Last week Ragan.com wrote about a new poll that revealed, among other things, PR firms are still the number one source for journalists. I anticipate other agency-side PR professionals were not surprised to see the results, which indicated 62 percent of journalists rely on PR agencies for sources.

Part of our job is to build relationships with the media and, given we typically have multiple clients across different industries, we tend to have connections and information that can be valuable to a reporter. For example, I have relationships with reporters who will call on deadline looking for a very specific source (i.e. a company who can speak to trend XYZ) and I make every effort to connect them with the right resources.

In other cases we field inquiries from reporters looking for story ideas. I recently walked a reporter through a few ideas we developed on behalf of our clients, but also shared a story idea that we were still vetting internally and was able to secure her reaction. The result? The reporter got off the phone with a couple ideas that were of interest and I gathered additional insight into what we would need to sell our future story to that reporter.

These relationships are a core part of my role as a PR professional and are not reserved just for media. I welcome an opportunity to connect other business colleagues when I anticipate the connection could be of mutual benefit.  

PR professionals embrace these relationships and work to deliver value for those contacts. Here are a few tips to consider when building meaningful relationships with media:

• Respond in a timely manner. When a reporter is contacting me they are usually on deadline. Be responsive. Let them know if you can help within their deadline. If not, connect them with a colleague.
• Share relevant information. Gather enough information to know what the reporter is looking for and offer sources or ideas that can address their need. Don’t force an idea or a contact if it is not relevant. Be sure to offer supporting information or ideas beyond your client spokesperson. For example relevant data or analyst reports, photos, blogs, etc. Solicit input from your colleagues.
• Be transparent and honest. I always disclose the relationship I have with a source: Is the source a client, is it friend or did I just hear about the company/product at a cocktail party the night before. Likewise, if we have upcoming news that might be of interest, I might let the reporter know we have something in development, if it’s relevant to the timing and story idea.
• Know where your role ends. Sometimes it makes sense to facilitate the conversations and set up interviews; and sometimes you need to step aside for the reporter. If I connect a reporter with a client, I will stay involved throughout the process. Or if the person is more challenging for the reporter to connect with, I will offer to help. However, if the source is not a client, oftentimes I will facilitate the connection via email and then step out of the process.

Most agency-side PR professionals have these types of relationship with a variety of media (which is one of the benefits of working with a PR firm versus having an in-house team). Peter Shankman’s Help a Reporter Out (HARO) was built on this premise and has been a huge success. He provided a platform for media and PR folks to connect. The rules he established reinforce the value of those relationships and prevent misuse of the system.

Successful PR practitioners know it is important to develop on-going relationships with media and not just focus on pitching today’s story.