This seems only fitting with the Rams’ first regular season game just days away — whether we’re talking football or business, the old adage rings true… practice makes perfect. The more you practice, the better you will be at the given task. I spent years kicking field goals on the football field to help my team win the game. Now I spend my days honing my media pitching skills to help our clients get their stories in the paper, on the radio and on TV. But we can’t rest on past successes. Remember, a story that gets printed one day, may not even make the paper’s consideration list the next.

To help stay up on the latest trends I attended the Bulldog Reporter Media Relations Summit last month in Washington, DC. Some of the biggest names in media spoke to hundreds of media savvy listeners from across the country. Juan Williams spoke about how to harness the power of new media. David Pogue elaborated on how Journalism and PR have changed with the advent of social media. Then, in the final seminar of the second day, I listened intently to Michael Smart from BYU. His words struck a media relations chord with me. He wasn’t speaking to the masses, although there were about one hundred people packed into a small meeting room at the Marriott, he was speaking directly to me. This is exactly what you should strive for in communicating with your customers – making them feel as if they’re the only audience that counts. Michael was helping me practice my craft. His back-to-basics style of presenting was so simple, yet it gave me exactly what I needed; new ideas for my clients.

Big or small, corporate or non-profit, there is no reason you can’t get your business in the media. It’s all about crafting the message and targeting where you want to be. It is my job to help clients do both. One without the other is a waste of time resources and especially money. You can’t make a field goal without a team to snap, hold and kick. Think of TVG as the coach with the playbook who helps ensure everyone works as a team.

Contact us at tvg@vandivergroup.com or send comments to blog@vandivergroup.com.