‘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
4 reasons the media love speaking to academics
Travelling to universities up and down the UK and delivering media training for their academics is one of our favourite jobs at Nine Media. Why? Well, not only are academics, researchers and lecturers a lovely bunch, they’re also brilliantly knowledgeable about their area of expertise and therefore ideal candidates to become media commentators. But often,
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
Three tips for handling crisis comms
When your client or company is at the centre of a negative story, having a well-prepared PR crisis comms strategy in place is essential. At Nine Media, teaching how to handle a crisis situation is one of our fortes, so here’s a topline crash course on handling a negative news story: Face the Music Agreeing