Meeting PR Tip #1: You should meet with reporters

It sounds obvious, but some companies don't aggressively solicit meetings with media types.

And then they get all bent out of shape when nobody is covering them in their favorite magazines and websites because, for some silly reason, the reporters don't know anything about them, other than the occasional press release.

Feature stories, case studies, in-depth technology stories don't usually happen out of press releases. They happen because the marketing/PR people have taken the time to identify the publications they want to be in and the reporters who write for those publications and have met with them. Usually, more than once.

One of the biggest mistakes PR companies and so-called PR "professionals" make is pitching a story cold, without meeting with a reporter beforehand. It's like cold calling; the odds are quite slim that a two or three paragraph pitch is going to generate a significant story about company XYZ in a trade publication. The odds for hitting the lottery are slimmer, but not by much.

There are multiple venues for meeting reporters. Obviously, the most ideal one (if it's clean, and your employees aren't total flakes) is at your headquarters or office. 

Conducting a press tour allows you to gently feed the full story of your company, including history and products, to the reporter in a low-pressure fashion. Low-pressure is good, as it allows factoids to stick and favorable impressions to be made. Alas, most reporters don't live close enough (or can't sneak away from a trade show close by) to get an office tour.

The next opportunity to meet with reporters is at industry events, such as trade shows and meetings. Find out if your favorite reporters are going and plan to meet them there. If you have a new product to demo, you may wish to meet at the booth so they can get an eyeful. Otherwise, you may wish to conduct the meeting away from the booth (and out of the minds of the sales team), finding a quiet spot on the show floor, or better yet, in the press room.

The press room is typically quieter than the trade show floor and if it's half-way decent, should be stocked with free drinks and food to keep your reporter in writing trim. It's not half-bad.

A BAD idea is trying to hold a meeting FAR AWAY from the trade show floor, in a hotel across town, during trade show hours, regardless of how many limos you have on tap. If you can't get meeting space close to (or ON) the trade show floor, you'd better have a damn good reason (and good bribes) to move someone from the show into a hotel. This happens a lot at mega-shows like CES. Some companies make it work, but it's expensive and logistically intense.

If you have the time and inclination and the guy is important enough, you may wish to invite said reporter to a dinner meeting. Keep it simple, a half dozen people to dozen people at max, maybe a couple of customers/prospects -- and preferably, nobody from a competing magazine.  Try to keep your heavy drinkers throttled back; sometimes drunk people can be TOO entertaining and detract from the information you're trying to impart in order to get a story written and/or raise awareness of your firm.

Summary

Meet with reporters.

Don't be passive. Make a list. Pursue them.

Trade shows and events are a good venue.

Try to keep press meetings on the trade show floor, or near it -- Not across town.

Dinner meetings are good, if you can arrange them.