>> How can you ensure massive media coverage for your wine? The honest answer is: you can't. Unless you're paying for advertising or advertorial space, you must rely on journalists to decide what exposure your brands will receive, and when they'll get it.

But that doesn't mean you have no control at all. You probably read the trade press and wonder why the same names keep on recurring, while others are absent or rarely mentioned. This is because some brand owners have worked out how to deal effectively with the press – and the good news is that anyone can learn how they do it. It's not difficult, and the results can be impressive.

 I've worked in the media all my career and, as a starting point, offer the following advice:

>> Don't treat journalists as a different species. I've always been bemused by the extreme views some people seem to take of journalists. At times, we're shown a deference and respect that is embarrassing. At other times, people I've never met will be guarded and hostile and accuse me (in advance) of getting my facts wrong. Talk to journalists as human beings, but remember that the golden rule is that unless you point out something is off the record, a journalist will regard your words and opinions as fair game in their reporting.

The marketing team plucks up the courage to ask the editor for a features list

>> Your press release is source material for a journalist ... not an article for publication. Why are you sending your press release? You want some coverage for your business, naturally. But at the heart of that release their had better be something newsworthy, otherwise it will join hundreds of others in the recycling bin or "deleted" folder. A lot of companies over-write press releases and try to be too clever with intros and headlines. Why bother? Any decent publication will be rewriting that stuff anyway. I've always taken the view that a series of bulletpoints generally does the job. Get to the point fast with all press communications. And if there isn't a point to get to, be honest about it and don't send out your release. It will only dilute the impact of your genuinely interesting releases.

>> Follow-up phone calls are irritating! If a journalist is interested in your story, they will run it. If they need further information, they will call or e-mail you. Don't embarrass them, or yourself, by chasing a lost cause with a phone call. If you do achieve a press mention, one of the most effective ways to weaken your chances of getting another is to phone the journalist and badger them for complimentary copies of the magazine. 

>> Journalists rely on good contacts. Get to know the journalists who are important to you. An offer of lunch is often appreciated, but make sure there is a potential angle – perhaps coincide your offer with a product launch or marketing campaign. If you send in samples of your product, a bottle or two will always suffice. Journalists appreciate trade personalities who are prepared to comment on current issues, so if you want a high media profile be prepared to share data and opinions that go beyond merely promoting your brands. 

>> Talking is better than e-mailing. There's a pernicious trend, cultivated by over-zealous PR firms, for clients to conduct interviews by e-mail. "Just send us the questions and he'll mail back some answers," the instruction goes. This takes the art of human communication back several millennia. The irony is that the PR firm thinks they are in the driving seat, exerting complete control over the "interview" and ensuring their client's words are reported verbatim and without misinterpretation. Wrong! Without being able to challenge the client's responses and fire back supplementary questions, there is every chance that some subtle nuances (or a better angle) may be missed by the journalist. There is an even bigger risk that the answers will be so bland and awkwardly constructed that they will be ditched altogether. Have the confidence to have a normal conversation with journalists, with notes to guide you if you like. The results will usually be far better than those generated by an e-mail dialogue.

>> Journalists do make mistakes. It's one of the many things they have in common with the rest of the human race. In my career I haven't made many big mistakes, but I've annoyed dozens of people with a misplaced decimal point, an incorrect date or an ambiguous piece of syntax. When these errors are pointed out, most editors will make amends without complaint and usually with an apology (verbal, perhaps printed). As long as you're realistic about what you're entitled to, you should remain friends: a paragraph in the news in brief column is usually sufficient, and demands for a free advertorial or front page apology are rarely appropriate. If there is a really serious problem, don't start threatening libel action or behaving abusively as it will only encourage the publisher to be equally combative. Defamation is a horrendously expensive and unpredictable branch of the law, and both parties usually come out of it badly, one way or another.

Errors annoy journalists as much as they irritate the people they concern. It's amazing how many inaccurate stories can be traced back to a problematic press hand-out.

>> Be wary of "exclusives". Journalists all want stories that their rivals haven't got, and many companies will deliberately restrict news of a campaign or product launch to a particular title. That's all well and good, but think about what damage that may do to your relationship with other publications. Your big news is likely to be relegated in importance in those magazines (it certainly would be in mine), and even if these titles are given their own exclusives at a later date, it merely confirms your reputation as a game-playing publicity seeker. By all means play the game, but be prepared to annoy more journalists than you please.