Tips for Working with the Media 

Do you need help reaching your audience? Promoting your events? Marketing your services? Check out these useful articles and get the publicity you need!

Table of Contents:

• What is Publicity?
• Media Relations
• Sizing Up Your Audience 
• Choosing an Approach
• Writing a News Release 
• Writing for Radio
• Writing for Television
• Other Avenues
• Media Tips
•  Media Directory

 

WHAT IS PUBLICITY?

One way of looking at Publicity is as free advertising. Instead of paying high rates to bring your message before the public, you take advantage of the fact that your work of serving the community is often newsworthy and thought to be deserving of support by the local news media. Since the work of community service organizations usually is news and of interest to the public, the approach is fully justified.

Thus, as you work with the media, you enjoy some real advantages. You are addressing community problems that have often been in the news in the past, with which the public is familiar, and with the solutions to which it sympathizes. The news people you deal with are usually public spirited and community minded; many are themselves activists, volunteering frequently on behalf of your own or related causes. So both the public and the media are basically on your side.

But you also face some challenges. The media are bombarded with a flood of messages from commercial and non-profit enterprises, all clamoring for attention. To be noticed, your material must be truly newsworthy, structured like a good news story, concisely and clearly written, with emphasis on the points that will capture readers' interest. If your submission appears to media people to be unimportant, fails to get its essential message across, and the writing rambles and misses the salient points, you are likely to be ignored.

The fact is that producing good Publicity is an art. Even if you are a talented writer - and if you aren't it may be best if you left the task to someone who is - you will still have to consider the principles and techniques that make for attention-getting, informative news copy and effective ways of getting your message across. These principles and techniques rest on some very basic and logical foundations: identifying and understanding your audience, emphasizing the most important elements of your story, and writing clearly, understandably and concisely.

This brief guide has two objectives. The first is to outline the principles and techniques of effective Publicity, supported by examples. The second is to provide you with detailed leads to local media, to help you to reach the appropriate outlets for the news you need to disseminate. Both are equally important. If your materials fall short of the mark, you will not get your story across; and, conversely, even if your copy is perfect, you will not succeed unless you place it in the proper hands.

In either case, the importance of good Publicity for non-profit organizations can hardly be exaggerated. Free advertising is the only kind most of us can afford, and without the public interest and support our news stories generate, we would not be able to raise the funds or recruit the volunteers that make our existence possible. Good Publicity is a major factor in our success. We owe it to ourselves to hone our skills in its use.

MEDIA RELATIONS

You and the media people with whom you work share a common objective: to disseminate the news to the community. There is a difference in priorities, however. Your primary objective is to gain exposure for the news from your organization, while editors and reporters must maintain some level of objectivity regarding the total stream of information reaching them and make judgments about the relative importance of the material brought to their attention. It is likely that on the average news day a few stories will stand out as essential, followed by a large number that, while interesting and useful, are hardly compelling. In these circumstances what may make the difference between your news gaining attention and being ignored are the relationships you have formed and cultivated with the people who must make the decisions.

What will go a long way toward cementing those relationships will be an understanding and sympathetic attitude on your part regarding the problems media people face. To take an aggressive stance and insist against all logic and good judgment that your stories should always be given top priority and extensive exposure, will not endear you to the decision makers. Instead, getting to know them, learning their interests and what aspects of the news they value and then emphasizing those aspects in your stories, will help you gain acceptance for your material. Your attitude will convince the news people that you share their outlook and preferences and are prepared to work closely with them.

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE PUBLICITY

STEP 1 – SIZING UP YOUR AUDIENCE

Were I to address a youth group, I might use currently popular youth idioms and phrases, but that would hardly do if I sought to capture the attention of a group of nuclear scientists. What I communicate and how I go about it will depend on my perception of the audience I am trying to reach. If I don't identify that audience and its interests and motivations correctly, my message will not arouse its attention, and my objective of gaining its support will not be realized.

Assume that I am trying to recruit teen-age girls for a community service project kicked off by a concert featuring a popular singer. My news story will make much of the singer's success with teen audiences and with his/her support of my project, using concepts and language suited to arouse the enthusiasm of teenage girls. Those concepts and language would not be effective, however, if instead I were to try my wiles on senior citizens and the kick-off attraction were a concert by a classical pianist.

So the questions I must ask myself are:

• Whom am I trying to reach?
• What interests this audience?
• What will motivate it to respond to my message

Since programs are planned with audiences in mind, it's usually a matter of articulating the perceptions of the planners: whom are they trying to attract and how do they intend to do so?

The important point here is that I must think through these questions before I attempt to prepare my publicity campaign. How I perceive the intended audience will influence the character, emphasis, tone, and language of my approach and the materials I prepare.

STEP 2 – CHOOSING THE APPROACH

There are a number of tools in your arsenal for gaining media attention. The most important are described below. Remember that the proper procedure is to send your notice to only one person at each medium. If more than one recipient is chosen, clearly indicate the names of all addressees on your material to avoid subsequent confusion.

A.    NEWS OR PRESS RELEASE
This is the most common approach when publicizing material to appear in newspapers. A News Release is a brief news story, preferably no more than 2 double-spaced pages in length, in which you describe the news, event, or program you are promoting. (See example on page 6.*) Its principal ingredients are: a catchy headline, a concise summary of your story in the first paragraph, and an elaboration of that summary in subsequent paragraphs, citing the most important element in the second paragraph, the next most important in the third, and so on in declining order. The idea is that the medium you are addressing has only limited space available and may have to cut your article, but by structuring it with the most important elements in leading paragraphs, you make certain to get the most significant part of your message across, even if the article is cut.

Normally the release is introduced with the phrase " For Immediate Release" at the top of the page, unless the material is time-sensitive and you want to delay its release, in which case, name the date and/or time: "For Release 9:00 a.m., October 22". You also need to provide contact information at the beginning of your release by citing the name(s), phone number(s), and e-mail address(es) of the individual(s) whom the media should contact in case of questions.

News releases, as the name implies, are news stories and must be treated as such. This is not the place to engage in advocacy or exhortation; should you do so, you risk having your release discarded. Bearing in mind that your copy may be cut, be certain that the first paragraph contains all the essential elements of your story, adding details in subsequent paragraphs in the order of their importance.

Cultivate a simple, uncomplicated style of writing and avoid jargon as well as sophisticated or technical language with which the majority of readers may not be familiar. On the other hand, be certain that the elements of your story that have public interest or appeal, or that are likely to arouse public support for your program, figure prominently in your text. Think yourself into your readers' shoes and use facts, ideas and language that are likely to make your message attractive to them.

A valuable device that gives you some flexibility from the rigors of news style, is the quotation. You can quote an executive of your organization, or a public official, or a community leader, and they can advocate or exhort, so long as what they have to say is in itself newsworthy

At the bottom of the first page, insert "-more-", and repeat your headline in smaller type at the top of the second page, followed by "page 2". At the end of your text insert "###", which is the code symbol for "the end".

B. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS (PSA’S)
A Public Service Announcement is a brief statement intended to be read on radio, usually lasting only a few seconds (10,15,20,30 and 60 second lengths are common.) This gives you time for no more than the bare essentials, particularly in the shorter versions which most stations welcome, so be sure that all the vital elements of your message are included. As with the News Release, your PSA should be introduced by release date instructions and contact information. Then type "Public Service Announcement" (as though it were a headline.) Draft the text and then time yourself reading it out loud at a normal pace, making adjustments, if necessary. Close with the ### symbol.

C. FACT SHEET /BACKGROUNDER
Fact Sheets are source documents of background information organized under the familiar headings:  what? when? where? why? who? how ?
Unlike the News or Press Release, which is structured like a news story, a Fact Sheet is designed to impart information to the journalist who will structure the story in her/his own way from the data supplied. Thoroughness and accuracy of detail are important here. The use of a Fact Sheet is indicated when the details of a story are extensive and complex, and it is important to educate the reporter regarding its full background.

D. MEDIA ADVISORY
Media Advisories are similar to Fact Sheets in organization, (what? when? where? why? and who? are again the headings,) but are used principally to advise reporters about the details of coming events. They emphasize aspects of particular media interest, such as photo opportunities.

E. PITCH MEMO
A Pitch Memo is a brief personal memorandum to an editor or reporter alerting her/him to a development warranting their special attention, such as arranging an interview with an agency executive or spokesperson. (See example on page 12)

F. OP ED PIECE
Op Ed pieces (so named because they usually appear opposite the editorial page,) are welcome especially if they deal with topics that have been in the news lately or that have generated controversy within the community. The optimum length of such a piece can be deduced from scanning Op Ed pieces that have appeared in the paper previously.

G. LETTER TO THE EDITOR
There are times when it is appropriate to respond to an editorial or article in the newspaper in support, defense or objection to a position, particularly when your organization feels impelled to take a strong stand.

H. INTERVIEW
A number of interview programs are aired regularly on local radio stations, so you can arrange for appearances by spokespersons of your organization, especially to discuss important programs or events. Occasionally newspapers publish interviews as well, and there are tunes when arranging for such an interview is particularly appropriate, as when an important individual joins your staff or board, or when you launch a new program that is of significant community interest.

I.  ARTICLE
Assuming you have a lengthy and important story to tell, you can encourage a newspaper to devote a feature article to it. This begins by contacting the appropriate editor or reporter by phone, letter or e-mail, and outlining the information to be treated in the piece. Needless to say, you will have to persuade the paper that the topic is significant and newsworthy enough to warrant the extensive treatment you are recommending, and that you can famish enough facts and data to support a substantial piece. In some instances you may actually find it helpful to draft the article yourself. (Don't be surprised if the paper alters it extensively.)

J. PRESS CONFERENCE
The Press Conference is a time-honored institution and deserves to be employed on occasions when your organization has significant announcements to make. Make certain that all the important media you are trying to reach are invited, and that the people conducting the conference are articulate, quick on their feet, thoroughly well informed, and comfortable with the media.

STEP 3 - FOLLOWING UP

No matter what method of approach to imparting your news is chosen, it is essential to follow up with a well-timed phone call in most instances. The media are so inundated with material that you can't be certain that your release or memo has been read or gotten the attention you had hoped for. Be prepared to hear," I never saw that release...." and be ready to mail or hand-deliver a duplicate copy on short notice. Following up is itself a delicate art. As you get to know your media contacts, you will discover when it is appropriate and prudent to phone them - not at deadline time, for example - learning always to introduce the conversation with" Is this a good time to talk?" You will learn to develop a pleasant and diplomatic style that will get you a hearing at important times. That includes being gracious and good-humored about being turned down when the news pages are crowded.

WRITING A NEWS RELEASE

A written news release is the most professional method of getting your message in the hands of the right people. Even when you have contacts in the media, it is still a good idea to follow your call with a news release.

(From Media Matters - A Guide to Publicity for Non-Profit Organizations put together by the Bloomington Volunteer Network )