5 Tips for End of Year Media Checklist

The end of year is a great time for reflection and re-evaluation, especially when it comes to media relations and crisis communications. It's good to ask yourself whether your media plan is still valid heading into the new year.

Here are some things to consider:

1. Conduct media training for key staff, new hires or people who've been promoted into positions where the media suddenly becomes part of their job description. Utilize the services of a firm like ours to determine who needs to be trained and what they need to know. 

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2. Dust off your communications plan. Does everyone still have the same roles? Are there new people who have to be written into the plan and others who are no longer involved? 

3. Update your media list. Merging media companies and newsroom layoffs can result in staff changes at your local newspaper or TV station. Make sure you've accounted for changes in phone numbers and reporter assignments. 

4. Update or start your calendar of events for the coming year. What milestones are likely at your organization or in your industry or profession? What events do you anticipate the media needing the expertise you can offer? Begin to prepare now, so the dates don't sneak up on you or pass you by.

5. Look back at old press releases, blog posts and past speeches to see if there's a way to repurpose the information. Use some of the questions you get from the media as starting points for a new blog post or position paper. 

The point is to prepare for the new year with a sense of purpose, so that once the holidays are over, you're back to full speed right away.