Media Relationship Banking
Long-term approach to building media relationships through consistent value delivery beyond immediate publicity needs.
Definition
A strategic media relations philosophy that treats journalist relationships like financial investments, making regular deposits of value through helpful information, exclusive insights, and professional support even when not actively seeking coverage.
Media relationship banking focuses on becoming a trusted resource for journalists by consistently providing value, demonstrating expertise, and supporting their professional needs, creating relationship equity that benefits both parties over time.
Why It Matters
Relationship banking creates preference and priority access when competing for journalist attention, as established trust and value history differentiate organizations from the numerous pitches reporters receive daily.
Investing in relationships during non-crisis periods creates crucial support networks that can provide fair coverage and expert source opportunities when organizations face challenging situations or need critical coverage.
Examples in Practice
A technology company built relationship equity by regularly sharing industry trend data with tech reporters, providing background briefings on complex topics, and connecting journalists with expert sources, resulting in preferential coverage consideration.
A healthcare organization invested in media relationships by offering journalists access to medical experts for unrelated stories, providing research data for background articles, and facilitating interviews with patients for human interest pieces.
A financial services firm built journalist relationships by sharing economic analysis for background context, providing expert commentary on industry trends, and offering exclusive data for investigative pieces, creating strong media advocate network.