Services

Media relations

Chelgate has a very experienced media relations team able to handle assignments for the broad spectrum of media including international, national, local, consumer and trade/professional media. 

 

Although there is much more to an effective PR programme than a thick press clippings file, good media relations are usually vital to the success of a client's public relations strategy.

 

Chelgate has repeatedly shown its ability to build relevant and positive editorial coverage for its clients. The record shows that our clients feature consistently and positively in the national and regional press, online, on radio and television, in their trade, professional and specialist press, and in the financial media.

 

Our secret, if there is one, is that we work with the media. We provide information which journalists value, which they know is accurate, of real interest, and professionally presented. The result: a strong and healthy media profile for our clients.

 

The internet has revolutionised the way people can receive news, with the media quickly adapting to meet this demand. Most media have developed online versions, some of which operate independently of their print or broadcast origins, with many also providing content for mobile access, as well as via social networks.

 

The way news is distributed has also changed. Long gone are the days of a posted paper news release with accompanying photo print, today everything is electronic. We launched the first electronic media portal, www.pressrooms.net, back in 1997 with client press and news rooms hosted on the portal. It provided journalists resources which were downloadable in usable formats. One of the early successes of its use as the media relations surrounding the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial when all media materials were provided electronically, including images, audio clips and even video footage.  

 

Today, jourmalists prefer to choose their information sources, shying away from the huge waste of time reviewing the plethera of email news releases received every day. Instead, they use Twitter and RSS feeds to ensure the information they are sent is relevant and what they want to receive.

 

Our experience in crisis and issues management also means that we have a special expertise in helping clients deal with hostile media attention. We believe this capability has to be part of any serious media relations strategy. A negative story can easily undo months of positive media relations work.

 

Chelgate broadcasting

 

Here at Chelgate we have our own ISDN sound studio.

 

One thing that this allows us to do is to place broadcast quality sound-clips on web sites and press rooms. We alert the broadcast media that these are available, and they can then download them for use in their own news programmes.

 

This can be particularly useful in crisis communications where you may want to have your chief executive, say, or your company spokesperson giving an on-the-record comment or explanation about the situation for use by the broadcast media.

 

Sometimes we’ll do this as a simple statement. At other times, we’ll conduct an interview. Either way, broadcasters can download the clip and use as much or as little as they want, as a studio quality contribution to their broadcast. All we have to do is e-mail them to say it’s available to download.

 

Another advantage of our sound studio is what we call the virtual studio tour. Because our studio is set up with full ISDN line broadcast facilities, radio stations can interview our clients down the line, and it sounds just as though we’re in their studio.

 

At times, we’ve lined up 12 or more studio interviews for a client in a single morning, with broadcasters all over the country, and that client has never had to leave our office. The media like it, because it gives them convenient, quality access. Also, of course, this makes really effective use of our client’s time. That’s good media relations.