media relations 101: making headlines
DESCRIPTION
Have you tried to get your issue into the news, with limited success? Are you struggling to keep up with the changing media landscape? If your work sometimes requires dealing with the media, but your staff lacks media skills training or experience pitching the media, this training presentation is for you.TRANSCRIPT
Media Relations 101:
Making Headlines
October 2010
Nicole Lampe [email protected] @ThePacificOcean Linkedin.com/in/nicolelampe
Program Director Oceans and Public Health Team 2 years at RM Portland office
Presenters
Sian Wu [email protected] @ThatsSoEco @Sian_I_Am Linkedin.com/in/sianwu
Program Director Oceans and Public Health Team 6 years at RM Seattle office
About Resource Media
• Communications Strategy • Execution and Outreach • Digital and Social Media • Environmental and Health Policy Focus
Staff 30 9 Offices
San Francisco Seattle Boulder Kalispell Sacramento
Bozeman Portland Salt Lake City Anchorage
Have a question? Need help?
1. Changing media landscape
2. Recognizing and creating good stories
3. Packaging your pitch
4. Reaching out
5. Acing an interview
What we’ll cover today:
Newspapers Struggle to Survive in New Media World 1
Changing their models: Seattle Post Intelligencer, Christian Science Monitor, Capital Times, Detroit News…
Shutting their doors: Tucson Citizen, Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Examiner, Albuquerque Tribune, Honolulu Advertiser….
The media landscape is changing beneath our feet
• Circulation is down by 30% since 2000
• Advertising revenue has dropped by 10% since 2009
• Every newspaper in the country has had to cut newsroom staff, some by 25% or more
The news business ain’t what it used to be
People consume news differently these days
According to a September 2010 report by Pew Research Center:
• 44% of Americans got news online, by email, cell phone, social networks, or podcast yesterday
• Just 26% read a newspaper
• 57% of Americans are “news grazers”
• 33% use search engines to find news on topics of interest
But good old fashioned earned media still matters
Newspapers, TV and radio can help you:
• Raise Awareness
• Influence decision-makers
• Reach new audiences
• Gain credibility
Print and broadcast news remain influential
Shrinking Newsrooms Require More Strategic Pitching
2
Reporters are busier than ever
• Many reporters wear multiple hats
• They write stories, blog, tweet, and monitor online comments
• Rather than covering a single beat, they have to be generalists
• And more channels means they get pitched even more often
You can help busy reporters do their jobs—and get your news in the press—by packaging stories well.
Cut through the noise
Savvy Groups Shape News Coverage
3
But first, figure out what makes good news
• Before a reporter can get to work on your story, they first need to sell it to their editor.
• Give them the right tools to pitch and write your story, and you may just see it in the headlines.
Learn to think like a reporter:
What makes a good story? Something that gets people talking. Something that is:
• New or topical
• Surprising
• Moving
• Relatable
• Accessible
• Or has great visuals
• Be a news junkie
• Use Google Alerts to track coverage by keyword
• Subscribe to Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
• Follow reporters on Twitter
• Sign up for RSS feeds from key outlets
Pay attention to what’s making news now
Take advantage of external hooks
Make your news feel more timely by tying it to:
• Current trends
• A decision point or milestone
• An upcoming event
• Holidays or other significant dates
Get creative!
The media frenzy over Lady Gaga’s meat dress provided an unlikely opportunity for
The Big Idea What’s the Environmental Impact of Lady Gaga’s Meat Dress?
Well-Packaged Story Makes Front Page News
4
• How can you convey a story’s major points in just a few words?
• Try to paint a picture with your words
• Cut to the chase
Think in headlines (and email subject lines)
Get through the editor’s filter
Be ready to answer questions like:
• Why should my readers/viewers/listeners care?
• Why is this important now?
• What’s the problem, solution, threat, or benefit?
Focus on the human interest
angle • People relate to people
• Personal stories help put a face on facts and figures
• They want to know how news will affect their family, friends and neighbors
Identify the right spokespeople
• Local people who can describe real world impacts
• Scientists, economists, and other experts that can provide hard data and context
• Advocates who can offer solutions
A great photo can:
• Catch a reporter or editor’s eye
• Land a story on the front page, catch readers’ eyes
• Increase search engine rankings
• Boost traffic to the online article
Take stock of your visual assets
Share the (image) wealth
The media frenzy over Lady Gaga’s meat dress provided an unlikely opportunity for
Reporters Thank Enviros For Bank of Story Ideas
5
• Do your homework!
• Consider the competition
• Figure out who covers the beat
• Review recent coverage
Before Reaching Out…
Choose your direction
Know when to call, when to send an email, and when to write a press release, pitch letter, or media advisory
• Always call with breaking news
• Be mindful of deadlines
• Give advance notice for events or feature story ideas
• Suggest a meeting or field trip
• Try, try again
Timing is everything
A social media release can include:
• Contact information, keywords, quotes and facts
• Video, audio, and images
• Links to previous coverage and additional information
• Social media share links and an RSS feed
And make it social!
Engage in a little self-promotion
Post your content to new media websites:
• NowPublic
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Care2 News Network
Conservationist Aces Interview
6
Responding to media inquiries Success is 90% preparation and 10% inspiration. Set the stage by:
1. Making sure your organization’s media representative is clearly identified and easy to reach (including by cell phone)
2. Developing basic talking points and anticipating tough questions
3. Training your spokespeople and staying in practice
• Find out what they are writing on. If unprepared, offer to call them back.
• Do a little sleuthing to figure out their background on the issue
• Jot down some notes: what are the three most important points you want to convey?
When a reporter calls…
• Suggest other contacts
• Provide background information and reference materials
• If you don’t know the answer, find out and follow up
• Preview upcoming news to gauge their interest
Be a resource
Dealing with tough questions • Stay calm, avoid repeating the
question, and use these tactics to steer conversation back onto safer ground:
• The Bridge—Answer the question briefly, then pivot to your key points
• The Hook—Switch gears by referencing new research or other engaging news.
• The Flag—Signal key messages clearly.
• Know that you are never really “off the record”
• Instead of saying “no comment,” explain why you’re not the best person to address that topic and share something you do know.
• Stick to your core messages
Mind your Ps and Qs
Conservation Quote Heard ‘Round the World
7
Some soundbites are just memorable
A good message is:
• Something you can picture
• Something you want to tell a friend
• Something anyone can understand with little or no context
Good quote
Cutting down the rain forest for money is like burning a Rembrandt to cook soup.
Estimates based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change business-as-usual emission scenarios suggest that atmospheric CO2 levels could approach 800 ppm near the end of the century, and corresponding biogeochemical models indicate that surface water pH will drop from a pre-industrial value of about 8.2 to about 7.8.
Bad quote...
To make yourself quotable
• Instead of leading with process, talk results
• Make your statistics meaningful
• Translate your findings into plain English
• Tell a story
• Use a little color
There's a limit to the amount of heat-trapping gases you can put into the atmosphere before Mother Nature shows you what the climate system will do. And Mother Nature bats last.
It’s junk food for fish…like expecting a teenager to grow by just eating marshmallows.
Give story pitches and press releases new life as:
• Blog posts
• Newsletter articles
• Website content
• Twitter and Facebook fodder
Keep your talking points “handy”
Recycling: It’s not just for paper and plastics
8
Content creation takes time To maximize your return on investment—and hedge your bets in a
competitive media market—think creative reuse.
Give story pitches and press releases new life as:
• Blog posts
• Newsletter articles
• Website content
• Twitter and Facebook fodder
Recycle and repackage
• Link to positive articles on your website
• Blog, Facebook and Tweet them
• Include in packets for decision makers, editorial boards, or reporters
• Share with your networks and members, and encourage colleagues to spread the word
Move good news around your network
9 Conservationists Adapt Successfully to Changing
Media
While the shape of media is changing… The public’s appetite for timely, relevant news remains constant.
Remember:
• Content is king: learn to recognize and package a good story
• Do your homework before reaching out
• Think about what the reporter needs to sell the story to the editor
• Harness the power of new media to reach reporters and your target audiences
Thriving in a brave new world
Take it to the next level
Resource Media offers:
• Customized message development • Interview skills training • Audit and analysis of your previous media
coverage and spokesperson quotes • One on one media outreach • Story enterprising
1. Would you recommend this webinar to a friend?
2. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 as poor and 10 as best – how would you rate this webinar?
3. Ideas for 2011 webinars?
Feedback?
Sian Wu Program Director Seattle Office [email protected] 206.374.7795 x102 @ThatsSoEco
Nicole Lampe Program Director Portland Office [email protected] 503-719-5626
We welcome your questions!
Explore More RM Trainings • Story Pitching – November • Blogger Relations – December
In the Beginning