Building relationships with media is a crucial element to PR success, and implementing “slow PR” tactics can assist in the ongoing and sometimes tedious process of building rapport with journalists. So what exactly does slow PR entail?
According to a recent blog post on Cision by Erin Feldman, slow PR “blends traditional tactics with digital tools and technologies to achieve highly targeted and effective media relations.” This practice goes beyond mass pitching by taking the time to cultivate relationships with journalists, increasing credibility, and creating a mutual respect.
PR pros need to be willing to invest the time to create this rapport, but the results will be greatly beneficial, as media will understand the resources PR pros have available and proactively reach out for stories they are developing. PR pros can supplement their traditional approaches with the following slow PR tips:
Make it a mutually beneficial relationship. Develop a rapport with journalists. Make sure they know you are a resource too and are not just there to push your clients’ stories. Find out what they like to cover and how they cover it. Essentially, you need to be there before the “sale” of your clients’ news.
Use social media. Twitter is a great way to interact with journalists and uncover which topics are of particular interest to them. Additional interests or hobbies may surface, providing further information to create highly targeted pitches. LinkedIn is also a great resource to learn more about a journalist’s background.
Do your research and use your available tools. Utilize media contact databases, whether this is an internal list or a tool like Cision, to ensure client stories are making it to the appropriate contacts. Help a Reporter Out, or HARO, is another resource available. Make use of these journalists that are proactively seeking pitches. Offering them the appropriate information is a great way to get the conversation started.
It is important to emphasize that slow PR does not mean you are not able to quickly achieve results or break news. It simply means taking the time to do your research, and doing it thoroughly. This approach allows you to be in a better position to pitch journalists and actually get their attention when your client’s news breaks. Invest the time in slow PR and results will follow.