Here are some suggestions for Mission Hills Golf Club's media strategy: Resources: - Develop a comprehensive media database with contacts at top golf/travel publications, TV stations, etc. - Train dedicated spokespeople and keep them available for interviews - Create a digital asset library with high-res photos from all areas of the resort Policies: - Respond to media inquiries within 24 hours - Proactively pitch story ideas to media weekly - Designate a media relations manager as main point of contact Media Plan: - Send personalized pitches to top 100 outlets highlighting a new aspect of the resort monthly - Host familiarization trips for journalists to experience Mission Hills first-hand - Secure

1. DA010 - Professional Diploma in Public Relations - COMM6024EP
Media Relations and New Media Technology
(2011/10)
Lecture 1
Definition and significance of media relation
Developed and Presented by
Roy Ying, Msc., B.Comm.
Note: Pictures used in this power point file
is for academic Purpose only

2. Table of Content
• Course administration
• Why invest in media relations?
• Difference between media & public relations
• Benefits in building relationship with media
• Managing media in-house or via agency
• Developing your media strategy
• Resources needed in building media relations
• Tutorial – case studies of a how media strategy
can influence the way a business conducts its
business

3. About me…

4. Your Turn
• It’s time for me to get to know you
• What’s your name?
• What’s your job?
• Have you managed PR activity before?
• If yes, what are they?

5. Course Schedule
Session / Course Outline Hours
Date
Lecture 1 Class introduction & administration 30 min
8 Oct Definition and significance of media relation 2.5 hr
1400-1700
Lecture 2 Types of media and their characteristics; media organization in Hong Kong 3 hr
9 Oct
0930-1230
Lecture 3 Knowing what the news media wants 3 hr
9 Oct
1330-1630
Lecture 4 Building effective media relations with press and broadcast media 3 hr
22 Oct
1400-1700
Lecture 5 Mid-term quiz 1.5 hr
23 Oct Press release is not a PR strategy 1.5 hr
0930-1230

6. Course Schedule
Session / Course Outline Hours
Date
Lecture 6 Managing media event 3 hr
23 Oct
1330-1630
Lecture 7 Media relations in event management and crisis communication 3 hr
5 Nov
1300-1600
Lecture 8 New media technology and their impact on PR 3 hr
5 Nov
1600-1900
Lecture 9 Media law: ethics, privacy, and social responsibility 3 hr
6 Nov
0930-1230
Lecture 10 Project Presentation 2 hr
6 Nov Review Class 1 hr
1330-1630
19 Nov Exam 2 hr

7. What is Media Relations?
• Definition
– working with various media for the purpose of
informing the public of an organization's
mission, policies and practices in a positive,
consistent and credible manner.
– Media is generally defined as means of
communications including print, electronic,
online, and social.
Class:
Class:
Can you give examples
Can you give examples
of media?
of media?

8. Is this what you have in mind?

9. Is that what other people think?
• General perception
– Often mixed up with public relations (and they
also get PR wrong just as often), but an
organization’s media relations does not
extend to the general public
Class:
Class:
Is advertising an
Is advertising an
Class:
Class: element of media
element of media
Is Media Relations
Is Media Relations relations?
relations?
part of the PR
part of the PR
discipline? Why?
discipline? Why?

10. Is that what other people think?
• In the eyes of PR practitioner
– Development and implementation of media
strategy based on corporate objectives
– Media database with personal contacts
– Relationship with individual opinion formers
– Influencing editorial content on relevant media
Class:
Class:
Any difference between
Any difference between
in-house communications
in-house communications
role vis-à-vis PR agency?
role vis-à-vis PR agency?

11. Is that what other people think?
• From the journalist’s perspective
– Industry contacts
– Timely information and market intelligence
– Ability to conduct last-minute interviews with
experts, spokespersons or public figures.
– Publish news based on credible sources that
match media consumer’s expectations
Class:
Class:
Would editors and
Would editors and
journalists take sides when
journalists take sides when
ititcomes to sensitive issues?
comes to sensitive issues?

12. Why invest in media relations?
• Improving the communication between the organization
and its stakeholders via media
• Building and maintaining positive relationships with the
public
• Making the public aware of the organization, its values
and latest news,
• Management of Crisis Communications, should the
organization experience an obstacle
• Understanding and communicating the public’s attitudes
and concerns to an organization

13. What is there to invest?
• Level of investment depends on media
strategy. The following are common:
– An in-house corporate communications team
– PR retainer agency
– A media friendly company website
– Regular media events
– Training for in-house media spokespersons
Class:
Class:
Is CSR considered a form of
Is CSR considered a form of
media relations investment?
media relations investment?

14. If you don’t, this could happen

15. Invest in Market Intelligence

16. Media vs. public relations
• Media relations specifically involves
building strong relationships with writers,
producers, reporters, and editors who are
in a position to cover your company.
• Quote from an agency boss during a job interview: “I
want someone who is trusted and respected by the
media folks. He can pick up the phone and always get a
hearing–and often get a story for our clients.”

17. Media vs. public relations
• Public relations is really the bigger picture. It is
about how your organization is perceived by the
community at large. This would include the
press but also embraces all other stakeholders.
• Quote from a typical recruitment ad for a PR Officer: “PR
officers build, maintain and manage the reputation of
clients. They communicate key messages, often using
third party endorsements such as public bodies,
businesses or charities, to a defined target audiences to
establish and maintain goodwill and understanding
between the client and its stakeholders.”

18. Benefiting from media relations
• Better and cheaper than placing advertisements
• How much cheaper? Common metrics tool:
Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE)
– AVEs are calculated by measuring the column inches
(in the case of print), or seconds (in the case of
broadcast media) and multiplying these figures by the
respective medium’s advertising rates (per inch or per
second).
– The resulting number is what it would have cost to
place an advertisement of that size in that medium.
Source: Institute for Public Relations

19. Example of AVE

20. Why Better? Editorial coverage gives better
stakeholder attention compared to paid ads

21. Benefiting from media relations
• Regular and effective news releases can
make your organization (or your
spokespersons) a "news media source"
• Writers and reporters are always looking
for reliable and respected sources to quote
• Examples of organization and individual
施永青
David
Eldon

22. Managing media in-house or via
PR agency
• Most major corporations employ PR
agencies, but effective media relations can
also be established with in-house
resources if you have the right talent
Class:
Class:
Class:
Class: What are the pros
What are the pros
What are the pros
What are the pros and cons in hiring a
and cons in hiring a
and cons in
and cons in PR retainer?
PR retainer?
managing media
managing media
relations in-house?
relations in-house?

23. Developing your media strategy
• Four major elements:
– What do you want to accomplish?
– Who do you want to reach (or who are your
stakeholders)?
– What message do you want to convey?
– What kind of information from your
organization is newsworthy?

24. What do you want to accomplish?
• A list of goals you want to achieve, and
those have to be measurable
• Examples:
– An updated media database in the region
– Number of media coverage
– Number of interviews
– Number of columns
– Number of invited commentaries
– Air time on TV / Radio

25. Who are your stakeholders?
• Media is obvious, but it is the finance page
editor or property page editor or the
assignment desk supervisor you want to
develop relationship with?
• Apart from traditional media, you should
consider opinion leaders, bloggers,
columnists and “multipliers”

26. What message do you want to
convey?
• This message should be derived from the
corporate Vision, Mission & Values
• The key is to be consistent
• Examples from the jobs I’ve had:
– Mission Hills: World’s No. 1 Golf course
– RICS: Mark of Property Professionalism
– HKTDC: Largest Exhibitions in Asia

27. CPA vs. SIA
Class:
Class:
Which one
Which one
would you
• Slogan: would you
remember?
remember?
“Great Service Singapore Girls: A
Great People Great Way to Fly
Great Fare”

28. What kind of information from your
organization is newsworthy?
• You can find news in almost any event. Think of
news angles.
• It is your job to ensure that your organization
becomes known and respected by editors,
journalists, educators, and other stakeholders
with whom you are communicating.
• The more respected your organization is, the
more (and better) coverage you are likely to
receive.

29. Examples
• Locations and launches
• Industry developments and human interest
• Numerical data and trends
• Organizational announcements
• Celebrations and Recognitions
Class:
Class:
Try to come up with one
Try to come up with one
example from each of the
example from each of the
above announcements
above announcements

31. Resources needed in building
media relations
1. Creating and maintaining media database
– Broadcasting companies
– Newspaper feature syndicates
– Newspapers
– Columnists
– Publishers - periodicals and magazines
– Radio stations
– Television stations
– Bloggers

32. Resources needed in building
media relations
2. Drafting a letter of introduction to all
editors with an invitation to event or
meeting
– Must follow up by telephone calls
– Talk about what?
• Seek his help in identifying the right people who
may be interested in either publishing, covering or
writing news from your industry
– You should think of who in your company or
your PR firm should do this job

33. Resources needed in building
media relations
3. Making the Pitch
– This is an area where most PR companies
claim that they provide the greatest values
– Yes and no.
– Your story has to have news angle or it will
never make it to the newspaper even if your
PR firm has the best media contacts
– But they can be helpful if they know already
which editor is more interested in knowing the
story that you are trying to pitch

34. Resources needed in building
media relations
3. Making the Pitch (cont’d)
– The media database should also contains
preferences of individual journalists,
especially those from tier-1 media.
– You have to know how they would like to
receive news, when they will check their
emails or turn on their phones, and the
deadlines they are facing.

35. Resources needed in building
media relations
4. When the media shows interest
– Most media will not publish everything on you
release. They may have questions.
– The person listed as media contact must have
the Q&A sheet in front of his / her desk as well
as mobile numbers of the bosses and relevant
spokespersons
– Photo database (preferably online) is
important as the media may want not only the
image related to the current news, but also
possibly your archives.

36. Resources needed in building
media relations
4. When the media shows interest
– TV media is quite unpredictable. Sometimes, they
will want to do a special feature on a certain issue.
You have got to have a number of spokespersons
available.
– Train your spokespersons as there is nothing more
damaging than someone carrying your corporate
branding looking stupid on national television.
– If you have multiple spokespersons, make sure they
are following your lines to take.

37. Resources needed in building
media relations
5. Maximizing press coverage
– If your news is big enough, it may be worthy
of hosting a press conference, which has to
be properly managed and delivered.
– Most PR agencies can provide this service,
but it is your job to provide executive brief to
your spokespersons
– Timing of your PC is important as you should
have the market intelligence to know whether
there are any other competing events

38. Resources needed in building
media relations
5. Maximizing press coverage
– Manpower requirement
• Pitching to non-traditional media
• Submitting articles to editors
• Press clipping
• Analysis of media coverage
• Review why target media did not cover your story
• Fact finding, and recovery action or secondary
pitch on a different aspect of your story

39. Tutorial: Media Strategy

40. Mission Hills Golf Club
• Prides itself as the No. 1 Golf Club in the
world
• Corporate Strategy
– To be the leading golf club in the world
– Create and maintain a world class golf &
family resort image
– The number one golf destination for
businessmen in this region

41. Mission Hills Golf Club
• Media Strategy
– Aim to achieve the top 100 golf, destination and
business magazine covering stories on Mission Hills
every month
– The Mission Hills brand is broadcasted or talked
about every hour of the day on different types of
media
– At least one tier 1 golf magazine using Mission Hills
as front cover every month
– TV crew to shoot different parts of Mission Hills on a
weekly basis

42. Mission Hills Golf Club
• Class questions
– What resources would you prepare?
– What company policy would you set for your
media relations team?
– What sort of media plan would you put
together in achieving these objectives?