Being involved in public relations for nearly two years now, I have witnessed first hand the importance of building solid working relationships with media contacts in the industry. By forming relationships, you become more than just a signature in an email or a name on a caller ID. This is extremely important as you – the PR professional – want editors, writers, journalists, etc. to feel 100% comfortable when dealing with you. The more comfortable a writer feels with you, the more likely he or she will utilize you as a resource.

My top 3 tips to forming strong working relationships with media contacts:
• Be courteous and respectful – understand that media personnel have deadlines, and be attentive to their needs
• Follow-up with journalists on pending projects – the worse thing a PR professional can do is to “go cold” when a journalist has requested a press release, photo, or interview from you
• Call editors even when you don’t have a story to pitch – forming relationships means speaking with editors even when you don’t have a story for them…sometimes reminding them that you are always there as a resource is the best thing you can do

If you follow these tips and are professional in your responses, you will have everything you need to build successful relationships with the media!

Developing a business relationship can be much harder than building a personal relationship. First, there are very clear expectations, such as "meeting this month's quota" as opposed to "meeting the girl's parents" and even more challenging, what if the new contact is the "big fish" and acts everyway just like one? It is far from easy to simply loose the cell phone number. You may have to keep calling whether your nostrils can bear it or not.

The business relationship is challenging. And for those of us who sell for a living, know we run along a very fine line with respect to what information should be shared within the confides of "business". Unbeknownst to us the relationship may deteriorate as quickly as we attempt to build it. What if we talk sports with someone who has never tossed a all, divorce with a happily married man and world travel with someone who never lease the house. We may have thought it was harmless but guess what, the "big fish" has lost your phone number just like that failed date.

At the same time, business is business. And if the objectives are clear and intentions are good than nothing should step in the way." We buy from who we trust at a time that we need what it is you are selling" said a salesman wiser than me. And always remember to shine your shoes, first impressions are everything.

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