Are you responsible for expanding your company’s brand awareness through global media with a small staff and budget?
Outreach to journalists in multiple countries needs to be handled differently in order to develop effective relationships around the globe. A brush stroke approach will never work and may even set you back. Do not assume what works in one country or region will work in others.
Here are five tips for working with journalists globally:
Know the media culture. In-country staff and/or consultants are the experts. Have conversations with them to understand how press operate, how they view the work of the organization, who the most prominent journalists are in your subject area and what interactions they have had in the past. If you budget allows, you may want to conduct a brand awareness audit with a select group of media outlets as a benchmark.
Approach journalists as is expected in their country. Find out from your own research, in-country staff, partner organizations and other experts on how journalists prefer to be approached. Your professional network can be extremely valuable here – mine it for those who have worked in-country.
Hire a local consultant to initiate relationships. A local consultant will often be a former journalist with existing relationships with the press. They can help with introductions and with briefing you and your team on how to best approach the media to ensure a successful foundation.
Have a member of staff available for informal and formal briefings. If you have a country director/manager, they will have the history and the context of the organization’s work and how it has been covered by the journalist and perceived in-country. They can serve as the content expert and prevent you from falling into any traps. They are also great resources for backgrounding you and your team on the organization’s media history in country.
Always follow-up. Distance should never be used as an excuse not to continue a connection. Use digital platforms; most journalists list handles at the top of their articles or, if you have the budget, purchase a license to a global media database like Meltwater. Always follow up with a thank you. Keep the conversation going and keep them up-to-date on your company’s work globally so they feel included and valuable.
Remove geographic borders from your planning. Include these journalists in your overall media outreach strategy. Do not think in terms of geographic borders, planning just within the boundaries of where you are headquartered or located. Think globally every time you plan media outreach and develop a strategy for each country. It’s time-consuming, but it is an investment that will pay off in the long-run.
