1. Develop essential and non-essential media lists. In every industry, there are target markets, secondary and tertiary publications, websites, and online pubs. Set up your list, work only with the target market editors/reporters (the people who only write good things about you). Ignore inquiries from anyone else.  Just because they’re interested in your organization doesn’t mean they can do you any good or that you should waste your time working with them.
2. Put up roadblocks. This is somewhat of an extension of guideline #1. Establish a priority list of editors/reporters who you will talk with and those who your PR person or, better yet, clerk, should handle. Or, if an editor or reporter has an inquiry, have someone else in your organization handle it for you. The key is to make certain that most of the requests or inquiries fall into the last category.
3. Return calls, emails, texts in due course. Regardless of whether the reporter is on deadline or almost ready to go on the air, make it obvious that their time and effort couldn’t possibly be as important as yours. Return calls for information or input when you get around to it. If it’s a daily pub, 6:00 pm is a good time. For a weekly, Friday at 2:00 pm is ideal. For monthlies, five or six days after the initial inquiry should be sufficient. For others who don’t really have a hard, fast deadline, it’s tough to say how long you should wait to get back to them. For the clincher, respond with a “no comment,” or tell them you don’t have the requested information available—and do it as late as possible. Tell them you’ll get back to them… shortly.
4. Scream when a story isn’t 100% positive. Regardless of whether you and your company are right or wrong, expect every article/post to be a glowing report of the company, its products, and its people.  Follow the guidelines of government officials for best practice. If a reporter has the audacity to print/post something negative, call his or her boss and demand, at the very least, a retraction. Better yet, demand that the reporter be fired. Follow up with a letter to the boss, second/third in command, and the reporter/writer.
5. Occasionally, you’ll want a member of the media to do some in-depth coverage for one of your products, service, technology. Or perhaps they’d like to give the product more coverage than a thumbnail photo and two lines of description. The first—and best—approach is to send them your carefully crafted news release plus the marketing copy from your website. This material really has all the action words as well as key points, features, capabilities that the prospective customer needs to know, and all they have to do is copy it over. If they insist on actually using the product, make certain you get to check the review before it is published because they might have missed a point or two and you’ll need to correct that. If they publish without your seeing it first and the copy doesn’t include all of your bullet points, let them know what they missed—even if it’s a glowing review. Remind them you know more about the product and its use than they do.
6. Strike back. Another excellent reaction to the problem encountered in guideline #4 is to place an embargo on the guilty news outlet. This can be as simple as not responding to inquiries (at all); or for greater impact, pull your advertising, since they are no longer a “good” medium/outlet for you to use in reaching your prospective customers.
7. If a writer, reporter, or news person wants an interview with senior management (or heck, anyone), make certain you’re part of the conversation because you are the gatekeeper and the individual needs to know that. This is super cool—try it, and boy, the person will definitely know who’s in charge. When you’re all seated with your coffee, you look at the analyst or reporter and innocently say, “So… what did you want to talk about?” It’s a great way to put them on the defensive. Now, your boss or person may be very intelligent—and probably knows more about the subject than you do—but just remember, this is a media person/analyst he or she is talking with and not a customer or someone important. You need to be on top of the situation. And throughout the conversation/interview, always insert trivia that the person doesn’t want to know about, but your boss/interviewee will know that you know how to handle these less-than-accurate people.
8. Use one-syllable words with reporters/writers. Make certain they know that you know more about your subject than they do. Talk down to them. Explain each point at least three times. Regardless of the question, make certain that they know how dumb you think the question is. For added impact, let them know that your time is much more valuable than theirs.
9. Pick and choose your opportunities. If your organization is going to get some immediate coverage, it is perfectly acceptable to work with and cooperate with the press/media. However, if there’s a possibility that your assistance will develop open lines of communication and a strong long-term relationship, forget it.
10. Insist that everything be cleared. About half-way through an interview, remind the editor, reporter, writer, analyst that, naturally, everything you’ve said will have to be cleared through public relations, or better yet, through your legal department, before it can be used. Oh yes, insist—nay, demand—that once the piece is written, you have the opportunity (right) to review it before it is printed/posted. In some instances, the copy may be submitted for technical accuracy. When this happens, edit the copy freely and hold it until just prior to the publication day/time. If it is an audio, video, or TV interview, make certain all questions are submitted in advance so they can be fine-tuned for them and answers can be crafted/rehearsed. Even then, insist that a member of the legal team be present to interrupt questions and responses.
11. You pay publicity people good money to develop and protect your image, as well as to promote the company and its products/services. Get the most out of them by making certain that all questions and answers go only through them. Remember, there is no such thing as a flat, open organization when it comes to media inquiries. In this way, publicity folks can coach your people on the proper answers, and they can clean up the responses so that they either show you in the best possible light or say absolutely nothing at all.
12. Give multiple exclusives. If you have a really hot company or product announcement to make, negotiate with the best medium you can think of in order to get the maximum editorial coverage and treatment possible. When you have it firmly locked in, do the same thing with two or three other outlets. After all, your organization (and its announcements) is so important that each should be thankful that you gave them the “opportunity” to cover your announcement in such depth.
13. Torpedo the energetic (pushy) reporter/writer. There are times when you send out what seems to be a simple release, and for some reason, someone actually reads it and it strikes a responsive chord with a reporter. He or she wants to do something bigger than a three- or four-line piece in their medium, so they work with you on some major coverage. In reality, it is a great idea. In fact, it’s too good of an idea for that reporter alone. Call, email, or text some other journalists and give them the same information.  Or, an unsolicited inquiry may develop into a major piece. Again, call a number of outlets to spread your wealth around.
14. Tie your weak stories to advertising. This is a variation of guideline #5. We all know that money talks and media managers are hungry. If the piece that you want to place is very weak or just a puff piece on the company/someone, make it known to the reporter/writer that you’re a big advertiser with their medium and expect the item to get major and immediate treatment. In order to improve your chances of top-quality treatment, send the story, along with your advertising order, to your media representative and have him or her do the legwork for you.
15. Make certain that they send you clips/coverage. Every time you send a news release to an editor or reporter, remind him or her that you need copies of the article or piece when it is finally published, aired, or posted. After all, unless they send you the resulting coverage, how can you make certain that they’re doing a good job? And hey, you might miss it and end up with nothing to show your boss at review time.

These tried and proven guidelines for alienating the press should be followed explicitly by the novice. As you become more experienced, you can add some of your own. Violate these rules and who knows… you might end up helping someone in the media and perhaps winning some allies. Worse yet, you might make some friends.
 

_{WHAT DO YOU THINK?  LIKE THIS STORY? TELL YOUR FRIENDS, TELL US.}