‘I think the media are manipulative, they lie and they’re just promoting a political agenda.’ This was what one delegate said to me at the beginning of a recent media training session. We always ask our trainees to share with us what they think of the media at the start of the day, as it’s
How to become a media-friendly expert
Rolling news channels, documentaries, magazines and trade titles are looking for experts every single day. Whether they need comment on Brexit or rising obesity rates or insight into the latest fashion trend for men, everywhere you look in the media there are commentators voicing their opinion. Whether your specialist subject is sport, business, health and
PR Dilemmas: Three ways to make your client go with your story idea
It’s a common PR problem: you’ve spotted a news story relevant to your client’s expertise and have a fantastic ‘comment piece’ in mind for them. Or you’ve drafted a press release and come up with a juicy top line that you know will get editors emailing back. But your plans get scuppered because your client
3 reasons why we love PRs
With the season of goodwill upon us, we thought we’d take the time to share a few of the reasons why journalists love their great PR contacts. Because, you know what, we need each other… They bring great ideas Part of your remit as a journalist is to provide a constant, steady stream of incredible,
The 10 most annoying PR phrases…
We know you don’t want to intentionally wind up a journalist. After all, cultivating great relationships with journos at your target media outlets is one of your key focuses as PR and comms professionals (and if it isn’t, it should be!). But sometimes it happens. Because PRs slot in certain phrases to their emails and phone
Three Reasons Why You Need Images When Pitching Stories
Pictures have become more important than ever in the age of scrolling news, Instagram and Snapchat. Thousands of images arrive at picture desks every day so communications professionals need to know what makes a powerful shot to have any chance of getting their commissioned images into the news media. I’m married to a press photographer
5 ways to create brilliant brand content
We’re always hearing about how content is king – and it’s true. Nowadays, companies of all stripes, no matter what their market, are deploying creative content to connect with their audiences in print and online. But living in the Age of Overload means there’s just SO MUCH STUFF out there – and not all of
Entering our competition #masterthemedia? Here’s the T&Cs
Our brand new competition #masterthemedia is running to celebrate Nine Media’s 5th birthday! We’re offering a lucky winner a pair of tickets to our next Ultimate PR & Comms Training Day in London, worth more than £700. All you have to do is retweet the competition entry post on Twitter, at our handle @ninemediaUK Good
Four Reasons You Need To Get Your Stories on The Press Association
I worked at the Press Association – the UK’s national news agency – for five years. It was a brilliant and exciting job. As a breaking news reporter, I often wouldn’t know where I would be by the end of the day. From covering court cases in France, to doorstepping politicians and interviewing victims of
3 great reasons why brands need editorial experts
1 – Everyone writes in their job (but not everyone writes well) We’re all writers. Whatever we do in our jobs, at some point, we have to arrange some words into an order that makes sense to someone else. You get me? We all write, every