Here's how you can establish and nurture solid media relationships as an entrepreneur in Public Relations.

Create a Media List: Compile contacts of journalists, editors, and producers relevant to your industry. Research: Understand their recent work and interests to tailor your pitches. Personalize: Acknowledge their work and demonstrate understanding of their audience. Preferred Communication: Learn how they like to receive information for more effective outreach. Build Relationships: Regularly engage with media professionals to foster long-term relationships.

- Research relevant journalists and outlets - Personalize pitches with exclusive angles - Be responsive and timely with valuable content - Engage with journalists on social media - Attend industry events to foster connections - Build trust over time through consistency and authenticity.

Go to start up events and try to meet reporters in person. If you want something, give something. Can you be a source for them? Can you offer unique insight? Focus on a few reporters; get to know them. Let them get to know you. Give it time, and put in the effort. Relationships aren’t requests. They are built on trust and mutual respect. They have to be earned.

It’s no secret PR is changing. One thing that isn’t changing, that Matt Brezina, Co-founder of Xobni brilliantly stated years ago is, “nobody cares about your shitty little start up.” A great tip all entrepreneurs need to remember as they start courting the press. Every entrepreneur absolutely should be building her own media relationships, but understanding that no one cares will ensure that the first time you reach out to a reporter won’t be because you weren’t included in a story, or to tell a reporter they must cover your Series A. The first time a reporter hears from you should be because you like their coverage, their observations, their writing, etc. Remember you’re building a relationship not making a transaction.

It is like any other human-to-human interaction: either you build a bond, or you don't. Stick to the principles you are practicing in everyday life: editors and journalists are human beings too. Maintain contact, invite for a chat, celebrate achievements, and ask: "how are you". These things really matter.

Media Relations are shifting rapidly alongside the ecosystem. Traditional media outlets are scrambling to find new revenue and business strategies with leess employees as younger demogrpahics are getting their news from social media platforms like TikTok. So it becomes really important to understand the business of news, the flow of information and how people are consuming content. AI will surely disrupt content production and consumption even further so it becomes imperative to talk with each journalist personally and see what their speficic needs are anse see how we can work hand by hand.