Media - The Necessary Evil

I like Entrepreneur.com - they have a lot of great stuff for people starting a business and great stuff for people who have been at it a while. In this article, Kim Gordon talks about how to use the media to your advantage. She's right - a good relationship with the media is more than press releases and praying to get picked up. A positive relationship with the media will certainly get you some ink.

However, what do you do during a crisis? Every business will face one if they are around long enough and too few have the right people in place to deal with a crisis. Although the point of her article was how to develop a positive relationship, Kim should have also noted that the media can turn on you quickly in times of crisis. How do I handle these crisis times? I always have an answer for any question the throw at me, and it comes in three forms: 1. "I know the answer to that and, it is..." 2. "I don't know the answer to that, but I'll find out and get back to you." Or 3. "That is something we don't want to comment on until we have more information." How do you respond to the media in a crisis?

Building a positive relationship with the media