Media relations can be confusing, exhausting, and tricky. But it can also be invigorating, exciting, and rewarding. It’s true, there are some media outlets that are more challenging to work with than others. And some reporters seem to have an agenda rather than searching for objective facts. But working with media is a symbiotic relationship: they need us for content and we need them for earned media (i.e., unpaid publicity).

So what are some best practices for getting yourself on solid footing with reporters? The following are three ways to immediately start developing better relationships with reporters and their media outlets.

Start with the End in Mind

When looking at your overall media strategy, consider this essential, foundation question: What are you trying to accomplish? Media coverage for the sake of media coverage isn’t always fruitful.

Review your communications and brand strategies, which support your organization’s overall strategic goals. What kind of media coverage do you need to accomplish these goals? Are there specific outlets that match the audiences you need to reach? For example, if you’re working on occupational licensing reform, you’re going to reach out to magazines and reporters that cover a different audience than typical politics. If you reach out to a reporter who covers pensions and taxes, they’ll be just as frustrated as you are about requesting they cover a story on hair braiding licenses.

Considering the target audiences you want to reach to achieve your objectives should guide the kind of media you seek and how you measure your success. It’s not necessarily the number of hits you get or the size of the outlet, but the impact it will have in advancing your organization’s goals.

One goal may be to get some big media hits so that donors are happy. That’s a perfectly appropriate measure, but make sure all media outreach and responses fit with your brand and your goals.

Build Relationships

If someone you met briefly last week at a work function suddenly called and asked you to do them a big favor to advance their career, and the request could put your reputation at risk, how would you respond? Trust and the desire to help others is built over time. And that requires building solid relationships. It’s no different with reporters. Every time they write an article and quote a source, their journalistic reputation is on the line. They want to trust you and your work in small ways before they’re willing to write big articles on your policy priorities.

Working with media should not be a transactional relationship. Your goal is to be seen as a resource to them. Look for ways you can help them do their job better. Sometimes that means you get nothing out of it but some personal thanks.

How would you get to know someone better with whom you want to build a relationship? Meet them for coffee and discuss their work. Get to know them and their interests. It’s the same with reporters. Only then would be interested in what you share about your organization does and how it can be an asset to them.

There are some reporters or media outlets that may never move into the “friendly” column for your organization, but you could have a professional cordial relationship based on mutual respect and trust.

Get Out of the Office

How often do you send a press release and wonder if the reporter on the other end will even open the email? Will they even recognize your name? If these thoughts cross your mind, then that’s a clear sign you probably aren’t getting the media coverage you desire.

One way to avoid this scenario in-person meetings. Once a year, or as often as you need to, take a road trip to the media markets in your state. there is nothing like building a relationship face-to-face. Visit television outlets, radio hosts, editorial boards, political reporters, and any other outlets or publications that would cover issues related to your work.

Take a packet of information about the work your organization is doing. Include some compelling stories about heroes of your policy issues that would interest that reporter. And then spend lots of time listening; find out what they’re working on so you can help them.

It may seem simple, but these techniques do take time and effort. However, just like any successful relationship, the more time you spend cultivating it, the more fruit it will bear. And while they may be tough, any reporter worth their salt will give you and your organization a fair shake once they trust your work and they trust you.