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Description

Media Relations: Building a Press List, Pitching a Story and Handling Interviews

Two days to build lasting relationships with journalists and secure genuine media coverage

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Press releases go out in volume and receive no reply. Contact lists are out of date, story pitches arrive without an angle and interview requests catch the organisation off guard. Media relations are then reduced to mass mailings with little follow-up.

This 14-hour programme covers press relations end to end: building and maintaining a list of journalists, choosing an angle that appeals to a given newsroom, writing press materials, making direct contact and preparing for interviews. Participants work on a real story from their own organisation and leave with a media relations plan.

Learning objectives

  • Build a list of journalists targeted by section and by outlet
  • Identify the angle that makes a story publishable for a given newsroom
  • Write a press release and a press kit that a journalist can genuinely use
  • Conduct a telephone approach to pitch a story
  • Prepare for and handle an interview while staying on key messages

What makes this programme different

A real story from your organisation is developed through to the pitch to journalists
Filmed interview simulations including unexpected questions
A six-month media relations plan formalised at the end of the session

Programme

1Understanding How Newsrooms Work

Journalists' constraints and expectations

  • Newsroom structure and the roles of your contacts
  • Deadline and format constraints
  • What makes a story accepted or rejected
  • Building and updating a targeted press list

2Preparing a Story and Its Materials

Angle, release and press kit

  • Defining the angle suited to each type of outlet
  • Writing a press release built around the information
  • Assembling a press kit and its supporting elements
  • Selecting visuals and the data made available

3Making Contact and Following Up

Follow-up, meetings and relationship management

  • Making contact by telephone and by short message
  • Offering an exclusive or a meeting
  • Following up without pressure and handling refusal
  • Tracking coverage and sustaining the relationship over time

4Handling the Interview

Key messages and difficult questions

  • Preparing key messages and supporting examples
  • Specific features of written, radio and television interviews
  • Techniques for steering back to your message
  • How to respond to a sensitive or off-topic question

Who is it for

Communication officers and managers, press officers and leaders of organisations without a dedicated press function.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.