In the business world, some of the most effective opinion formers are not those running the biggest companies or even those with the largest PR budgets. Instead, it is the leaders who understand the needs of media outlets and are prepared to invest time and effort nurturing relationships with reporters that leave the greatest impression.
For a busy CEO, it can be hard to prioritize a media interview, do the necessary background reading on the journalist and prepare for their questions, but the difference it makes to the outcome is tremendous. During a recent video interview, one of Mercom’s valued clients not only came prepared with answers to the questions but with a full color backdrop of a power plant that the reporter had expressed interest in so he could make visual references during their discussion. This enriched the interview and brought the topic to life.
Trusting connections
This was not the first meeting Mercom arranged between our client and the journalist, but one that we arranged to reinforce their association and update the reporter. As PR professionals, our aim is always to broker meaningful, mutually beneficial and trusting connections. While agencies are often evaluated on how many clippings they have secured for a client, the media relationships they help to build are just as valuable, many of which can be nurtured throughout the client’s career.
To ensure the best possible start to a relationship between a client and a journalist, PR agencies have work to do. The clean tech sector is evolving quickly and while reporters strive to keep up with the latest advances, interviews are immeasurably helped by timely, concise and accurate information provided by Mercom and its in-house research team in advance. Along with details about the client’s company and their product or solution, they should also understand what to expect from the conversation and the topics that will particularly resonate. If the reporter and the client also have something in common, we will highlight this in advance to oil the conversational wheels.
Multi-layered interactions
Understandably, a business leader will appreciate and respond positively to an informed interviewer who is invested in writing an accurate article. Mercom carries out this preparation by laying the ground for a multi-layered conversation that both parties are more likely to want to return to in the future. In addition, the resulting coverage is more likely to be interesting to the reader, reflecting the time invested by the client and the reporter.
We adopt this approach to building client and journalist connections regardless of the size or nature of our client’s company or the media we are targeting. Whether our clients are taking part in a Zoom meeting with a Wall Street reporter, a phone call with an energy magazine in Portugal, or a meeting for a coffee in London with the Financial Times, you can be sure that behind the scenes, Mercom will be busy thinking about how best to set up the next meeting between the two parties for optimum results.
Learn more about how Mercom works with clients to arrange media interviews that deliver results HERE.