Media Outreach

Some elected officials never saw a camera they didn’t like.  Good coverage by newspapers, radio or television attracts support for your cause and can raise the profile and credibility of your organization.  Media coverage, if positive, is free publicity about the issues your group is concerned with.

WHAT ARE THE BASIC MEDIA TOOLS?

There are some standard tools that will help you reach out to local media. 

1. Publicity Strategy. Develop a publicity strategy that outlines what you want to say, to whom, and how. It outlines different methods for reaching different audiences, considers which reporters and media are most likely to be interested in your cause and how you will reach it. 

2. Media File. This is a list of media contacts, which you develop and expand over time.  Basic information such as names, contact information and deadlines are recorded along with descriptions of the types of stories the reporter is likely to cover. You can start building a media file by collecting names from your local newspapers. Reporters tend to rely on sources they know and trust. It is important to cultivate these relationships.

3. News Release. A news release is a short, snappy statement of what you say the news is, which a report can use as a source for information.  A news release should be concise and written like a newspaper article.  It should answer all the pertinent questions (who, what, when, where, why), and provide a contact name and telephone number for more information. Because the media get so many press releases, being timely and looking for a media hook (offering something newsworthy) is important.  Click here for more tips on News Releases.

It is also very important to personally phone reporters that have an interest in the issue. Ask them to look out for (or whether they have seen) your release. Tell them what a great story it will make. If a reporter needs to receive a release early in order to make a deadline, it can be sent to them on an embargoed basis – meaning the reporter can write or develop the story but not release it before a specified time. This allows you to accommodate a reporter’s deadline while making sure all media outlets can cover the story before it becomes “old news.” 

A related tool is the Media Advisory that just lets the media know about an upcoming event or significant occurrence you are organizing that they may wish to attend.  An announcement of a town hall meeting with a particularly controversial speaker or of a scheduled press conference (see below) would be examples of media advisories.

4. Fact Sheet. A fact sheet summarizes key information and provides background to your issue and your organization’s involvement.  It should also provide contact information. It can be used as part of a press kit, or as a brochure at events. It should be short: one page.

5.  Press Kit. A press kit is usually developed for a specific event, campaign or occasion and provides the media with everything they need to put together a story about your issue. It includes material such as: a cover letter, news releases (recent and current), a fact sheet, a schedule of events, photographs, quotes, business cards, and copies of other relevant information like reports.

6. Press Conference.  At a press conference the organizer(s) give brief presentations about a new and important news item, and give the media an opportunity to ask questions.  Press conferences are used when you have a hot news item, a major story, or are releasing a major report. You should have “expert” speakers, and press kits should be available. They take a lot of effort to organize so should be reserved for really important events. On-site press conferences with interesting visual imagery can be useful for attracting TV media.

7. Press Briefing. You can invite the press to meet with you for background information or to assist them in their education on emerging issues. This is a much less formal meeting than a press conference.

8. Op-Ed Articles. Op-eds or “Opinion-editorials” are valuable means of getting out your message. They are carefully written arguments that range from 600 to 1000 words in length. Contact the newspaper editor before you begin writing to gauge his or her interest and get information on the appropriate length. Your writing must be concise because, newspapers will not spend much time editing the article.

9. Letters to the editor and Talk Back Lines. These are an easy means of getting out your message. They need to be punchy, making a single point. For talk back lines, formulate what you are going to say before you call.

10.Spokesperson. This is the designated person who is prepared and able to speak with the media on your group’s behalf. This person should be comfortable in this role, and able to well represent your group. Tips for preparing a spokesperson are given below.

HOW DO YOU PREPARE A SPOKESPERSON?

Media stories need a human element, and that human element will only be as strong as the spokesperson for the group.   

The Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society (IMPACS) offers five “Communicator’s Commandments”:

·          Identify your message,

·          Know your message,

·          Believe your message,

·          Present your message directly, and

·          Summarize your message clearly.

IMPACS also provides a number of tips on their website for preparing a spokesperson. These tips have been summarized below.

1.   Be available to comment.

2.   Be prepared to comment.

3.   Know and understand why you want to talk to a reporter.

4.   Know and understand why the reporter wants to talk to you: What’s their angle? Do they have an agenda?

5.   Know what you want to say in a minute or less. If you can’t, your message lacks focus.

6.   Be interested in your subject (or you won’t get the reporter interested either).

7.   Believe in what you are addressing; this will make you more convincing.

8.   Know your subject intimately – forwards, backwards, upside down – and address arguments against your position proactively.

9.   If you don’t know an answer, never lie or make it up. Tell the reporter you’ll get right back to them, or, offer another contact.

10. Prepare to answer two or three really tough questions – the ones you’re praying that you won’t get asked.

11. Make your own messages clear and concise by making positive statements, avoiding defensive comments, keeping answers short, avoiding jargon; and use your organization’s name (not “we” or “I”).

12. Rehearse your delivery.

13. In broadcast interviews, remember to smile, sit erect, be aware of your body language and hand gestures, maintain eye contact – not “camera contact,” and use the interviewer’s name once near the beginning of the interview.

14. In print interviews, pay attention to how the interviewer paraphrases you, correct her if necessary; clarify or elaborate; offer to follow-up with additional information; and supply photos if possible.

For More Information on Media Outreach:

·          “Media Training Notes and Manual” – Notes on how to use your local media by Luke Giridon, presented at the 1998 conference of Australia’s Queensland Conservation Council.

·          “An Activists Guide to Exploiting the Media” – by George Monbiot, which includes more detailed instructions on writing a News Release.

·          Making the News – An older (1992) but still good publication from West Coast Environmental Law on using the media.

·          Lessons about Media and Communications – Some comments about the role of media in a longer term advocacy strategy from the Center for Community Change. 

·          The Communications Articles web page of IMPACS (Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society)