The media are an essential channel for delivering relevant content to a specific audience. However, many company spokespeople make the mistake of using them as an advertising channel to sell products and services, using commercial language and focusing messages on achievements that mean nothing to the community.
It is very easy to miss the chance to inform properly if you do not follow the steps needed to create relevant content. Several essential elements must be taken into account to communicate successfully.
Keep in mind that a media outlet will share content about your business only if you first build trust. You can do this by drawing journalists into an engaging story, with an empathetic tone that catches their attention and appeals to their readers.
If your topic is too specialized or unfamiliar to the reporter, it may be met with natural resistance, so it is best to provide context and data first and follow a logical order that makes it easy to understand.
If the contact with the outlet is an interview, and circumstances allow, it is ideal to send information in advance. This lets the reporter analyze it better. Remember that a journalist will always seek to report reliable facts and will most likely check what you share.
During the conversation, make sure you say what you mean clearly and in your own words, so the journalist does not end up putting words in your mouth. Do not speculate about the future: answer only about facts, and do not answer questions based on hearsay or rumors.
If you choose information that is appropriate, relevant and current, the journalist’s natural curiosity will lead to more questions, which expands the exposure and reach of your topic and produces relevant content.
Journalists need to work quickly and efficiently, so they will always appreciate anything that makes their job easier. Journalism is, for the most part, a craft: let’s devote time and attention to working with the media as allies in the art of creating relevant content.
Originally published in Spanish in July 2020: El arte de generar contenido relevante.
