Positive PR … it’s one of those tricky topics when you work in the senior living industry. Let’s face it, many of us are a little frightened about inviting the media in.
But if you’ve read this blog before, you know we advocate for creating a news room on your site and letting reporters find you. We’ve even shared a story from when a popular journalist was researching the industry and couldn’t find a single company who knew how to cultivate those relationships online.
Building Positive PR in Senior Living
When I was still working in the industry, we were the go-to company for aging related stories and senior living insight. We knew the unspoken rules and we followed them. Some of the media friends I made back then are still friends of mine today.
We received great coverage in print and broadcast on a routine basis. They knew us and trusted us. We had residents interviewed on everything from CNN to Japan radio. Jay Leno even invited one older chap who graduated from college at 93 to be on his show! It makes the bumpy times easier when you have trust.
Because it is a topic that has come up more than a few times lately, I wanted to share a few tips on building those relationships. So I emailed a few media friends and asked them what works and… equally important… what ticks them off.
Ready?
9 Tips For How to Avoid Ticking Off Your Local Media
Here is the feedback I received in no particular order:
- Don’t send me a news release without a few ways to reach you in a hurry. Assignment managers are saying people do this on a regular basis. Be available, especially for weekend editors who might be struggling to fill space on the evening news.
- Give and take. Once you have a relationship established, media peeps will likely call you when they need information or a guest to fill in. Do it! No matter how inconvenient the time is. Relationships are a two-way street. That means helping them out and not just expecting coverage when you need/want it.
- Don’t be a pest. If they are interested in your story, they will call you. (Just be sure to follow rule #1!) Don’t send repeated emails or leave multiple voice mails.
- Provide background detail sheets. Whatever the story is, be sure you have a detailed background sheet that clearly and concisely answers potential questions to provide to media. Take time to type it up yourself and don’t just use recycled brochures and old newspaper clippings. Make it easy and the media professional will come to rely on you.
- Don’t tell them how to do their job. Be present but don’t try to dictate the script. Don’t interrupt with your suggestions or interfere. If you’ve crafted a good media opportunity, this shouldn’t be hard to do.
- Be prepared. Time is everything when it comes to working with the media. Be ready and have everyone in the story ready 15 minutes before the media is scheduled to arrive. Don’t make them wait.
- Don’t get crabby if they cancel. Your warm and fuzzy story might get bumped if there is a fire or another big news story. Remember folks…this is the news. Don’t get all cranky and cop an attitude if the crew is diverted to another location and needs to reschedule or cancel. Be professional and positive and let them know you understand.
- Say “thank you.” One of my best media relationships is with someone who eventually become a popular evening anchor. She did some great stories for us over the years. After one or our first stories — which turned in to an especially popular segment– I wrote her a thank you note. She had invested a lot of time helping us get the story out there. When she received it, she called me. She had been in broadcast for about ten years by that time…done thousands of stories…and no one had ever sent her a thank you note. How could that possibly be?
- Craft a well-written news release. There is an art to it which includes skipping the fluffy, spinny stuff and presenting the facts. Helping them see the angles but not dictating them. If you need help getting one out each month, shoot us a message. We can set you up on a plan for doing that together.
And that’s it my friends! Hope it helps you build positive PR for your communities and local home care offices.
Photo Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net