Media Relations 101

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First, I want to thank you all for taking the time to join our webinar today. And thank you to the Russell Family Foundation for making it possible. We received a grant from the Russell Family Foundation to provide communications support to their Environment Program grantees, and are offering this training as a sort of introduction to strategic media relations. I’ll talk a bit more later about the other services Resource Media can provide, but first I’d like to hear from you all. Please say your name, role, and organization, and a bit about what you hope to get out of this hour. Great—and I’m nicole Lampe (introduce self).

So having heard from all of you, I’ll now say a bit my plan for the hour. I’ll cover the basics of media relations, including the ways press coverage can benefit your organization or campaign, opportunities presented by new media, how to spot a story, how and when to reach out, responding to an inquiry, and how to interact with reporters in group settings. Please feel free to interrupt at any time with ideas or questions.

Since all of you have decided to take an hour out of your busy schedules to attend this training, I’d guess that I’m preaching to the choir here. Still, I want to take a moment to emphasize how powerful media relations is, even in these difficult times. Although newspapers are shrinking like crazy, and some, like the Seattle PI, are going out of business, most folks still get their news from newspapers (even if they’re reading it online). Does that feel true for your audiences? What sources do they turn to for local and regional news? So, there’s been a lot of news noise lately. Lots of headlines about the economy, and the new administration, and it can be hard to break through the racket to get your story out. And yet getting our stories out is more important as ever in this era of competing priorities—having good issue awareness and broad support among the general public helps with government relations, fundraising, and a whole slew of other functions. And media relations can help us get there.

So, as I mentioned earlier, we do have a grant from the russell family foundation to provide pro bono communications support for environment program grantees. And that can take a few different forms. We can help with ….. But, I really want to emphasize how helpful it is to have media trained folks on staff. Reporters would much rather hear directly from someone on the ground with personal experience and issue expertise than a PR firm. So I’m really glad you all are participating, and hope this training will help postiion you to for media relations success.

Now, this webinar will focus primarily on outreach to “traditional” news outlets. But, I want to just remind folks that the media landscape has changed recently, and that newspapers and TV stations are no longer the only game in town. Which is good, because they’re getting smaller by the day! Newspapers are laying people off left and right, advertising revenues are way down, and most of us get our news from Google or digg on our i-phones anyhow. As newsroom staffs get smaller, reporters are busier than ever. They don’t have a ton of time to dig around for information, and so packaging our stories in a way that’s user-friendly will put us ahead of the competition. And by the way, reporters get story ideas from the web as well. A 2008 study found that 75% of reporters regularly read blogs. So, if you’ve been putting effort into online outreach, you may see a pay-off in media relations as well. At minimum, having a well-organized website with current content will make it easier for reporters to learn about your organization and cause and get in touch with you. Incidentally, although circulation rates are down for some papers, and some papers are actually disappearing, the rise of social media has made it easy to get great mileage out of a single news hit. Many of our clients post articles to their websites, blogs, facebook groups, etc, and sometimes a great news hit can be quickly packaged up as a blog pitch to get even more coverage on the net and reach completely new audiences you would not otherwise have access to. I’ll talk more later about what I call second use, but I wanted to raise it now to illustrate that the new media world does have some advantages, even when we’re talking media relations.

So in this first section, I’m going to talk about what reporters need. Of course, when you’re starting a media campaign, you will think a lot about what you hope to accomplish, who you’re trying to reach, etc. But somewhere in there, to be truly effective, you also have to think about the middle man, the reporter. You probably spend a lot of time thinking about audience interests when you’re developing marketing collateral or corresponding with donors—putting yourself in their shoes, and asking what they care about, etc. Now let’s do it with reporters, because they are the first audience in media relations. We have to get them on board and excited about the story before we can use the press as a vehicle to reach prospective supporters, opinion leaders, decision makers, etc.

The good news is that media relations is not rocket science. We just have to figure out what reporters need to do their jobs, and then provide it. The first step is to understand what makes a good story. Then package it up in a way that is compelling and accessible, and then be persistent. Newsrooms are hectic places, there are lots of competing priorities, lots of incoming pitches, and deadlines galore. So to help our message rise above the din, we need to be strategic. And my goal today is to lay out that strategy so each of you has the tools to recognize and place good news.

In order to succeed at media relations, you must learn to recognize a good story. That seems basic, but we can sometimes lose perspective when we’re super immersed in our own goals. First thing, and this is the kicker: it has to be news. So when clients come to us and ask for help getting positive coverage, I always start by asking: what’s the news? A good story has to be…. Visuals are incredibly important. They are a nonnegotiable for television pitches, but really key for scoring great placement in the newspaper as well. As conservationists, our best bet for making the front page is to create opportunities for dynamite photography. And that means getting reporters, and photographers, out on field trips whenever we can.

Finding news hooks can be a bit challenging when you’re working on multi-year campaigns that involve lots of behind-the-scnes insider baseball stuff. So you have to think outside the box a bit. When I have a story in mind that is not particularly newsy, and am at a loss for inspiration, I’ll often scan headliens to see if there is some related news item I can riff off of: a report release, trend, event, announcement, etc. Be sure to take advantage of science news. Lots of fodder there for outreach around conservation initiatives. And it’s great if you can provide local examples of, or spokespeople for, a national or regional issue. When no real news hooks are available, you can sometimes enterprise a story by offering to take reporters on a field trip or pitching a really appealing human interest story. And Science is also a great resource for marine conservation– there was just an op-ed in the Boston Globe you may have seen in Friday’s media audit. That piece was all about global climate change and how rising temperatures and sea levels will impact the ocean. No real news there to trigger it, but the media, and the public, are interested in learning about climate change now, and that piece fit the bill. So it’s sort of a trend and a science piece.

So, again, this is a pretty basic, but I want to remind everyone that there are lots of different outlets in every media market, from the tiny free weeklies to the big regional papers, foreign language press, industry news, special interest rags and blogs. And each of them has their own threshold for newsworthiness, their own interests, and their own politics. So a story that passes muster at your neigborhood friendly daily may not cut it for the NY Times. But generally, if you’ve done a good job thinking like a reporter and have sniffed out a timely, interesting, relevant story, you can find a taker. I really encourage you to spend some time up front identifying the appropriate target for your story. Not just the outlet, but also the individual reporters who might be interested. Have they written about your issue before, from what perspective, etc. Then reach out. And if at first you don’t succeed, Don’t be afraid to try try again.

As powerful as news articles are, they do have their limitations. We don’t get to control the message, and as stellar a spokesperson as you may be, and as killer your interview, sometimes the outcome isn’t what we’d hoped for. Sometimes we need to go around the reporter and take matters into our own hands. And that is when opinion pieces come in handy. They allow us to talk directly to the public. With controversial issues, action on the opinion pages can get hot and heavy. Here’s a quick breakdown of your options. Opeds are a great vehicle for providing a different opinion from the news pages and for showing the diversity of supporters. We can use voices from the business community, educational institutions,recreational user groups, etc, to show it’s not just the enviros vs. the fishermen. And, of course, we control the message, which is very powerful.

Reporters are busy people, and they’re inundated with email and calls. So we want to be judicious about contacting them. That means doing a gut check about newsworthiness first, and then choosing the appropriate medium for our pitch. I’m a big fan of picking up the phone, especially if you have breaking news, or if you’re responding to a story that’s just come out. With longer lead items, an email is fine. That gives you a chance to frame the issue a little and insert relevant links. But keep it short! A few sentences is best, and bullets help.

I am entirely confident that the folks on this training all have public benefit in mind. But many of you do come from advocacy organizations, and reporters will certainly note that when talking to you. As someone who used to work for an environmental nonprofit, I recommend handling this issue by being totally transparent. I’m involved because of X. And then insert a quick tidbit about why readers should care too.

Of course, once you score a couple of quotes, you may well be on the receiving end of calls and emails as well. And that brings it own set of challenges, which we’ll talk about in a moment. But, regardless of who initiates contact, you will want to be as helpful as possible, positioning yourself as a reliable, knowledgeable source of information so reporters will turn to you again and again. To do that, you’ll want to be responsive and available. Give out your cell number. And then answer the phone or return calls promptly. Be helpful: suggest other contacts, provide visuals, offer up a tour. Ask questions so you know what story they’re writing, when their deadline is, who else they’ve spoken to, and what they’re interested in. But you need not confine yourself to answering their questions. By all means, take this opportunity to tell a quick story that illustrates your point—it will add human interest. Throw out a couple of statistics. Offer to put them in touch with other people who may be helpful. And although most reporters are very intelligent, it is always best to use plain English. It makes for better quotes.

So, when the phone rings, don’t panic. You do not have to speak with them right then if you’re not prepared.

Because reporters these days are so busy, they really appreciate one-stop shopping. So if they can attend a public meeting, event, or tour where different viewpoints are represented, they are happy campers. That means you may sometimes be interacting with the media in group settings. And that puts the onus on you to be sure your message is heard.

So, we already talked about how to position yourself as an expert, and some of you may already be there, by virtue of your professional reputations. But, even if you’re on the enviro guy’s speed dial, there may come a rookie reporter on occasion who doesn’t know who you are. And that means you’ll need to be proactive to be sure your message gets across. I’ve seen a lot of interviews and press tours in my day, and there are definitely some traits that will get you quoted time and again. First, be approachable. In fact, be outgoing and introduce yourself. And be prepared with a business card, a press kit, and anything else that might come in handy as they’re writing. Explain your role and share something memorable. Human interest sells newspapers. When I was at TPL,I worked closely with a guy named Dave Sutton, who directed our sierra program. Incredibly talented guy, very knowledgeable, and super articulate. but he tended to overwhelm reporters with detail. By contrast, one of our partners, who worked closely with Dave , was a sort of good old boy. He was equally smart, but he also had this folksy way about him. Always talking about his kids, quoting his grandmother or telling stories about the past. And he got the pull quote every time, even when he played a minor role in actual transactions. Because he was so relatable and his stories brought the work to life, adding that human interest. Be that guy. You’re all locals who do this work because you care. Most of you dive or surf or hang on the beach with your families, so by all means share that sort of context and tell your personal stories!

And, by the way, you can ask the reporter questions too. This is something that didn’t occur to me until I had been doing this work for a while. And then I was on a tour with our regional director, another natural, and who just drew the reporter out. Once you learn what makes a reporter tick, you can appeal to their interests. And if you’re just having a super quick conversation and it seems inappropriate to ask about their hobbies, you can keep things strictly business. Ask why they’ve decided to cover this issue. Mention a couple upcoming milestones to gauge their interest. Ask when they plan to write about it again. The more you know, the more helpful you can be. And this doesn’t just go for group situations, by the way. If I’m pitching a reporter and they take a pass, I’ll often ask about their threshold. It’s okay to be transparent. I’ll say “okay, so clearly this isn’t the right fit for you, but I imagine your readers do care about this issue. At what point in the process would you consider writing a story? Can I let you know when X happens?”

So, hopefully that gives you a decent foundation in the very inexact science of media relations. Before I move on to some final thoughts, are there are any questions or issues I didn’t address that you’d like to talk about?

So, I’d like to end with a pitch for persistence. And preparedness. My old mentor used to say that media relations is like throwing pasta against the wall. You never know what’s going to stick. He was also fond of comparing reporters to babies (saying you try to feed them, and sometimes they spit it out). The point is that we don’t have control of the outcome with media relations. The best we can do is set ourselves up for success. So, a quick summary of the high points: remember to find the hook (it has to be newsworthy!). Do your homework. Don’t pitch an outlet on something they just wrote about, and don’t pitch the entertainment editor on water pollution. Then develop a short engaging pitch you can condense into a quick phone call or a brief email. And know when to call, when to email, and when the news is complex enough to warrant a press release or op-ed. Always use plain English, and package everything up so that it’s easy for the reporter to take a story and run with it. That means offering up other sources, visuals, facts, etc.

A quick cautionary note to be mindful, when talking to reporters, that anything you say can and will be used against you (or used to sell newspapers). Many of you have probably had experiences where a reporter will call, they’re genuinely interested in the issue, you find yourself on the phone for 45 minutes giving deep background, and they may lull you into a comfortable place where you’re tempted to take them into your confidence as you would an ally. Resist! Remember, it’s never appropriate to let a reporter behind the curtain and share internal strategy, and you always want to present a constructive, collaborative front. So while I encourage you to speak plain English and give the appearance of candour, you always need to be a bit strategic when dealing with reporters. Their job is to find a good story, and conflict is a winning frame. So let’s not give them any ammo there!

A quick reminder that, no matter how well you’ve done your homework, or how great a story you have, there are no guarantees. You can assemble a killer pitch, package it perfectly, and still, if there’s natural disaster, more financial crises, or breaking entertainment news, you might not succeed. I’ve had some really fantastic stories get passed over because of competing news. (UPD story: inauguration day, mlk jr). So be strategic about timing when you’re putting together a pitch.

So, I want to encourage all of you to think creative recycling. And I mean that two ways. First, when you do get a great media hit, try to get as much mileage as possible. Clip it and share with an opinion leader you’ve been cultivating, arm yourself with copies at public meetings, post it on your facebook page, send a link to some friendly bloggers, etc. And, of course, publish it on your website. And, on the occasions when a pitch fails and the reporter doesn’t show up to the meeting you called them about or declines to write an article, think about other channels or opportunities for that story. Can you pitch another outlet, take it online, put it in an op-ed or LTE? Often times, content has a second life. Especially in this age of user-generated content.

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Media Relations 101 - Presentation Transcript

Media Relations 101 How to win friends and influence people March 10, 2009
Goals
Media relations can help you Educate reporters about an issue Reach the public and encourage them to get involved Influence elected officials Position your spokespeople as experts Get ahead of the story Anticipate and defuse opposition arguments Advance your agenda
We’ve got your back
- Resource Media can help with:
- Strategy
- Messaging
- Writing
- Editing
- Pitch calls
- Crisis communications
- Media lists
- But…
- Sometimes a local voice with issue expertise is the very best tool in your kit, so a truly successful media relations program starts on the ground.
It’s a whole new ballgame…
Care and feeding of the media
It’s as easy as 1…2…3 1. Spot a story 2. Package it nicely 3. Reach out
Think like a reporter
- A good story is:
- Timely
- Newsworthy
- Appealing
- Accessible
- Relevant to a broad audience
- Has human interest
- Offers great visuals
What’s the hook? Process milestones Opportunities for public participation Current news Science Holidays and events Field trips Trends Human interest
Not all outlets are created equal
- They vary in:
- Circulation
- Reach
- Politics
- Threshold for news
- Resources
- Interests
A word on opinion pieces Op-eds: Great vehicle for detailed argument LTEs: Good for a quick rebuttal or boost Online comments: Instant gratification and guaranteed placement
Reaching out Know when to call when to email when to send a press release and when to pitch a field trip
There are good pitches…
Positioning yourself as an expert . Be responsive and available Come prepared Be helpful—volunteer information Ask questions Refer them to other useful sources And speak plain English!
When a reporter calls…
Negotiating group situations
Be proactive! Introduce yourself Have materials handy Explain your background and role Share a colorful story or interesting fact Mention upcoming news Ask questions
It’s called media relations…
In conclusion
Set yourself up for success Find the hook Do your homework Identify your target Plan your pitch Keep it short Pick the right vehicle Use plain English Make it easy for them
Mind your Ps and Qs Because you’re never really “off the record.”
Know what you’re up against
And always think second-use
Contact Nicole Lampe Program Director Resource Media [email_address] 415-397-5000 ext. 302 Copyright © 2009 by Resource Media All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder. Published by Resource Media: 325 Pacific Avenue San Francisco, CA 94111 415-397-5000