My friend asked me if I want a frozen banana,” begins Mitch Hedberg. “I said, ‘No, but I want a regular banana later, so… yeah.’” Perhaps you’ve heard that media relations is a tool to explore when your business is in crisis – when you need a helping hand with repairing public perception quickly. Kathleen Reid, Director of Switchboard Public Relations, explains that if businesses see themselves using the media as a tool in the future, the time to start relationship building is now.
Keep in mind that we, as business owners and key team members, are not dealing with the media landscape of yesteryear. Gone are the days when media coverage is secured with a single cold-call or a sloppy press release. Without tight messaging and a strategic story angle, most attempts at media outreach are destined for the trash – resulting in wasted company time, energy and money.
The world of startups is full of interesting stories. Learn how to frame yours in a way that builds positive media relationships, so that if someday you need a banana, you can fall back on the one you stashed in the freezer.