How to work with traditional media* Bike!Bike! Southeast 2009 * By Jamie Gumbrecht, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, jgumbrecht@ajc.com

Use the media you can control.* Start a blog. Make a Facebook group. Put your favorite shop music in playlists online. Twitter. Flickr. YouTube. Tumblr. BrightKite, if you’re a mobile shop. * Just don’t expect to control traditional media — it won’t always make you happy or cover your ideas.

Use the media you can control.*

Start a blog.

Make a Facebook group.

Put your favorite shop music in playlists online.

Twitter. Flickr. YouTube. Tumblr. BrightKite, if you’re a mobile shop.

* Just don’t expect to control traditional media — it won’t always make you happy or cover your ideas.

What… places to call. Print: major metro dailies, college newspapers, alt weeklies, neighborhood newsletters. TV: commercial stations, public television, cable Radio: public radio, commercial radio. Online event/business listings: created by local media, or others like MetroMix, Yelp etc. Blogs: created by local media, independent influencers.

When… it matters to get in touch. * to introduce yourself * when your shop is getting started and needs support * when someone who uses the shop has a success story * when there’s an anniversary * when you’ve noticed a trend among bike riders (or those who don’t) * when you’ve scheduled a unique event * when you can offer insider perspective on breaking news or big issue * when your shop is in trouble and needs help * when you want to respond to an opinion in a letter, column or statement by a public official *

Who… to contact . Reporters: read and watch who covers non-profits, transportation, health, education — your issues . Editors: consider the publication, look for the metro or managing editor. Bloggers: e-mail and comment often. Op/ed staff: respond to letters and columnists; if issues get bigger, call or write the editorial editor.

Why… build relationships with media? * it keeps the alternative transportation conversation going and public * it reaches broad varieties of people, even if they’re not tech-savvy * it makes mom proud * it gets the attention of grantmakers * it’s still an agenda-setting force in many communities * it can help when you’re hurting * it helps the entire community to show a variety of ideas and perspectives , including yours * it can be fun for the people at the shop — kids, volunteers *

How… to share information. * phone * e-mail * newsletters * social media * wikis * And let’s not forget press releases !

Remember : * This is a standard event press release — not always the best format. * Concise dates, descriptions, contact info and explicit how-to, so a general, unfamiliar audience can get involved . * A short, standard explanation that goes at the bottom of every press release. * Don’t bother faxing. Post it online and e-mail , unless you have an object to send.

Sopo Bike Co-op founders Stewart Varner, left, and Rachael Spiewak and volunteer Graham McCullough sort a donation to the co-op, which is located in East Atlanta. Photo credit: Jamie Gumbrecht When sending photos : * Don’t, unless you’re asked, or have something very unfamiliar to show. Most shoot their own photo and video. * Print publications will require high resolution . Web doesn’t need such high quality. * Make sure to include a short caption that identifies what we’re looking at, everybody in the photo and the person who took the photo. Check the spelling of all names! * Make it easy: keep some great shop photos on Flickr or Picasa so they’re easily available to publications — just point them to the gallery so they can pick. At least have some that can be easily e-mailed.

What else you should know: * Don’t lie or exaggerate and check your facts. * Don’t want it in the paper or on the news? Don’t say it or post it online. Know that most don’t deal with anonymous sources. * Not everything is a story , but it might be a brief, calendar listing, photo gallery, letter or idea for the future. * For big events, get in touch a month in advance, then two weeks, then one week. Don’t be a stalker, but don’t be shy . * Once you’ve made a good contact, go to that person for help. Make a media list . Show them your monthly newsletter. * The easiest, best advice: respond promptly . Once reporters know you’re reliable and accessible, they’ll come to you.