Over my career, many PAOs and Flag Officers have asked me for advice about properly positioning themselves to be more active in the info environment; how can they build levers of input and influence?
My first piece of advice is always, “call some journalists.” We’ve written about how much journalists know but equally important, you need relationships now to depend on the relationships when it counts.
There are many, many reasons to call a journalist. Maybe they’re going to report something which effects your organization. Maybe the journalist needs context about something you are able to talk about. Maybe you want to compliment or complain about a story. Maybe you have deeper questions about something they reported. Sometimes you might want to pitch a story.
Who knows why you would call a journalist, no matter the reason – you should.
It’s this easy, “Hello, I’m Dave Butler, the Public Affairs Officer for the United Nations Space Command, if you’re ever going to report on UNSC or have a question about it, you have my number; I’d love to work with you.”
Make the calls.
If you’re not talking to journalists, what are you doing?
The bottom line at the bottom – once you call, once you make that connection, you own it, for life. I still rely on the connections I made in my first assignment as a PAO 10+ years ago.
Make the call, you have only to gain.
Photo by Staff Sgt. R.J. Lannom Jr
