Building media relationships in a foreign market

TikTok updaT es Family pa iring and es Ta blishes y o u T h Coun C i l

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—TikTok has announced a new way caregivers can support their teen’s viewing experience through Family Pairing. Furthermore, the platform also shared information about the upcoming launch of its Youth Council. adding content filtering to family pairing

L A ST y ear, TikTok launched a content filtering tool to allow people n back to basics

AS things open up, global communications are again growing. And it will not be unusual for PR pros to have the opportunity to work in a foreign market.

In an article in prnewsonline. com, Karnika Bahuguna, Associate Director of Communications at Dyninno India, shares with us some tips on Establishing Media Relations in a Foreign Market.

Interestingly, she relocated to the Philippines “with no connections in the media landscape.” to filter out videos with words or hashtags they’d prefer to avoid seeing in their For You or Following feeds. Since then, TikTok heard from parents and caregivers that they’d like more ways to customize the topics their teen may prefer not to stumble upon, as every teen is unique and caregivers are often closest to their teen’s individual needs.

Initially skeptical and underconfident about her abilities in what she describes as a “new and unfamiliar market”, she eventually found her way to effectively engage in conversations and pitch relevant stories to senior media professionals.

Here’s how she did it.

Today, TikTok is bringing this tool to Family Pairing to empower caregivers to help reduce the likelihood of their teen viewing content they may uniquely find jarring.

To adapt this feature for Family Pairing, TikTok engaged with experts, including the Family Online Safety Institute, on how to strike a balance between enabling families to choose the best experience for their

W H EN s tarting out in a new market, you may have to return to the basics, says Bahuguna. Being a student for life, she acknowledges that, “I don’t know everything and there’s so much to learn from everyone we meet.” This humility, she adds, often helps in breaking the ice and striking engaging conversation.

This means being open to new things: checking out the media landscape in the place of your new assignment; and knowing the culture in the area which will be helpful in establishing contacts.

“It is essential to go beyond merely researching the journalists themselves,” she says. “Instead, delve into their work, the topics they cover, the stories they break and their writing styles. This level of understanding provides valu - needs while also ensuring respect for young people’s rights to participate in the online world. Therefore, by default, teens can view the keywords their caregiver has added and TikTok believes this transparency can also help to prompt conversations about online boundaries and safety. able insights into the individuals you will meet.” Her advice? Research. “Be a voracious reader of their work, exploring most recent articles, best pieces, most shared stories, and even their pinned articles on platforms like Linkedin,” she says. “Comprehensive research is your preparation for success.” n it ’s about Them, not you

The keywords caregivers add will be a personalized layer on top of TikTok’s Content Levels system, which already helps to keep content with more mature or complex themes from reaching audiences between ages 13 to 17.

Forming TikTok’s youth Council L ISTENIN g t o the experience of teens is one of the most important steps TikTok can take to build a safe platform for teens and their families.

W H ERE v ER you go, newsworthiness is unchanging in pitching a story. We are sometimes tempted to believe our pitches and angles are exceptional, but Bahuguna says, “it is never about you.”

“Your research will reveal what constitutes news for journalists, and you must find newsworthy and relevant angles tailored to their interests,” she adds. If your story lacks newsworthiness, “it simply won’t resonate.”

N Building Relationships

Takes Time

R E LOCATIN g t o a new geography may entail that you start from scratch with realistic expectations. This means taking time and effort to build a relationship with the media.

Rather than expecting immediate results, “you will have to approach meetings with journalists as opportunities for relationship building,” says Bahuguna. This means “taking time to know them as individuals, pitch story ideas, and listen to the feedback.

It helps avoid designing teen safety solutions that may be ineffective or inadequate for the actual community they’re meant to protect, and it brings TikTok closer to being a strong partner to caregivers as it can better represent teens’ safety and wellbeing needs.

Later this year, TikTok will launch the global Youth Council, where it will listen to the experiences of those who directly use the platform and be better positioned to make changes to create the safest possible experience for its community.

TikTok is already working to engage with teens and act based on their feedback. For example, within Family Pairing, TikTok provides tips for caregivers that it developed in collaboration with teens.

Always keep in mind that it is a collaborative process that requires mutual respect. While results may not be instantaneous, “the foundation of a strong relationship is being laid.” n genuine interest and appreciative enquiry n respect their Time and Follow up appropriately

E M BRACINg a genuine interest in the culture, cuisine, and history of your new country can go a long way in establishing rapport, says Bahuguna.

Dining out together in local restaurants, visiting historic sites, and viewing art exhibits, and enjoying tourist attractions can bring us closer to the media in our new place of assignment.

“Engage in conversations that demonstrate your curiosity, actively listen, and ask thoughtful questions,” she adds. With this, “you can foster meaningful connections that transcend professional interactions by showing appreciation for their expertise and perspectives.

ExCES SI v E me ssaging or follow ups can be extremely annoying to journalists, who may just disregard your materials. Instead,

These outline the support teens would like and their suggestions on how to approach conversations about digital literacy and safety.

In a similar way to how TikTok engages regularly with more than 50 academics and leading experts from around the world through the Content and Safety Advisory Councils, this new Youth Council will provide a more structured and regular opportunity for youth to provide their views. TikTok is looking forward to sharing more in the coming months about this forum and how teens can take part.

TikTok’s work to help create a safe place for teens and families has no finish line. In March, TikTok set every teen’s daily screen time to 60 minutes by default, with almost

Bahuguna recommends that its best to “respect their time and follow up in a reasonable and professional manner.”

As communicators, we have to recognize that journalists have their own story interests, and graciously accept it. We may even find a story they will find intriguing. Being open and respectful can lead to future opportunities. All in all, “establishing media relations in a foreign market requires persistence, research, genuine interest, and a collaborative mindset,” she says. And this holds true for any place we communicate. In the end, “building relationships and offering newsworthy angles” can allow you to navigate unfamiliar territories and succeed in your media outreach efforts.” three-quarters of teens choosing to keep the limit. For those who opt out of the default but spend more than 100 minutes on the platform in a day, TikTok continues to encourage these teens to use our screen time management tools. Also in March, TikTok started to prompt its community to learn more about Family Pairing and, so far, it has reached more than 400 million people with this information. TikTok is proud that through Family Pairing, it supports more than 850,000 teens and their families in setting guardrails based on their individual needs. As TikTok learns more, it does more to protect and empower its community and TikTok looks forward to sharing more about its progress in the future.

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chair.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.