Public relations professionals play a crucial role in fostering transparency in media engagement and client interactions. Our responsibility extends beyond safeguarding and enhancing a client’s or organisation’s brand and reputation—we must also uphold the integrity of our personal or agency brand and our wider industry, especially in the age of social media.

One key strategy in media relations is offering exclusives to top tier media outlets. Many top-tier publications will not cover significant news unless they can break it first. However, once an exclusive has been secured and published, PR professionals should promptly distribute the media release to other relevant outlets to maximise reach and engagement.

This approach is not only about achieving the greatest possible exposure for the client but also about maintaining positive relationships with journalists. Increasingly, journalists are voicing concerns on social media about being excluded from reporting on stories that are of interest to their audiences. While most accept the practice of exclusives, completely overlooking a trade media outlet can lead to frustration. This frustration may influence how a journalist chooses to present the story, potentially affecting the client’s coverage.

Transparency is equally important when advising clients on media relations tactics. Any content developed on behalf of a client should be shared with them for review and approval. While this may seem like an extra step that slows down the pitching process, skipping it can lead to significant problems.

For example, spotting a breaking news story that aligns perfectly with your client’s expertise. You quickly send a pitch to journalists, and one responds, eager to speak with your client as soon as possible. If this is the first time your client is hearing about the opportunity, they may not agree with the way you’ve positioned them. They may want to shift the narrative, leading to a difficult back-and-forth with the journalist, who now feels misled.

Even worse, your client may not wish to comment on the topic at all, may prefer not to engage with that journalist, or may be unavailable. Now you’re in the uncomfortable position of having to withdraw the offer, potentially frustrating the journalist and damaging your relationship. More journalists are calling out such experiences publicly, sometimes even naming the clients or agencies involved, turning what should have been a PR win into a reputational risk.

The best way to avoid these pitfalls is to set clear expectations with clients from the outset. Explain that media opportunities can arise quickly and that spokespeople should be prepared to respond at short notice. Discuss in advance which topics they are comfortable speaking on, their preferred media positioning, and any limitations they may have regarding media engagements.

When a potential media opportunity arises, inform the client first and provide context and seek their expert input. If they agree to proceed, draft the pitch, obtain their approval, and then send it to journalists. This process can be executed efficiently—often within the hour—with clients who understand the importance of timeliness in media relations.

Over the past seven years in my agency, this structured approach has proven to be the most effective and low-risk strategy. It streamlines media relations and builds trust with clients and journalists.

If we want to distance ourselves from the dark arts of PR, we must lead all client and journalist engagements with integrity and transparency. Prioritising honesty and open communication in our work reinforces the credibility of our industry and strengthens relationships with clients and the media. Transparency is not just a best practice – it is the foundation of ethical and effective public relations.

Role of transparency in media relations

PRs have an important role to play in enhancing transparency in media relations, both in terms of media engagement and client engagement. Our role is to protect and enhance brand and reputation in all we do for our clients or the organisations we work for (and protect our own personal/agency brand and reputation).

The practice of giving exclusives to tier 1 media outlets is a key tactic. Many will simply not cover substantial news without knowing they have an exclusive to break it first. But once they have, PRs should be ready to push the media release out to other media outlets that might also be interested in the news.

The reason for this is not just to get the client the most traction as possible and awareness but because more recently journalists are becoming far more vocal on social media and calling out the failure to be given an opportunity to report on news they regard in their readers’ interests. Most understand the practice of exclusives. But to be overlooked entirely, especially if a trade media outlet, can annoy them and may skew their feelings to how they still may decide to present the news to their readers.

Transparency is key with clients when providing solid counsel on media relations. All copy developed on behalf a client should be shared with the client for approval. I know this feels like it slows down and adds complexity to the task of media pitching and issues jacking when topical things happen, but if you don’t inform your client about what you’re doing and saying on their behalf you increase the risk of putting the client in an unwanted position.

Let’s take this example. You see a breaking news story and think your client is perfect to pitch in to talk about something related. So, you send off an email to journalists baiting the hook to get their engagement. You succeed and have a journalist who replies and asks to speak to your client asap.

If you’re only informing your client for the very first time about all of this, you’re being misleading out the gate. The client may not want to say things the way you pitched them and wants to shift the narrative. You go back to the journalist and try to broker this, only to frustrate a journalist who responded to an offer you can’t deliver.

What if your client doesn’t want to talk about the topic at all, or not to that journalist, or doesn’t rate that media outlet, or simply isn’t available? You’ve put yourself in the position where you must totally let the journalist down. You wasted their time. Increasingly, I am seeing journalists call this out on social media in growing numbers. Some are naming and shaming clients and agencies, creating a reputation issue for the client, your personal brand as a PR or your agency.

The best strategy is to explain to your client at the outset of engagement that things can move fast. Have spokespeople ready to go at any moment and factor their availability into your media relations approach. Discuss all the topics spokespeople are approved to talk to media about, what topics they want to talk about and how they want to be positioned before writing anything on their behalf.

Then if you spot a potential issues jack, send it to the client first and describe what you want to do and get their input as an expert. If they agree it’s a great idea, draft the pitch, show the client the pitch, get it approved and dispatch. This can be streamlined into minutes, not hours with clients that understand time is of the essence and the way you’re working to enhance their reputation. It is, in fact, the easier and less risky way.

It is what I’ve done for the past seven years in my agency. It can be managed. And it prevents many problems that could occur in the chain of events.