What is media relations?

Media relations is the practice of developing relationships
with journalists and editors at media outlets. The hope is that, from doing so,
you will garner media coverage for your business or cause. In addition, establishing
relationships with the media can ensure fair coverage should controversy arise involving
your organization.

What types of media are there?

Traditionally, the media was thought of as being people in charge of content at television stations, radio stations, newspaper, popular magazines and trade magazines. Today, depending who you talk to, bloggers, online
TV stations, online radio stations, online magazines, and podcasters are now considered part of the media as well.

Media Relations Online

The Internet has, in a sense, democratized the media and the way media relations is practiced.

Don’t believe it?
According to recent article in Fortune magazine, Gizmodo, a site dedicated to the latesttechnology news, had eight million unique visitors in September. Engadget, another site dedicated to technology news, had just under 10 million unique visitors.

In today’s world, with blogs, podcasts and social media, a well-placed, well-timed article can get syndicated and disseminated throughout the world in a matter of hours.

For example, take the post
that I did in the past about Kijiji, which was launched by eBay The story that I read and linked to was written at 11:06 PM by the BBC. My post, with
reaction and commentary was online seven hours later (12:02 AM CST).

Robert Scoble, tech blogger, does this on a regular basis. He regularly syndicates news from TechCrunch and Techmeme. However, he doesn’t just rerun their news. He often provides additional insight and takes original angles.

Now, even blog posts can get additional coverage through trackbacks, delicious tags, social sharing and StumbleUpon, just to name a few of the ways.

Establishing relationships with online media outlets (see above) is critically important in some industries, especially consumer electronics. Not only does it help spread awareness, it helps with search engine optimization because of the links that are spread amongst blogs.

Why is Media Relations Important?

Media relations is important for obvious reasons; media placements can extend marketing budgets, increase credibility and allow a message to spread much faster than advertising alone.  Not to mention, strong relationships with the media can ensure you’re able to tell your side of the story should a situation arise.