Could a strategy shift in your outreach to bloggers make a big difference in success and coverage? Paul Dyer says yes and I tend to agree. Paul puts out what seems to be a simple distinction in how you reach out to reporters and bloggers. He says you pitch r
Here at GMT we're seeing a trend among our current members and groups we're talking to about potential membership. Everyone is facing financial difficulties, that's no surprise. But what we're hearing is that the first cuts to be made are to the communications program -- whether it's a team of people or one person or a handful of services used by the organization. And once tho
I”ll be there. It is always a great event.
A PR Conference for Progressives
Some of America’s best progressive PR practitioners are gathering for two days of panels, practical workshops, networking, and fun.
It’s the age-old question that so many folks ask. OK, maybe not age-old, but it’s definitely been a frequently asked question over the past 3 or so years: How should I pitch my story to bloggers?
Vocus discusses how embedding video in press releases on your press room can give your news an edge.
Live from True Spin: Is news irrelevant and is media relations a dying art?
GMT staff members are working from the True Spin Conference this week in Denver, Colorado. The following post is from Bobbi Russell.
Live from True Spin: Is news irrelevant and is media relations a dying art?
Panelists: Kimberly Larson, State PIRGS; Martin Kearns, Green Media Toolshed; Fernando Quintero from Rocky Mountain News.
We all know it’s increasingly difficult to get media coverage. There seems to be an incredibly shrinking news hole and slowly shrinking news staffs. Between national and international urgent issues and fewer reporters available to cover more issues than ever, we’re all wondering how we can make our issues visible and attractive. I attended this session and paraphrased remarks from the panel as well as feedback from the audience. Of course, I’m sprinkling in my own take on the issue here and there.
Fernando Quintero comments:
One of the challenges we face is that newspapers are going out of business and print circulation is decreasing. Outlets must rely on web presence and are now working on a 24 hour news cycle. Reporters are no longer working for tomorrow’s edition, but today’s website. Fernando stressed to the media folks in the crowd that it’s important to respond immediately to reporter requests in order to get into the same day’s news cycle. Fernando says this is one of the biggest changes in the print medium.
He also says we should call media outlets to task. That is, if you/your organization feels an outlet is covering just one side of the story, bring it to their attention with supporting facts. Know what the outlet has covered recently. Question the reporter/editor if the coverage has not fairly tackled the story from all angles. Be clear and concise and be ready to handle hard core questions. Offer to do a content analysis for the outlet of the issue that includes headlines, images and sources to identify a lack of representation.
Kimberly Larson comments:
Media relations isn’t dead but is a changing landscape. A couple of challenges that she thinks we face:
1. Bias. She suggests accessing the Fair and Accuracy in Reporting, www.fair.org, as the site looks at media bias throughout the years.
2. Media outlets are cutting costs. This means that there are fewer reporters and even fewer that cover certain beats. Most reporters are now covering two or more beats and working two jobs. They often get pulled to breaking news stories. They have less time to attend news conferences, so either make your event more enticing, or figure out alternative ways to release your news. Press conference calls are a great way to do this, as are pre-recorded sound bytes made available on your website.
There are also more freelancers coming on the scene, but that makes it harder for us, the pr folks, to track down the right person at the right outlet. Reporters, like all of us, are overwhelmed with work. So, what can we do to help? Make it easy for them. Cover your bases. It seems so simple, but there are really easy, low hanging fruit steps we can take to increase your changes of getting covered. So remember to: send timely news, abide by the reporter’s & outlet’s deadlines, include contact information, load all of your supporting materials (including photos & other visuals!) on your website and be available. Make your pitch concise and make sure it’s relevant to the reporter you’re contacting. Kimberly also recommends as resources the book The Future of Media and the organization, Free Press.
Marty Kearns’ comments:
Marty feels news is still relevant and proved his point by asking the audience a few questions:
--How many of you have clipped or emailed or clipped a story and sent it to a family member, friend, classmate – someone not involved in your organization?
--How many have received a story from someone in the same relationship chain?
--How many, when buying a new product, would rely on customer reviews, blogs and feedback from other consumers vs. relying on the corporate news site?
A majority of hands in the crowd went up for each question. So what does that prove? News is changing. Our job is to influence social networks to create change in policy and behavior. Media used to be the primary mechanism to do this, but now it’s easier to leverage the power of social networks to move a message and make an issue sing.
News is less predictable and circulations are decreasing. Competition is tougher and it’s harder to break through to reporters on your own. It’s possible that most of the people we’re trying to reach don’t read the news.
So, how to get the bang for your buck? How can nonprofits do it all with a small budget? Having access to so many tools and opportunities can possibly deter groups from trying new outreach efforts – choices seem overwhelming.
However, news feeds, RSS feeds, and content aggregators are helpful for reporters. Fernando says that since reporters have a limited amount of time and need to get enough relevant information to finish a story, it’s very helpful to have topics summarized and to have complex issues translated into common language. Salient talking points are extremely helpful.
One participant feels media relations is more important than ever. Even though information is getting out there in blogs and nontraditional vehicles, experts and spokespeople are still needed to confirm statistics and facts.
This was a great session with thought-provoking ideas. Bottom line is, we’re all facing the same challenges and we need to do better at actually working together to streamline efforts and pool resources. My take is that media relations is not a dying art. It’s a living, breathing, vital craft that is shifting with the way the public is shifting. More and more people get their news from blogs, websites, and email from friends. It’s important to think about magazines and weekend sections of newspapers to build relationships with news outlets. In addition to serving reporters, think about serving your supporters. Make every communication with your members count – use their power and interest to make even more people aware of your issues and to recruit new voices to leverage your message.
When planning for a press event, several factors need to be taken into consideration. What type of news are you looking to inform the media about? Who do you want to reach? How quickly do you need to organize your event? Sometimes a conference call is more effective than a press conference because it's easier to get reporters from across the country on a call rather than gathered in the same room. If you are simply looking to share background information on your issue, a press briefing should be held rather than a press conference.
Check out GMT's Media Event Top Ten. This guide gives you a brief overview of the different media events and when they are appropriate. You can also click through GMT's Media Training content for other guides on pitching, interviewing and more.
Remember one key point: It is important to work with reporter deadlines when deciding the details of a press event.
Cause Communications (www.causecommunications.com) has several free guides to help non-profits with their media outreach. One of these guides, Eleven Steps to Organizing a Media Event, places emphasis on the most important areas of planning a media event. If you'd like even more information after reading through these useful media training guides, you can order their book, Making the News: A Guide for Activists and Nonprofits.
Every organization needs to develop a message before interacting with the media. This message needs to be reiterated each time you communicate with the press and should stay the same everytime. Make sure that it is clear and easy to understand, and includes the problem at hand and your solution to that problem. If your message is about the excessive pollution of the Susquehanna River, don't stop there. Include your solution to this problem and the actions people need to take.
Use your organizational messages as the foundation of all campaigns or projects. They may have their own 'sub' messages, but should be arteries to your main road.
Also remember that your message shouldn't contain scientific or technological jargon. You understand what you are saying because you work with it everyday, but the general public may not. Your key message may get lost amongst the definitions and terminology. Keep it plain and simple.
A great example comes from Amy Kostant of Environmental Media Services (www.ems.org). You could have your message be: POPs are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. With the evidence of long-range transport of these substances to regions where they have never been introduced and the consequent threats they pose to the environment of the whole globe, the international community has now, at several occasions called for urgent global actions to reduce and eliminate releases of these chemicals.
Or you could decide this is more to the point: POPs are the worst chemicals in the world. 120 countries have agreed to ban them.
Which is more eye catching and effective to you?
If you want additional help, download Bullfighter from www.fightthebull.com. This software finds and eliminates jargon from your documents, in either Microsoft Word or Powerpoint. Download it here: http://www.fightthebull.com/bullfighter.asp.
The following is a great guide to the difference between certain types of media contact tools, such as press releases and media advisories. When sending one such tool, a press release, you want to make sure you include all the pertinent information a reporter needs. The release doesn't need to look colorful and fancy. It just needs to contain enough information for the reporter to create a story on. Don't forget to include contact information so the reporter can follow up. The one part that should catch the reporter's eye is the Subject Line. Keep it short and simple, making the reporter want to open the email and read more.
Read more below:
Link: Press Releases and Press Letters.
A release can also be used to summarize a story or report contained in a scientific journal, or as background information. Releases should be written like the best of all possible "stories" coming out of your event. You want reporters to use the information it contains to write stories of their own.
A great example of a press release was recently sent out by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project: MTV Damaged Sea Turtle Beach in Tobago
If you'd like the document How to Create Breakthrough Email Pitches Journalists Love to Recieve, containing notes and advice from Bulldog Reporter as well as additional tips from the GMT staff, contact Yvonne Archer.
Here is another great resource for the desk. It is smart and free!
Based off of national qualitative and quantitative audits of what nonprofits need in the area of communications, the book offers an overview of all the possible tools used to develop smart communications.
This comprehensive guide offers practical information in virtually every area of communications—from how to develop and budget a communications plan to what tools you need to help raise awareness and funds.
The book was made possible by support from The Annenberg Foundation, The California Endowment, The James Irvine Foundation and The Marguerite Casey Foundation.
Make sure you order your free copy and let us now what you think.
