Consulting vs. Insulting — Media Consulting is About Making Change

I was on an internet forum for consultants recently and saw a thread with a great title. It was called “Consulting or Insulting?”. It was started by a consultant whose clients were insulted every time he tried to promote change within their organization. This experience is not new to anyone in the consulting business.

 

As a media relations consultant, my job is to increase and enhance publicity and visibility, on behalf of my clients. A client once told me abruptly, “I don’t need media training”. The comment came when I tried to initiate change in the way her organization conducted its media relations. In other words, when I did what she had hired me to do.

 

If a particular function is going well, then why do organizations or individuals hire a consultant who specializes in that function?  They must feel they are lacking success in this area to even approach a consultant.

 

Journalism and media relations are professions that few people, who have not worked in the field, understand well. Many make the mistake of hiring a broad-based public relations firm rather than a publicist or true media relations specialist.

 

So, if you are admitting you need help, be prepared to make change. You are not being insulted if your consultant wants you to stop certain activities and implement new ones. If I hired an engineering consultant, I wouldn’t be insulted if I learned that I know little, if anything, about engineering.

 

The bottom line is that if you hire, or consult with, a media consultant, you have probably already realized that your media relations program needs work. It isn’t as effective as it could be. Therefore, be ready for change. You’ve already told yourself your present program isn’t working. Don’t be insulted when they tell you that you were right.

Don’t Ask to See the Questions Before the Interview

If you want to appear media-savvy, don’t ask a reporter to see the questions in advance of an interview. Few professional reporters, with major publications or broadcast outlets, will comply with such a request. Good interviews result from spontaneous answers, not prepared statements or rehearsed, “canned” answers.

 

You do, however, have every right to ask questions of the reporter (or have your representative do so) before agreeing to an interview. You will want to feel out the angle he or she appears to be taking with the subject and their area of interest. If you have doubts about trusting the reporter, you have no obligation to oblige. If you feel  there is a lack of chemistry between you, you can turn the reporter down. Ask your own questions and go with your instinct. But, don’t ask to see their questions before the interview.

Media Relations Starts at the Grassroots Level

In any type of organization, good media relations begins at the grassroots. If the  youngest and newest participants are encouraged to value the benefits that publicity and high visibility can bring, the entire organization will have a more prosperous future. If the people at the grassroots understand how to work with the media, everyone involved will benefit and the organization or activity will have a brighter future. 

When everyone in an organization knows and understands the principles of media relations, they don’t have to learn a new way of thinking when they become leaders and/or spokespersons.

It comes down to encouraging all members — the earlier the better — to understand how to think like a journalist, what a journalist does, and how to work with members of the media.