Putting a Face with a Name

By Neila Matheny

When I first started at Engage PR, I admit, I was scared to death every time I had to call a reporter.  I think it stemmed from my very first call to a very small newspaper in Louisiana, when the reporter hung up on me.  Not a good start!  However, over the years, I have found my personal style in PR, and speaking with the media has become much easier.  The best reason for the ease I have found, though, is that I meet the media in person.

I have met reporters in a variety of settings: with a client, at industry events, over dinner, even at a football game. (Thanks, Sam Whitmore!)  Each time, I have learned something new about the person I previously knew only on the other end of the phone.  A lot of the time, I have learned more about their daily struggles with deadlines, managing staff, finding content, and, of course, I have heard horror stories about working with PR professionals.  All of these insights have helped me better interact with the media and build stronger relationships.

These in-person meetings always lead to getting to know the media as people and not just as reporters.  I often find how much I have in common with them, from a love of baseball to a love of San Francisco restaurants. And, on the rare occasion, I have also found a friend to be the assistant coach of my 0-5 Engage PR fantasy football team.  (Obviously, we are not quite successful yet, but we feel things can turn around.)

In any case, meeting the media face-to-face has proved to be invaluable in my young PR career, and it has also been crucial for my clients and the agency as a whole.  Engage PR has always stressed the value of in-person meetings, as demonstrated by our annual NXTcomm No Pitch Night for reporters.  No clients, no pitches, just colleagues sharing an evening together.  Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway?