pr 101: communicating your message the right way

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PR 101: Communicating Your Message the Right Way

August 22, 2013

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Visit us at: www.K12Blueprint.com

Follow us on Twitter @IntelK12Edu

Enter questions for the speakers in the question box on the right. (Press SEND)

Tweet using the hashtag #EdPR101

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POLL QUESTION #1

How would you describe your own level of expertise at planning PR?

  I’ve had great success with the media and getting the word out.

  I’m ok but could certainly use help.

  I’m clueless when it comes to PR.

Respond using the poll form that appears on your screen.

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PR 101: Communicating Your Message the Right Way

Judy Salpeter Tech&Learning

Paige Johnson Intel

Dana Watson North of Nine

Maria Culp North of Nine

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What We’re Talking About Today Why Is PR Important?

Part I: Planning •  Determining Your Objective & Audience •  Developing Your Messaging •  Building Your Assets •  Identifying & Preparing Your Spokespeople

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Part II: Implementing Your Planning

•  Creating Your Press Materials •  Identifying the Right Media •  Talking to the Media & Relationship

Building

Part III: Social Media & Other Approaches

•  Communicating & Extending Your News

•  Twitter & Facebook

Part IV: Conclusion •  3 Main Takeaways •  Q&A

What We’re Talking About Today

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Why Is PR Important?

“If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” – Bill Gates

If you don’t tell your story, someone else will

People act based upon their perception of facts

PR is not about manipulating something or

hiding the facts

PR is about how you communicate your message in a clear way

so your audience can understand

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Part I: Planning

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Determining Your Objective & Audience

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ob•jec•tive [uh b-jek-tiv] noun something that one's efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; goal; target

au•di•ence [aw-dee-uh ns] noun a regular group of people who are interested, supportive and enthusiastic; a following

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Three Key Questions: 1. What do you want to communicate? 2. Why do you want to communicate it? 3. Who do you want to persuade?

Important to Remember: 1.  Everything you do maps back to your objective & audience 2.  Establish these components early on

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Developing Your Messaging

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Key messages make it easy for you to tell your story and easy for others to remember it

Important to Remember: •  At least one, no more than four •  Internal and external •  Clear, concise, memorable, consistent •  Align with your objective •  Review and update constantly •  No technical jargon


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Project RED, a research initiative led by the One-to-One Institute, offers a practical, research-based method to effectively integrate technology into school districts.

Project RED, a national research and advocacy plan to investigate how technology can help us re-engineer our education system, uses its national survey of technology programs in 1,000 schools, which is the first and only research focusing on academic results and the financial implication of education technology, to show that if effectively implemented, technology programs can lead to improved student achievement and significant return on investment.

Weak Message:

Strong Message:


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Words to Lose & Words to Use

Words to Lose Words to Use Innovation Effectiveness Investing in Technology Investing in our kids’ futures Technology Initiatives Technology Solutions Digital Resources Tools for Learning Relevancy-Based Active Engagement Disruptive Innovations Technology-Empowered Classrooms

Integration of Technology into Classroom Instruction

Technology-Enhanced Learning

Un-Tethered Flexible Technology-Enabled Common-Sense Solutions Digitally-Rich Learning Experiences Interactive Learning Experiences

Credit: Frank Luntz, Intel Visionary Conference 2012

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Building Your Assets

People Love Visuals •  Build your database of photos and videos •  Action shots are always good

Relevant Case Studies •  Develop a few specific studies you can have on hand •  Hone in on unique, success stories about individual students

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Identifying & Preparing Spokespeople

Important To Remember: •  Ensure the spokespeople know

the reporter & publication

•  An interview is an opportunity for you to tell your story; it doesn’t have to be a Q&A

•  Provide examples

Who will be the voice of your organization?

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Part II: Implementing Your Planning

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Your Tools: Creating Press Materials

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Your Tools: Creating Press Materials

Key Press Materials: •  Press release •  Media alert •  Backgrounder/fact sheet

Letters to the Editor/ Op Eds.

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Trade National Local

Identifying the Right Media

Important to Remember: •  Compile a list of media outlets •  Review articles and identify relevant reporters •  Know your story and be realistic

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Talking to the Media & Relationship Building

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Talking to the Media & Relationship Building

Talking to the Media •  Be friendly, but professional. Get to the point. Offer a unique

angle. •  Don’t expect a response. Follow up. Be prepared for

rejection. •  Grab their attention. Tailor your outreach.

Relationship Building •  Media relationships are sensitive and take care. Be careful to

avoid reporter fatigue, irrelevant outreach, etc. •  Follow the reporters. Read, comment on and share their

work. •  Build your relationship before you have news. Conduct a

general interview with a local education reporter to establish the contact.

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Part III: Social Media & Other Approaches

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POLL QUESTION #2

Which of the following technology tools do you use on a regular basis to communicate with students, families and

the community as a whole?

  Facebook

  Twitter

  YouTube

  A K-12-oriented social networking tool

  District website

  E-mail

Respond using the poll form that appears on your screen.

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Communicate your story across multiple channels

Communicating & Extending Your News

Channels Might Include: •  Website •  E-newsletter distribution •  Blogs •  Handouts to parents •  Social media

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Twitter & Facebook

Important to Remember: •  Establish a strong presence on Twitter and Facebook •  Build a following •  Engage with your followers •  Respond to comments on your posts

Social Media Policy: Check out K12 Blueprint’s Education Technology Policy Toolkit

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Part IV: Conclusion

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Three Main Takeaways

1. Communicating your story is important. Good, upfront planning can help you achieve your goals.

2. A strong objective and clear key messages are the foundation of clear communication.

3. Engagement is essential – with your audience, with the media, and with your social media community.

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Q&A

If you have a question, click on the Q&A icon, type your question into the text box and press “send.”

Visit www.k12blueprint.com in the future for resources on planning technology implementations and personalizing learning.

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Thank You

Visit www.k12blueprint.com for resources on planning technology implementations and personalizing learning.

#K12blueprint

Follow us on Twitter @IntelK12Edu

For Tweets about today’s webinar: #EdPR101