On yer bike: Achieving media coverage in a changing media landscape

Column by Mirella Von Lindenfeld (First appeared in Third Sector Magazine)

Twenty years ago, the fastest way to get a press release to the media was to stick a volunteer on a bike to Fleet Street. We worked with fixed TV news slots, fixed print deadlines, long lunches and press conferences.

Things have changed. In 2009, reporters work across a range of linked platforms and often have to keep on top of rolling updates. They may also have to produce special reports, write blogs and deal with the incoming email generated by having their addresses plastered across the top of their articles.

The boundary between newspapers, TV channels and websites is becoming increasingly blurred. Journalists who work for one are now often expected to make contributions to the others; everyone is expected to file and film constantly.

Add to that the sweeping cuts and redundancies affecting the media and you'll begin to recognise that your average journalist is struggling under extreme time pressure.

Understanding and working around this is critical to achieving coverage. It's why we haven't organised a press conference for three years: we know they don't work any more - journalists don't have time to attend.

Take your story and your expert to the right correspondent, to a place of their choosing at a time that suits them and the chances are you'll get your coverage. You'll also get the opportunity to find out how their editorial needs have changed in the recession, what their new daily deadlines are or what it really takes to swing a story past the editor these days.

This knowledge gathering is especially important in these uncertain times. It is sometimes impossible to predict accurately what kind of stories are likely to fly, what kind of content is needed for linked platforms or what will work for new media outlets.

Even the journalists themselves often struggle to know, and what worked last year is unlikely to have the same success this year. Annual events that were once certain to attract large-scale media attendance are no longer achieving the same success.

Good media relations have always been about understanding what journalists need and how they need it. We don't use volunteers on bikes any more - technology allows us to deliver our stories immediately, without leaving the office. But that technology has also changed the face of news. For that reason, now more than ever, we should stop relying on emails, get away from our desks and take our stories to the media, just like in the old days.