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Inundating journalists with irrelevant information is
the surest way to ward them off of any story you are
attempting to place. Instead of burying reporters in
useless facts and unrelated anecdotes, streamline the
information you send to target the subject at hand.
A Google search on any major company will return so many
results that most journalists are now going straight to
the source – the company’s media site. Arranging
information in a well-organized fashion can greatly help
a journalist – and the company. If you provide an easy
way to access pertinent needed information, you are
giving the reader an opportunity to focus and better
frame their story.
A media kit and background report should include the
most salient data that supports the story you want
written. When the reporter requests additional
information to flesh out the story, it will be coming
from a natural outgrowth of what was originally
provided.
How much information do you contribute? What needs to
remain private? It is ironic that the more information
available to reporters today, the less people actually
know about what is happening behind the scenes. While
transparency and openness are today’s executive
buzzwords, the truth is that every company keeps closely
guarded secrets – and for good reason.
This paradox of apparent transparency and actual
obfuscation defines the fine line that PR pros need to
observe as they perform their duties.
A good rule of thumb is to provide all of the necessary
material to a journalist to properly inform them of the
subject, without disclosing information that should
remain private.
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