Get started with media relations

Learn how to build relationships with media to help you tell your story across media channels.

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Introduction 1. Why build media relations? 2. Who you engage with 3. How you engage

Introduction to 'Get started with media relations'

How other people see your business is key to its success. Working on your public relations (PR) can help you to build a more positive image of your organisation. PR is simply how you share your story with the public. It takes your brand and helps you to shape it into an effective marketing and communications story. A story that will help your target users to know exactly who you are. This makes it clear to them why they should interact with you.

A big part of this is media relations. This is how you interact with the media and how they tell your story. In this lesson, you'll learn some of the ways you can do this and how it can help your business.

What you'll learn

  • How building media relationships can help your business.
  • The different media people and channels.
  • Ways to engage with these people and channels.

How long it takes

6 minutes

Chapter 1 - Why build media relations?

Why build media relations?

Chapter 1

How long it takes

2 minutes

The benefits of media relations

If you have a marketing strategy in place, you're likely to be busy updating social channels and reaching out to your customers in other ways. But it pays to think about working with the media to extend your audience. Think of the media as an extra marketing resource. Let's look at some of the ways it can help.

Reach a broad audience

Digital media is a good way to share news and stories with people. TV, radio and printed media also have a role to play. Both can help give a good image of your business.

You can reach both a wide range of users and specific types. Each type of media will have their own audience ready for you to tell your story to. You could reach a broader and bigger set of users through TV or national news sites. On the other hand, you could target specific users. By, for example, trying to speak to people who like music through a music magazine or radio station.

 

Reach your target audience

Through research, each media company knows in detail who their consumers are and what they want.

This can help you pick the media outlet that will best reach the people you what to talk to.

Plus, the trust they feel about the media outlet will enhance the messages they see about your brand.

Advertising vs news interest

One way to tell your story is through news items, articles and interviews. You could also use advertising to get your message out. Both ways are good, but they also have things to bear in mind.

In advertising, you have control over your message and its image. You can also control how often it is seen and where. But it can be expensive. A news story will not cost you, but you lose some control to the interests of journalists and producers. The effort you put into media relations will help you get the right balance.

Your use of advertising and the news stories you can place are in your control. The two give you multiple routes to tell your story. Today, by employing social media and direct contact you have even more routes.

Introduction - Get started with media relations
Chapter 2 - Who you engage with

Who you engage with

Chapter 2

How long it takes

2 minutes

Online and offline channels

When you think of 'the media', what do you see? There are different types of media, both online and offline.

 

These include:

Printed media

These include regional and national newspapers, plus magazines and journals that cater to a more specialist audience.

Broadcast media

Typically, TV and radio. This covers everything from small community radio stations to national TV channels.

Digital channels

Think of digital news sites like the BBC, other sites like Huffpost and WIRED, plus digital versions of national newspapers.

The people to contact

If you're starting to get an idea of the type of media you want to use, your next step is to get in touch with someone from that channel or outlet. Look for journalists who've covered stories like yours in the past. Search social sites and set up search alerts with keywords that relate to your work. Start to build a list of media contacts.

Idea

A journalist's contact details will often be shown on their company's website. Or, you could try the main switchboard or newsdesk for help.

Starting to engage with the media

Once you have a list of media contacts, it's time to reach out to them.

Some people do this by emailing a press release to a journalist and then hoping that it will get coverage. This is a mistake. It's more likely your story will get noticed if you make direct contact with them. 

 

Here are some things to try:

Contact them on social media

Drop them an email

Give them a call

Meet face to face

Tips for making contact

 

Here are our top tips as you start to engage with your media contacts:

  • Sound interested, confident and passionate.
  • Think about what you'll say beforehand - Make a note of key points.
  • Consider the time you call - Journalists have deadlines to meet, so find out when is the best time for them.
  • Follow up after that first contact - Check in with them, to start building that relationship.
Chapter 1 - Why build media relations?
Chapter 3 - How you engage

How you engage

Chapter 3

How long it takes

2 minutes

Different ways to engage

Once you've made contact with the media, the next step is to share information about your business that you'd like them to help promote.

 

There are different ways to do this:

Press releases

Sometimes known as a media release or a news release. You write these to tell the media about a topic or story you'd like them to know about.

Media briefings

These can be simple chats to tell your story and build trust, or more formal briefings to launch a new product or present to a wider group.

Events

You may want to invite journalists to some of the events you host. A launch event that shows a new product or service can tell a strong story.

Interviews

The media is always looking for new content. If you're seen as an expert and give interviews to the media, it can increase your public profile, raise awareness of your business and may attract new users.

Media enquiries

This is when the media contact you. They may have questions they think you can answer. The more you raise your profile with media, the more likely you'll get media enquiries.

Tips for successful engagement

Here are our top tips for successful media engagement

 

  •  Make sure your press releases answer these three questions:

    1. Why are you doing this? Is there an issue or problem that you are solving?
    2. What are you doing to solve it? Have you launched a new product or service?
    3. How are you doing it? The detail behind the solution.
    What to include in your release:
    • Your headline - This won't always appear in the media. It's there to catch the journalist's eye. You could include a sub-heading or a couple of bullet points below the headline as well.
    • Introduction - A short paragraph to outline the story. Journalists may only have time to read the first part of your release. So, this gives them a compelling overview at the start.
    • Core information - This will answer the 'what, why, and how?' questions. It may also answer the who and when questions if needed. Keep this simple in only two or three paragraphs.
    • Spokesperson's quote(s) - This helps to attribute the story to someone. Two quotes are normally enough. For example, one from a senior person in your organisation and one from a third party. Include the key points in the quotes, but keep them short.
    • Call to action - Each release should have an outcome. It could be something like, 'visit our website to...' or 'support our campaign by...'.
    • Notes to editors - This section of the press release lets you can give some background to the story. Include your contact details so a journalist can follow up.
    • Embargos - If your story is time sensitive, you could include an embargo so you can share the story with journalists early, but make sure it's not published before you're ready. Embargos are not guaranteed, but it's frowned upon for journalists to publish before the date.

    You should consider:

    • Who you're sending the release to? Make sure you don't waste the time of journalists who won't be interested.
    • What other assets will bring your story to life? Photographs or quotes may help.
    • How you pitch your story to journalists? You might choose email or over the phone. This is called the 'sell-in' and it will be key to your success.

  • 10 tips for arranging briefings:

    1. Have a reason to make contact - The journalist's time will be short. If you don't have a press release to sell in, you need to add value. Explain why they should know about you and what you do.
    2. Give a new perspective - Can you give new or different information that they couldn't get from other sources.
    3. Communicate clearly and simply - Avoid jargon. Focus on the key points in your Message House or your Who? What? Why? pyramid.
    4. Create an agenda to help you focus on your meeting - Think about what you want to achieve, and what information you want to share.
    5. Research what they've written and produced before - What is their media and personal agenda? They may not care about the stories you think are important or exciting.
    6. Prepare for the questions they may have - Be clear on what you can and can't say.
    7. Find a time that works for them - A quiet time to meet for you may not work for them. They're on a deadline or there could be a major breaking news event. Explore meeting over coffee.
    8. Remember, there is no such thing as 'off the record' - If you're talking to a journalist, they are entitled to report what you're telling them.
    9. Always treat them with respect - You may feel nervous, or have had negative experiences with journalists previously, but they are people too. Treat any meeting as an opportunity for both of you.
    10. Get any other information you have agreed to share to them quickly.

  • There are 3 elements that can help build trust in you in an interview:

    • Say who you are and what you do.
    • Explain your experience and expertise in this area.
    • Show evidence of your passion for the topic through your language and body language.

     

    6 things to consider when you're interviewing: 

    1. Speed and tone of voice - Are you speaking too quickly or too slowly? Do you pause for breath and for impact? Is the tone of your voice appropriate for the topic you're discussing? Watch other people being interviewed so you can see what is most effective.
    2. Humour - We don't all like the same jokes. There is a risk that humour (or sarcasm) in an interview can fall flat or offend people. We would advise against using it.
    3. Repetition - People remember things that are repeated. Consider telling them what you plan to say, saying it, then summarising it at the end. This can also keep you focused on your key messages rather than going off script.
    4. Language and jargon - If you use jargon or abbreviations, it may make it hard to get the meaning or follow what you are saying. Simplify what you say so that you can be easily understood.
    5. Ensure you include your key message(s) - The questions you are asked in an interview, may not give a clear link to the message to want to say. Always think about ways to work your messages into your answers.
    6. Body language - You will look more natural and relaxed if you move a little in an interview. But, be careful not to distract them with too much hand waving or nodding etc. Think about the way you are standing or sitting. Does it look attentive and professional?

Remember

There's no such thing as 'off the record'. If you're talking to a journalist, they're entitled to report what you're telling them.

So, think about what you'll share and how you'll share it.

Chapter 2 - Who you engage with

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Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 12th December 2025.

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