Do you own a cat? I did. I owned two when I was a kid. They were great pets, but they had a really gross habit. At night, they would head off to the back fields and hunt for whatever munchies might be available (kind of like humans rummaging through the fridge at night, trying to find something good to eat in there without waking their spouse). In the morning they would leave me a gift to let me know that they loved me: a half-eaten carcass of a bird, gopher, snake, scorpion, mouse, rat, or some undiscovered species would be left on the back porch. I guess this was my cat's way of showing how much they care. For a cat, nothing communicates love quite like your share of a dead field animal. Just watch your step. Ewwwwww....
Think about Valentines Day and what you're going to give that special someone (For all of you hunters, a half eaten deer or elk carcass on your loved one's front porch isn't a good idea...) However, chocolates sound like a great idea. Once again, food is a great gift.
Once again we ask the question, how does this apply to the media?
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Since gift-giving is a natural part of life, one of the thoughts that crosses our mind when we're trying to get additional media coverage (or to thank them for covering you in the past) is to send a gift. While this may be a good idea with some clients, many in the media have ethics policies that they must follow. Many of those policies include clauses about gift receiving, some going so far as ruling gifts out altogether.
So, gifts may not be such a great idea.
How about taking your media contact out to lunch? Perhaps. But once again, policy may restrict the media.
Here's some tips just to keep you out of trouble:
-- First and foremost, before sending food or meeting for lunch, check the ethics policies of the media outlet you plan on treating. Typically, newspapers and magazines are more strict.
-- If you do meet your media contact at a restaurant or a bar, don't drink. As your health teacher in High School told you over and over - alcohol affects your ability to think through the consequences of your actions, which is the most important skill that you have to have when dealing with the media. Remember that it's their job to get news out of you, and if your defenses are low and you say something without considering the consequences, you can get slaughtered in the media.
-- Consider sending a simple card to the newsroom as a thank you for running your story. This is always in good taste and doesn't compromise policy. Besides that, it's a great idea that far too few people do, so it helps you to stand out in their minds.
-- Perhaps a donation to a charity in the media outlets name is a good idea as a thank you.
-- DON'T send gifts, whatever they may be, on election nights, and other such events when they have given you a favorable exposure. This looks really bad and could even come back to haunt you, even with the best of intentions.
These are just a few tips among many in Special Report #43: The Do's and Don'ts of Offering Food to the Media. This report will tell you everything you need to know about food and the media. Get it now.
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