THE FOUNDATION OF MEDIA RAPPORT

Cornerstone #4: Respect > Beats

You have surely heard the word “beat” before as it relates to journalists. Simply, they describe what a reporter covers or writes about. But too often these “beats” can be too broad and don’t narrow down the scope of the reporter’s job enough. This is when you have to ask questions.

Think about it. If you are a financial planner, but you specialize in estate planning and charitable giving, you may want people to only contact you for those specific issues. For journalists, their “beat” may say Personal Finance Reporter, but what they may actually cover is Defined Contribution Plans and Pensions. Narrowing down the focus of their reporting is required.