Here are some good media relations tips for company spokespersons. Karen Stinneford writes about how an insurance agent’s ‘No comments’ led to a damaging newspaper story later and details his tips that include:

1. Don’t necessarily answer questions exactly as they are posed.
2. When reporters call, don’t speak to them right then.
3. Respect deadlines.
4. Be honest and never lie.
5. Never speak off the record.
6. Never ask to review a draft of the story.

Many of us must have read about the recent incident wherein Microsoft’s PR agency, Waggener Edstrom, accidentally sent a spokesperson briefing document to the journalist. I have been following up on the story and actually found the briefing document quite useful. It’s detailed and I felt I could learn a thing or two for my next spokesperson briefing document. Later the agency’s President, Frank Shaw, wrote his opinion on the incident, and what constitutes a spokesperson briefing document. (Let me just focus on the learning and ignore the controversy for a while.)

From my experience:

1. Journalists in India will always at most occasions ask you background information about your company. It’s not that they didn’t do their research. It just feels more authentic hearing it from the horse’s mouth.

2. Business reporters will insist on getting some financial facts and figures from you. They are generally not interested in the general corporate blah blah air.

3. If journalists walk in late for the meeting or pick up their mobile phones interrupting your conversation (which happens many times), accept it and don’t make a fuss about it.

4. Don’t share what you don’t want to see in print. Don’t give yourself a chance to say something like ‘Please don’t put that on record’ because they will put it on record then.

5. Try to see yourself from the journalists’ points of view. They have to report to their editors with something newsworthy, otherwise the stories get scrapped. They want their byline to come in some exclusive stories that can make it to the front pages. Don’t give them only the company’s marketing key messages, but something that is ‘news’. Here, news means something that is not in the public domain already- definitely not the press release you issued last week. Give leads (phone numbers, emails) of business partners / other industry players if possible, so that they can get different perspectives to their stories.

For journalists, here are a set of great tips from Frank Shaw on how to do a great interview.

Also check out: 15 media relations tips by PR professionals and journalists