Media Relations Development

We are frequently approached by clients who are interested in being involved with the media. Whether it is a press-release preparation and distribution they want, a press-conference to be held, testing events to be arranged or a company’s press-service to be created, everybody wants the same – to attract the media’s attention to their company. We value our relationships with journalists, maintain good contacts with them, but we consider them our colleagues and that is the reason why we always lay stress on a professional approach to establishing relations between a client and the media.

What we are paid for in our work is not an article placement, but our ability to make information, which we offer to a journalist, interesting. If the information is appealing enough for an editor-in-chief to be eager to get it published, it means it would be of interest to a reader, too.

With our team’s experience in working for Russian and international business media, we know what journalists want and how their editors assess the material. We know where and who gives coverage of the subjects relevant to us. We are also aware of how to arrange the material for publishing in a way that would perfectly correspond to the policy of the periodical and arouse the readers’ interest.

Case History

We were approached by a young dynamic telecommunications company. The endeavors of their marketing and PR departments to attract the business and professional media’s attention to their company had failed. We were requested to lend a helping hand.

After we had exchanged views with the management, we discovered that there were potential newsbreaks, which could be properly developed, with some adjacent topics to be involved. It could be done in such a way that the interests of the journalists representing business and professional media, when invited to a press-conference, would be separated. Now, each of the journalists could hear replies to their own questions. We can admit that the company’s executives had certain doubts about the necessity to modify the company’s communications policy. But the result that we finally achieved, which provided considerable footage in news programs of the national TV channels, as well as dozens of articles published in business and professional press, proved that all the doubts were unnecessary.

They say that a customer is always right, but it’s a journalist who writes. We know that very well, and while fulfilling our communications strategy, we focus on a journalist’s interests when the perspective of how to provide information is being considered. So, a request, which is based on a journalist’s specific interest, is formulated and related to the client. The outcome of such connection is an interview or a commentary published in the media relevant to the client. Thus, we achieve mutual understanding with the client and establish long-term professional relations with the media.

It happens at times that a client, with his deadline being yesterday, comes and says:

“We need media coverage. We would like the business press: Kommersant and Vedomosti, the popular TV channels and some relevant media to be involved because we are launching a new brand tomorrow!” When asked about any materials prepared for the occasion, the client gets scared and keeps silence. So the question arises: why didn’t he think about it and hadn’t done anything in advance? Yes, we shall advise on what could be done in such an ‘emergency’ situation, but think about it: would you meet a business partner with a new proposal in your mind, without prior considerations of what exactly you want to tell him and why it might be interesting to him?