Media Relations Training

A client said to me recently “We need media training on how to deal with bad publicity”. The remark came on a day when one of his associates had received some high-profile negative publicity. Other media was following-up by hounding my client for a comment. But what this client doesn’t understand is that media training is a pre-emptive action, not a reactive one. The media training should have come before the bad publicity. It probably would have prevented it.

Media training can be delivered in several different ways. One-on-one media coaching is for individuals who will be faced with interview opportunities. It will focus on interview skills as well as understanding how the media works, why they do what they do, and how to develop a successful relationship with them. Group media training is beneficial to organizations. Volunteers, staff and members can all have a different role in the media relations function. In addition to the above skills for spokespeople, others can be taught how to recognize a potential story; how to pitch a story to a journalist; how to prepare and issue news releases and other written media material; and research skills to equip themselves with the facts and figures they need to help a journalist do a story.

Media training can help an organization raise it’s profile, which will contribute to reaching its fund-raising and membership goals. It helps prevent bad publicity by preventing the mistakes that sometimes cause it. Bad publicity is also prevented simply by having the skills to develop good long-term relationships with the media.

Yes, in accordance with my client’s thoughts, the best way to react to bad publicity would be covered in any media training. But, the training would, in many cases, prevent the need to have to resort to those skills.