BUILD RELATIONSHIPS TO BUILD EMPIRES

“My pappy told me never to bet my bladder against a brewery or get into an argument with people who buy ink by the barrel” — Lane Kirkland, Former President of the AFL-CIO

The term “public relations” consist of two words “public” and “relations”. Relations with the public are publicists’ inventories. Relationships are the most valuable assets in publicists’ portfolios. The most valuable relationships are those with the media because they in turn produce relationships with the greater public. And by media, we mean both the traditional media — print and television news reporters — as well as new media — bloggers, podcasters, and social networkers.

Generally, you won’t see immediate results because these types of relationships must be nurtured. It’s a slow, deliberate process like erecting a brick wall: firmly and precisely placing, aligning, adjusting, and mortaring one brick at a time, row after row, until the wall is completed. However, unlike a brick wall, your relationship with the media is never complete — you must always continue building.

Guerrilla Intelligence:

Build and maintain long-term, ongoing relationships. Think in terms of:

Remember that you are in business for the duration, not simply for a one-shot quickie. Develop media contacts that you can grow with, contacts that will evolve into invaluable sources down the line.

Every contact is important — even calls that are intercepted by voice mail and aren’t returned. Repeatedly leaving your message builds name recognition; it places you on your target’s radar screen. After a few messages, strangers, who once never knew that you existed, know who you are and why you’re calling. And if down the road they need what you have, they will call on you.

Media relationships should be mutually beneficial. You look to the media to publicize your product or service and they look to you for stories. Let’s be honest, if you didn’t want publicity, you’d probably never bother with the media and vice-versa. Essentially, it’s a simple exchange, giving in order to receive. However, isn’t exactly an equal relationship. Sometimes you do all the work and nothing happens. The media has a monopoly over the means of distribution. While you may have the raw materials — the stories — the media controls the delivery. Without the media, your stories wouldn’t get to many people.

By adhering to their rules, the media will consider you a professional, someone they can rely on and with whom they’ll do business.