When the Media Turns

There is a saying in the PR world that "no person in the media is a friend of the media." I laugh every time I hear this because it is so true!

Members of the press can be your best asset as a publicist, but they can turn on you quickly. If you deliver an exclusive to a different press agent, upon a client request,  your friend will quickly turn into a foe.  Further, if you invite the media to cover a client and then you have to cut them off, they will get upset.

So, how do you handle the media when they start to turn on you or overstep their boundaries? First, you need to act quickly and accurately. If a media person is upset with you, or you get the vibe he or she is upset, approach them in writing. 

Here's an example:
"john, I noticed today you seemed to avoid me at Client X's press junket. I wanted to touch base with you because I value our relationship. I hope you truly were not avoiding me, but if so- would like to take you to lunch and see how we can move beyond any challenges. Please let me know if I did something wrong or if you were simply busy."

Women have trouble being direct and there are a lot of female publicists.  This said, being direct is the best policy when you suspect trouble with the media. So, be kind and be direct.  Offer a neutral tone when addressing the press and extend a solutiuon first.

You also want to keep emotions out the mixture, which is hard. We are all human. Well, journalists today love to beat up publicist in social media forums. Why? We are paid better and we get to pick and choose our clients. Journalists don't and many of them regret this. So, when a publicist sends out a release with errors  or denies a press credential, many journalists are starting to call them out via social media. This can really make you mad and encourage you to go on a rant. Don't!

The worst thing you can do as a publicist is get emotional with a press member. Instead, make a concise public statement, like this:
"I saw John Doe's comment on my unfortunate spelling error today. It was a humble reminder that I am, in spite of my inner-dialogue lol- human! I have to work harder to catch these things as they go out, but I'm sure those who have been in my boat before understand." 

When the media turns on you, your career can be broken with no coming back. Follow the rules and examples I noted above, and you will be better suited to deal with crabby members of the press and people who simply don't like you.

Until tomorrow,
Coco the CEO