I hope you're having a great weekend! You might have noticed (or maybe not?) there were no newsletters the past two weeks. In addition to being busy racing around Ontario doing media training sessions, I must admit I didn't really feel like I had anything worthwhile to share. And, so, rather than send some generic content to meet an arbitrary deadline, I've decided to only write when there's a comms-related topic that has captured my attention and which I think might be of interest to you. I appreciate the fact that you've subscribed to this newsletter and I want to make sure the content is worth the click and worth your time. So, while I'm still going to aim for once a week, I am going to prioritize quality content over a weekly deadline.

Let me preface this week's message by saying that I have a huge soft spot in my heart for communications professionals. I've met hundreds of comms people from around the world over the past few decades and the vast majority of them are smart, dedicated, disciplined, ethical and empathetic people. They take their jobs seriously, they work hard to represent the best interests of their clients/employers and they will do everything in their power to generate great media coverage for those clients/employers.

But, when it comes to media relations, what happens when the comms person is a roadblock rather than a facilitator?

I had a chat with a veteran newspaper reporter recently. When we got onto the topic of media relations, he mentioned there were certain organizations he wouldn't approach for interviews anymore because of past experiences with people on their communications teams. I asked what it was that had turned him off of these sources. I'm paraphrasing below, but this is essentially what he said:

"Have you worked with the first organization since?" I asked.

"No. And I probably won't call them again."

I know it's just one anecdote but ever since this conversation, this story keeps popping into my head. I keep thinking, if the communications director at this organization heard this story, they would be mortified (and probably more than a little pissed off). I'm guessing the media relations person in question would also be unpleasantly surprised (and maybe have some hurt feelings) to hear about the journalist's reaction to their email exchange. I'm sure that in the PR person's mind, they were doing their due diligence. They wanted to protect the spokesperson and the organization. But in this instance, their dogged persistence about a list of questions ended up burning a bridge with this reporter and hurting their organization's media relations efforts.

The best media relations professionals are those who are able to effectively serve two disparate audiences simultaneously. Audience number one is their client/employer. Audience number two is the journalist who's asking for an interview. A great media relations pro is a go-between. An agent. An enabler. They're fast on their feet. They respond quickly. They know when to ask the right questions but they also know when to get out of the way. A great media relations pro possesses a spidey-sense, cultivated over hundreds of interactions, that helps them assess the journalist's intentions and prep their spokesperson accordingly.

Do communications people need to be wary when dealing with the media? Absolutely. Do they need to assess each request and arm their spokespeople with the right messages? 100%. But at the same time, they need to understand that every media request is not a 60-Minutes-style exposé. They need to appreciate that putting up unnecessary barriers in the name of caution will often backfire, resulting in poor media coverage or no media coverage at all.

There are many legitimate reasons why a media opportunity might fizzle out. The communications person getting in the way should never be one of them.

If you're ready to level up your media interview skills, join the more than 350 people in my online course, ​The Art of the Great Media Interview. A deep-dive into my best media training tips, it features videos, case studies and checklists. It's also a one-time purchase (not a subscription), giving you permanent access to this content.