important to remember that if journalists decide to cover your story, it’s their choice on how and when they report on it in line with the media outlet, and their target audience. That’s why it is called earned media. We’re not paying for an advertisement where we’re guaranteed the content is in line with our key (and often promotional!) messages.
Don’t be daunted and think a negative experience with PR is the norm, most times media coverage is extremely positive and valuable! Just go in with an open mind, and here are some steps you can take if you find yourself disappointed with your media coverage:
Manage your expectations
We all want to be the lead story, but let’s be realistic and objective about what other breaking stories might be trumping ours.
Any positive mention in the media is still very valuable, and you can still share it via your socials to build your credibility (in other words, we flipped our thinking and reminded ourselves that the news coverage we secured supported our key message and was great branding for the client – WINNING!)
Control what you can
Review your media release and processes to ensure that you had provided the necessary details to the media, and if necessary, adapt those processes next time.
It is NOT okay to tell media how you want your media coverage to look, but giving them clear, sufficient information helps set everyone up for success.
Correct if absolutely necessary
Journalists are human and working to tight deadlines, so it is inevitable they will sometimes make mistakes. If it is absolutely crucial that the facts be corrected, it is okay to reach out and calmly explain the error, and in most cases, they will happily correct it where they can. If it’s no biggie in the grand scheme of things, let it go. Remember that unless you’re dodgy, 99% of journalists aren’t trying to catch you out or make you look bad!
And if your disappointment is how you look or sound, remember we all cringe at ourselves the first few times we see it – you’ll get better with practise and you’ll get used to seeing yourself in the media!
We hope these tips help increase your confidence to Create Your Own PR!
