A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of co-presenting a webinar called Putting the “Relationship” in Media Relations with my colleague Michelle Boudin, a seasoned reporter, writer and storyteller. We presented information about working with the media in today’s environment, and also did some Q&A with participants at the end.
We had such a good time, we decided to take it on the road! (Well, virtually!) If you are interested in learning more about how your library can work with the media, send me an email! Here is a description of the webinar.
Putting the “Relationship” in Media Relations
Libraries rely on news media coverage to get the word out about their services and programs. However, as the media landscape shifts and shrinks, we can no longer rely on traditional tactics like press releases to garner media coverage. Drawing on experience from a library marketing and communications professional and wisdom from a veteran TV and news reporter, we will discuss ways that libraries can build relationships with reporters and producers at traditional media outlets, as well as entrepreneur-minded owners of new media outlets. We’ll also talk about nurturing relationships with potential media partners before we want something, so we can build trust and be prepared to communicate during a potential crisis. Finally, we will discuss ways to work with the media to generate coverage and give it longer and broader life on social media.
Here is some feedback from our recent presentation on this topic:
Fantastic program! Lots of food for thought about how to be proactive, rather than reactive, in terms of media relations. Also appreciated the little tips here and there about how to reach different demographics, something we struggle with. Thanks for putting this together!
Very informative and useful program.
Overall I thought the presentation was good … I will try to incorporate some of the suggestions and good practices. I realize that I need to work on a modified fact sheet for the library. I started following Michelle’s Instagram page. Thanks for offering the program.
Speaker Bios:
Cordelia Anderson is the author of Library Marketing and Communications: Strategies to Increase Relevance and Results from ALA Editions. Cordelia has more than twenty years of experience creating successful marketing and communications strategies for libraries. During her decade as Director of Marketing & Communications for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, her team earned the inaugural Library Journal Marketer of the Year Award and two John Cotton Dana Awards. cordeliaandersonapr.com.
Michelle Boudin is a senior reporter at WCNC Charlotte, specializing in investigative journalism. Michelle joined WCNC in December 2006 and quickly got involved in the Charlotte community, including actively working with nonprofits across the region and joining the board of First Book Charlotte, an organization that gives books to underprivileged kids. Michelle also founded a video production and media consulting company. You can find more about that part of her work here: emboldencreative.com
Cordelia Anderson Consulting 