Good PR is a 12-step program; to build a successful media relations strategy, think like a reporter.

I have worked for three IHEs, all anxious to increase their prestige by expanding their national news coverage. In each case, however, I struck barriers that made the task much more difficult than it needed to be. Curiously, the news media were not responsible for those barriers; they were erected by fellow administrators who failed to understand how the process of image enhancement really works. I secretly suspect there is a lest that college and university trustees administer to every candidate for a presidential vacancy. In order to pass the test, the candidate must believe that his or her institution is "the best kept secret" in whatever part of the country it happens to be located in, that his or her institution deserves only positive media coverage; that a critical mass of high school seniors (all full-pay students with high SATs) could be charmed into applying for admission, if the institution could only secure a mention in The New York Times; that national media exposure would materialize quickly if the institution could just find "somebody to get the word out."

In truth, any institution, large or small, can succeed in enhancing its media coverage, even at the national level. But media cultivation efforts must be based on a realistic understanding of the imperatives that drive the news media--not the ambitions that drive the institution. Here is a summary of things I wish the campus leaders I worked with had known:

1. The media don't awe positive exposure to any organization. Their job is to cover news. Much of what qualifies as "newsworthy" is negative by definition, and that's the nature of the beast. When all is said and done, the media's definition of news is the only one that counts.

2. It takes focus and concentration to expand the effective radius of media outreach. A media coordinator must be thoroughly familiar with the targeted media, their personnel, their special interests, and their perceived constituencies. That familiarity comes from doing homework and taking time to actively pursue cultivation strategies that foster close personal relationships. Actually, the bonding process in media relations is no different than it is in fundraising--particularly when dealing with distant or unfamiliar news organizations. Few fundraisers would ask a welt-heeled donor for a major gift without first studying the donor's background, identifying his or her special interests, and methodically cultivating a personal relationship.

3. Success comes from exercising restraint. Pushing non-newsworthy stories is counterproductive. Every IHE needs to have its story ideas screened thoughtfully by a seasoned professional with good news judgment. Don't allow well-intentioned but inexperienced colleagues to set the agenda.

4. Don't fritter away time, energy, and focus on low-priority I tasks. Many IHEs roll out a national media relations program with a crash of thunder. Then they bog down the new media specialist with hometowners and event calendars. And because media coordinators come with genuine writing skill (ironically, a rare talent in academia), they are also co-opted into scripting Rotary Club speeches, alumni news briefs, and routine thank-you notes for development officers. What a gross misappropriation of talent! It's like investing in a thoroughbred racehorse and then using the animal for pony tides at the church picnic.

5. Take time to monitor the news on n daily basis; you'll have greater success in media placement when you artfully fill the journalistic vacuums you find, using the professional experts you have at hand. Systematic internal networking is vital to this approach: Meeting professors for coffee is not a sign of, laziness, it's evidence of conscientiousness.

6. "All things being equal, friends buy from friends." This applies to media relations, too--reporters like to "buy" story ideas from friends. A media "friend" is a media coordinator who has an objective mind, demonstrates reliable news judgment, and has a steady track record of cooperation. Those perceived as flaks, spinmeisters, or political hacks don't make the cut.

7. Use successful print placement to attract TV coverage. Yes, the luck of geography does come into play, as there is no question that universities located near Washington DC, New York, and Atlanta have a built-in advantage. Assignment editors at the national networks take their cues from a relatively limited group of publications including The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, as well as the Associated Press wire service. Especially for IHEs in more isolated venues, successful hits in these publications can dramatically enhance the chances of snagging interviews on CNN, the cable talk shows, morning news or Sunday "meet the press" programs.

8. Get around the alumni barrier, with trust. One reason that "elite" institutions dominate coverage in The New York Times and similar, is that those news organizations' staff members frequently are alumni. Reporters write about their own schools in part because those schools represent a known and familiar cosmos. To get those folks to step outside their comfort zone and consider new possibilities, give them a good story. Even the thickest media walls can be breached if a story or a source is strong enough. The key? Be patient and judicious. Cultivate a trust relationship so that you have an available channel, and use that channel only when you have something of Legitimate importance.

9. Getting around other biases. Reporters at national news organizations--largely products of private, selective schools--may exhibit certain biases. One is a reluctance to take seriously IHEs with the word "state" in their name. (A few obvious exceptions are Penn State or Michigan State.) Also widespread is skepticism regarding the credibility of any institution with a directional signal--such as the word "at"--as part of its nomenclature. There are good reasons why SUNY-at-Buffalo changed its name to The University of Buffalo; why Trenton State co-opted Princeton's former appellation to become The College of New Jersey; and why Northeast Missouri State renamed itself Truman State University after the state's favorite son. Even private institutions go this route: Venerable Western Maryland College is now McDaniel College. Each of these schools heeded the advice of branding strategists who recognized media bias when they saw it and knew that repositioning efforts would never get out of the gate if the institutions' very names were an obstacle to credibility. The best response to these various biases is to know the enemy, and of course, take the time to build a trust relationship.

10. Beware of the bean counters. Another reason media outreach efforts fail is that they are subjected to the measurement strategies conjured up by corporate bean counters. For many years, public relations people tried to placate the corporate measuring class by coming up with bogus indices Like "clipping counts" or "ad value equivalency ratings." The truth is that clippings don't really measure anything, because nobody knows how many positive clips it takes to neutralize the effects of a really negative one. (And when it comes to damage control, truly outstanding media relations efforts are frequently measured in terms of stories that don't get printed and clips that never appear.) As for ad value equivalency, the idea that a 10-inch story is somehow worth the value of a 10-inch ad is nonsense. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison, because news stories carry infinitely more credibility than paid ads. (Henry Bloch, co-founder of H & R Block, recently offered, "In my opinion, public relations is so much better than paid advertising that it's difficult to compare the two.") What's more, it's the substance of a story that counts, and what counts most is what the story conveys about the institution's mission, values, integrity, and effectiveness. A five-inch story might do that very convincingly. A 50-inch story might not do it at all.

11. Stories with a negative element are not necessarily always bad. If an accident or scandal is addressed openly and responsibly, the spotlighted institution can actually emerge with its image enhanced. Likewise, an IHE can mishandle a good thing, and come out tarnished. (Remember when the University of Colorado won a major football championship a few years ago, yet ended up with a huge black eye in the media because its coaches stood silent while officials mistakenly awarded the team a fifth down?)

12. Make the most of every placement, when it occurs. It's great to get a hit in The New York Times, but how many of your constituents can realistically be expected to see it on the day of publication if your school is Located in Claflin, Kansas? Bring that placement to the attention of alumni, friends, and prospective students. The Internet, especially, has made it easy and inexpensive to get the word out. Miss no opportunities to showcase, after the fact, the visibility you worked so hard to achieve.

Raymond C. Jones ([e-mail]) is the principal of Media Ink Communications, a public relations consulting firm based in Liberty, MO. He was formerly the chief public relations officer at Monmouth University, Winthrop University, and William Jewell College.