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How to create and nurture a relationship with a journalist

So, how do you create and maintain a relationship with journalists and key media? It’s quite simple really; make their task to find small business news as simple as possible by providing them with all the information they need, and then some!

So, how do you create and maintain a relationship with journalists and key media? It’s quite simple really; make their task to find small business news as simple as possible by providing them with all the information they need, and then some!

Put yourself in the shoes of a journalist. Their future depends on your news. If a journalist can rely on you to anticipate what content they are looking for each week, and they are confident you can provide high quality copy and are always available to provide a quote, you will be at the top of their contact list.

The two keys to keeping all journalists on your side are timing and content.

Timing

You are the best person to know what is going on in your business and, what’s going on in your industry. So the secret is to time your press release with the journalist’s schedules, but first, engage with journalists in advance so that when they check their inbox at the start of their working day, they know where their content will be coming from. Lastly, nurture your relationship by maintaining regular contact. Don’t plague journos daily, but think of interesting ways to keep in touch, for example by commenting on their articles on Twitter will get you on their radar and show you are staying up-to-date with your industry.

And to stay up-to-date, you can also check regularly the events and news relative to your industry. That's the main purpose of the JournoLink's calendar. Find out 4 powerful ways to use a business calendar to raise your profile.

Content

When writing any press release, your main focus should be to make it a compelling read. Challenge your work and consider whether you would read it if you were to come across it whilst browsing online. No journalists will write an article, which is effectively an advert for you. Your content has to be newsworthy, by having a human interest angle. For example, an export order, employment growth statistics, or something genuinely interesting to both the journalist and your target audience.

So, when building your relationships with the media, remember to keep your focus on becoming the ‘go-to spokesperson’ for the key journalists in your sector. By keeping in touch, monitoring their content schedules and providing quality news content that shows you understand what makes good copy, you will reach the top of a journalist’s contact list in no time!

Why not start building those relationships now? journolink.com/register/business

Or for more help with your PR, talk to the JournoLink team at mailto:sales@journolink.com

Written By: Peter Ibbetson, Company Director

As one of the co-founders of JournoLink PR, Peter is passionate about giving small businesses a voice in the press by providing them with the support and advice to do just that. 

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