Ethos Public Relations Manchester

Communication remains key to successful public relations

by Christina

I’ve always believed that building and maintaining strong relationships with journalists and media contacts is an extremely important part of any successful public relations business.

In my experience, keeping up-to-date with who’s who in the ever-changing world of media, is key for any PR consultant who strives to do the best job possible, and knowing when to contact journalists, and when not to, has always been a fundamental part of the job.

And isn’t it interesting the way in which this has evolved?

Not too many years ago, I would cram my entire national, regional, consumer, trade and online media contacts into one bulging black book that I would carry around with me everywhere. I needed a paper diary to record all my appointments, and details of who to call and when in order to ensure the best possible sell-in of a story!

Back in the day, I would regularly meet with journalists for long lunches – and discuss story ideas over a pie and a few pints or a more sophisticated salad and several bottles of Pinot Grigio!

Now, due to the huge changes that we’ve seen over recent years, with the influence of the internet, social media and changing staffing levels in the British newspaper industry, I’m lucky if I’m able to meet a journalist for a very quick chat over a skinny latte and a bit of sushi!

Times, they have most certainly changed.

Now everyone has a PDA or an iPhone, a Blackberry or a Smart Phone, a Tablet or an iPad and in agency-life, we work hard to ensure we have the most sophisticated media database systems available within easy reach.

We demand the best software that gives us access to all the key contacts we may need, and the ability to share our media contacts with our colleagues.

So where do we go from here? Next, it might be that we’re all falling over each other to get our hands on the latest and greatest, smallest-ever mobile computer ever made which does absolutely everything we could ever want and need.

But whatever the technological development may be, one thing remains true - communication is a fundamental aspect of the work that we do.

Whether it’s a phonecall, a fax or an email, a tweet or a blog, speaking to the right people, at the right time will continue to be an imperative part of a successful job!

Posted at 3:32pm on 4^th August 2011