Reactive media relations

By Nubia Neves

It is not only from positive news that a company lives. Truths or lies are used against companies, products and services all the time in the media. This is another reason that proves the importance of having media relations. When we work with controversial companies or issues, it is very important that we are always prepared to read materials that put into question the reliability of the brands.

It is impossible to control the media. Bloggers, websites and opinion leaders publish all the time information that can be personal opinions or have foundation and evidence. These materials are difficult to predict. Therefore, monitoring all types of media is the best way to be prepared.

Through daily checks, as soon as a negative story is published, it is possible to contact the journalist or the expert used as source for the article. It is very important that the company, along with the PR agency, prepare a Q&A (Questions and Answers) predicting questions and answers with negative and positive information that can be said. With this material in hand, the contact with who disseminated the information is much more agile and effective.

It is important to bear in mind that not every negative information generated by the media outlet is the journalist’s fault. Reporters and editors have an obligation to consult experts on the issue that will be discussed, and these experts usually have foundation to address these issues. Therefore you must always be prepared to “prove” that what they are saying is wrong.

Maybe the article is not changed after all, especially when it comes to printed material, however, if we can show to the journalist that the information was not correct, the chance of happening again is very small. Moreover, in the best cases, the company or product can get in the journalist’s spokespeople list, being asked for an upcoming article.

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