A media policy is essential for maximising all media opportunities – for any type of business, even if you are working from home.
The benefits of having a media policy in place include:
- You can feel confident and well prepared for the interview.
- You can develop a strategy for the interview.
- You can review the topic and angle the journalist wants.
- You can convey your key messages with clarity and impact.
The following is an example of a media policy which you can use for your business. It should be treated as one of your key policies and procedures.
Example media policy
All media calls are to be treated as important calls and we must ensure that we respond to the journalists’ enquiry and/or interview request in a timely and informative way.
It is important not to respond to any questions on the initial call.
The person taking the call should say:
- “I’m not the best person to talk to, but I will organise for the right person to call you back.” OR
- “I am not an expert in this area, but I can get someone to call you back.”
- For spokespeople – “I am in a meeting at the moment, but will call you back as soon as possible”
The person taking the call must ask:
- What is your name?
- What publication are you calling from?
- When is your deadline?
- What information are you looking for or what is the topic of the interview?
- What is your phone number?
Once you have this information, tell the journalist that a spokesperson will call them back before their deadline.
If you can’t locate a spokesperson, contact your PR consultant (provide the number in the policy).
If you can’t locate a spokesperson or your PR consultant before the deadline time, call the journalist back and explain the situation, saying that a spokesperson will call as soon as possible. Do not to do the interview yourself.
Before the official spokespeople undertakes the interview they should:
- Review key messages.
- Write out a game plan – what do you want to get across to the journalist?
- If possible, find out the journalist background and personality.
By following our example media policy, you can build relationships with journalists and the media that will benefit your business and support the growth of your company in the long term.
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Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.
