Who wants free media coverage for their company? Here's how to tick the media off and make sure your company never gets free exposure on TV and in print again:
Bug Them on the Phone
Are they coming to your event or not? Let's call them every 15 minutes for the entire day and find out. This is one of the quickest ways to get the media to avoid you completely.
Sure, you can call the TV or radio station, newspaper or publication to follow up and see if they received your materials. They might even offer up that they plan to send someone out to cover your event. If there's a fire downtown that threatens the city, your event may be overshadowed and they may not be able to come at the last minute.
Bugging them about it isn't going to get them there any quicker. Just be sure to put them on speed dial and call them at least three times in one day to make sure they block your number.
Tell the Media What Shots You Want Them to Get
If you want to make sure the media doesn't come back to one of your future events, be sure to tell them how to do their job. If there are certain areas they specifically can't shoot because of proprietary reasons you need to keep secret, you can tell them that area shouldn't be shot or photographed with no problems.
But to tell them how you want something to be shot or photographed and what you want to see in the finished product is a great way to make sure they leave and never come back. Maybe after you're done telling them how to do their job, they can put their gear down and tell you how to do yours.
Don't Give Them Any Clues
Send out your press release and other materials without telling them how to get to your location, when the event will be or who to contact if they have questions. Information is overrated.
Kindness is for the Birds
You stapled your tie to the desk, the water cooler is empty and you lost the online auction for the gadget to make your toupee look real. You're in a bad mood and dealing with the media is the last thing you feel like doing. Treat them like you do your cousin's step-children because it doesn't really matter if you're nice to them. They're there to cover the story so who cares?
TV station people know newspaper people. Radio station people know TV people. Even people at competing stations and publications know each other. Word travels fast and they've got plenty of other stories they can cover instead of yours. Be rude to any one of them that comes to cover the story and see how obligated they feel to coming back to give you free exposure.
