Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press [Hardcover]

Sally Stewart (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471271551 | ISBN-13: 978-0471271550 | Publication Date: September 29, 2003 | Edition: 1

Written by a seasoned journalist and public relations professional, Media Training 101 is your essential guide to handling the news media. A former USA Today reporter and consultant to major companies, Sally Stewart leads you through every step in developing a communications blueprint and a strategic public relations plan to support it. She shows you how to communicate effectively with the media in any given circumstance and how to control the way your company is portrayed in the media. Each chapter includes vignettes, anecdotes, and real-life case studies that help you know what to expect.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Media Training 101 is an in-depth guide to handling the news media, written by a seasoned journalist and public relations professional. A former USA Today reporter and consultant to major companies, Sally Stewart leads you through every step in developing a communications blueprint and a strategic public relations plan to support it. She shows you how to communicate effectively with the media in any given circumstance and how to control the way your company is portrayed in the media. Each chapter includes vignettes, anecdotes, and real-life case studies that help you know what to expect.

Media Training 101 offers proven advice on topics such as gaining control during a crisis, following the rules for interviews, and capitalizing on a story once it’s out. It explains the fundamentals of good public relations, such as devoting enough time and effort to manage your company’s image and relying on facts in a crisis rather than spin, which often appears suspicious. You’ll learn to craft a core message that will resonate with the public.

Media Training 101 shows you how to employ proven strategies for communicating your core message effectively, without sounding too rehearsed. You’ll learn how to:

• Answer tough questions on the fly
• Assess media opportunities
• Avoid traps that lead to negative coverage
• Present yourself to the press
• Refine your company’s presentation materials and pitching style

You’ll also discover what journalists consider newsworthy and how they operate. This information will enable you to develop realistic expectations for media coverage. Ultimately, Media Training 101 teaches you how to work with the press. This is invaluable information for all professionals and business owners.

From the Back Cover

"Navigating the media can be treacherous. Sally Stewart offers a practical, no-nonsense road map to make sure you come out smelling like a rose."
–Dominick Dunne, Columnist, Vanity Fair and author of Justice: Crimes, Trials, and Punishments

"If you need one guide to building your brand through media and public relations strategies, this is it. Sally Stewart provides invaluable information about what the landscape is today. I know from my own experience that Media Training 101 works–and works great."
–Michael Greenberg
President, SKECHERS USA, Inc.

"Everything you need to know about the care and feeding of the media–and then some. With equal parts William Randolph Hearst, James Carville and doting Jewish mother, Ms. Stewart delivers a killer guide to coping with the press–and turning it to your advantage."
–Dennis Kneale
Managing Editor, Forbes

This helpful, practical guide offers proven strategies for dealing with the news media in any situation. Ideal for company spokespersons, public relations officers, or anyone who will have to deal with the press sooner or later, it also includes expert advice on designing a public relations plan and implementing it effectively. You’ll learn how to:

• Dodge deadly pitfalls
• Control a crisis
• Employ interview tactics that really work
• Follow the ethical rules of public relations
• Design stellar press kits
• Develop your key message points
• Understand how journalists think and behave
• Know what’s news and what’s not
• Avoid the ten things you should never say to a reporter
• Write great press releases
• Pitch your company’s story
• Hire good outside public relations professionals

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471271551
• ISBN-13: 978-0471271550
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with Knowledge!, March 1, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press (Hardcover)

This book gives you the essentials about dealing with the media, starting with interviews and calls from reporters. Sally Stewart, former journalist and PR practitioner, delivers the nitty-gritty. Her advice to recognize reporters' financial and emotional pressures is particularly useful. Reporters have two clear priorities, she says, to write good stories and to go home. If you want their good will, try a little respect, she suggests, although she displays considerable cynicism and negativity about them. Her lessons include getting reporters to pay attention and which reporters to contact and how, be it by phone, e-mail or fax. Stewart tells you how to deal with unexpected calls from the press, and how to decide whether or not you want to be part of a story. If you do, here's how to make the most of it. And if you don't, this book tells you how to extricate yourself, if possible. Along the way Stewart explains how to dress for a television appearance. If this paragraph mentions any core skill you don't already have, we have a newsflash for you: get the book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for emerging companies, March 21, 2005

By 

Marc Joseph (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press (Hardcover)

PR can be the most effective guerilla marketing available to companies that are trying to capture a bigger piece of the pie in their niche. Ms. Stewart has taken away the fear any executive may feel in dealing with the media and PR by writing a logical step by step book. I can definitely testify that her professionalism and realism in how to deal with the media has had a major effect on our company.

5.0 out of 5 stars Arming yourself to handle the media!, August 1, 2009

By 

John Darrell Sparks "Media Relations Expert" (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press (Hardcover)

Let's face it..negative word of mouth in any industry is a tough, tough killer. But while you can't afford for customers to say bad things about you or your company, noone can afford to have members of the media also plotting against them! Sally Stewart knows the media business and can help you save your business alot of grief by teaching you how to deal with the press effectively. Sally is a veteran journalist who worked for USA Today and covered many tough stories like the Los Angeles Riots and the OJ Simpson Double Murder Trial. In her book, "Media Training 101", Sally provides great strategies to combat reporters' built in prejudices and interest them in positively reflecting the work you are doing. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in media relations. John Darrell Sparks - Media Relations and Communications Specialist. [e-mail]