Today we’re talking about tips on working the media. As a former journalist, I can tell you first hand that these are extremely important.

Respect their time. When they come to do a story- make sure you are there on time. When they finish the interview, don’t keep them too long chatting as they have to either go to another story or make their deadline. Typically they will spend about a ½ hour at your company.

Show them around- if you’re working with the TV news, they will need to get video of our company or brand- so make sure you make things available to them.

Know that they are on deadline. About an hour before the news airs, it’s crunch time so if you email or call them, they may not be able to get right back to you.

When your story airs on TV, you may only be on for :20 seconds. Don’t get discouraged. A lot of the interview that they did is for content purposes. They pick the best sound bites for the segment. They only have a short amount time frame for the story.

And lastly, make sure you send them a thank you card. They’ll love it.