media update’s Aisling McCarthy caught up with Sonja Bezuidenhout from Hatch Communication to talk about the most important elements of successful PR.

1. How do you go about finding the right publication to ensure that your press releases are published?

PR is a very subjective field and there are many elements, like topicality, target audience and angle, that largely impact your media 'targeting'. Each PR person has their own way of targeting that works for them.

While some may be a bit shy, and prefer not to directly phone the media for information, they can be very good at research to find the necessary details to accurately target the right media.

I prefer phoning whoever I need to pitch to, but this also depends on your deadline and if you have enough time to phone as many media people as you initially proposed to your client. It’s also a case of how well you know your media contacts.

2. As a PR professional, how important is your relationship with the media? How do you build up a good rapport with individual journalists and editors?

A solid media list is an indication of your diligence and quality of work.

Personal contact, taking the time to research the work of publications, writers or content producers' and treating them like ‘people’ (not like that next something to check off your to-do list) and being yourself can help to build good relationships.

3. The media landscape is always changing, which makes it difficult for PR teams to always have up-to-date media contacts. How do PR teams ensure that their media lists are correct?

It’s impossible to manage an extensive media list while tending to your day-to-day responsibilities at the office. But, you can’t go unprepared into a battle and, similarly, you can’t complete a project/campaign with a media list that has gaps, missing links or incorrect contact numbers.

Instead of looking at it like a mountain of a media list that needs to be updated, break it up per project and work according to the brief – starting from scratch.

Starting a new list can sometimes save you more time than it would to rework another, older media list – unless you have been in recent contact with some of the media from the latter.

4. How do you think having access to an online media directory can help save you time in your already busy days as a PR professional?

It’s a great resource that I use daily to help motivate campaigns and media opportunities to clients.

Clients like to see numbers and directories are a convenient portal to media rate cards and demographics.

5. When you win a new client, how do you go about finding new publications to increase your national and international reach?

Hit the ground running. First, ensure you know as much as you can about the client, their expectations, target market, etc.

Directories are good to start with, also, Internet resources, manual checking of traditional publications and consulting existing contacts (more and more journalists take on different focus areas).

Additionally, the influencer period is rife and, since this ‘channel’ isn’t as ‘directory’ friendly, it's important to remain conscious of great opportunities for awareness that celebs, bloggers, and social media influencers can provide you with.

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The job of a PR professional isn’t an easy one. Find out more about what goes into a day in public relations in our article, Six daily struggles of a PR professional.