It's All About Relationships...

Do you remember the moment when you first met your best friend/friends?

I know I do - I'm lucky enough to have a few incredibly special ladies in my life who I would class as all being the best.

Paula, I met at school when I was 12-years-old. She saved me from incredible loneliness after a post-exam restructure saw me in a class of no one I knew.

Myself and Jen became the best of friends over our mutual love for the genius that is the muppets when I was 18.

And Louise? Well, she was in the room next door but one from me in our halls of residence. We met on the very first day of University, when I was full of nerves and scared I wouldn't find anyone I could hang out with.

All three of these ladies are like sisters to me.

So why I am I telling you this?

Well, when it comes to PR it's all about relationship building and getting to know Journalists and freelancers and bloggers. Because the more you get to know them, the more likely they are to want to pitch you in to their Editor or to help you by writing your story.

When I started working at UKTV, I have to say as a TV network, the publicity team had it down to a fine art. We would take Journalists out for lunch, invite them to the best events and spend the time really getting to know them. To this day, I'm still friends with many of them on Facebook, such was our closeness at the time. Relationships was how we used to secure so much coverage for our programmes.

You may have seen my recent travel feature that I wrote for The Sun. How did that come about? Because whilst at Thorpe Park, as the Head of PR, I made it my mission to get to know the Travel Editor, Lisa. And it turns out we get on really well. So when it came to me leaving, I mentioned to her about my Journalism days and she agreed to give me a chance on a press trip should the opportunity arise. I can't tell you how proud I am of that piece appearing as nothing was changed from how I wrote it.

You see, in order to secure any PR, you have to be comfortable putting yourself out there.

And any opportunities that you get - take them.

So if that means that you offer to buy a Journalist coffee and cake and they take you up on it - then listen to what they're after and how you can help them before trying to put yourself forward.

Get to know what they're after - is there someone you can connect them to if they're on a deadline?

Continue to build that relationship and when the time is right, you will not only end up with some great coverage, but you will have a great ally too.

It's just like your best friend/friends really, isn't it?

Nicola x