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.

1. Media Relations
101:
Making Headlines
October 2010

2. Nicole Lampe
nicole@resource-media.org
@ThePacificOcean
Linkedin.com/in/nicolelampe
Program Director
Oceans and Public Health Team
2 years at RM
Portland office
Presenters
Sian Wu
nicole@resource-media.org
@ThatsSoEco
@Sian_I_Am
Linkedin.com/in/sianwu
Program Director
Oceans and Public Health Team
6 years at RM
Seattle office

3. About Resource Media
• Communications Strategy
• Execution and Outreach
• Digital and Social Media
• Environmental and Health Policy Focus

4. Staff
30
9 Offices
San Francisco Seattle Boulder Kalispell Sacramento
Bozeman Portland Salt Lake City Anchorage

5. Have a question? Need help?

6. 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:

7. Newspapers Struggle to
Survive in New Media World1

8. 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

9. • 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

10. 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

11. But good old fashioned earned
media still matters

12. Newspapers, TV and radio
can help you:
• Raise Awareness
• Influence decision-makers
• Reach new audiences
• Gain credibility
Print and broadcast news remain
influential

13. Shrinking Newsrooms Require
More Strategic Pitching
2

14. 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

15. You can help busy reporters do
their jobs—and get your news
in the press—by packaging
stories well.
Cut through the noise

16. Savvy Groups Shape News
Coverage
3

17. 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.

18. 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

19. • 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

20. 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

21. 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?

22. Well-Packaged Story Makes
Front Page News
4

23. • 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)

24. 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?

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. Share the (image) wealth
The media frenzy over Lady Gaga’s
meat dress provided an unlikely
opportunity for

29. Reporters Thank Enviros For
Bank of Story Ideas
5

30. • Do your homework!
• Consider the competition
• Figure out who covers the
beat
• Review recent coverage
Before Reaching Out…

31. Choose your direction
Know when to call, when to send an email, and when to write a
press release, pitch letter, or media advisory

32. • 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

33. 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!

34. Engage in a little self-promotion
Post your content to new
media websites:
• NowPublic
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Care2 News Network

35. Conservationist Aces Interview
6

36. 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

37. • 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…

38. • 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

39. 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.

40. • 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

41. Conservation Quote
Heard ‘Round the World
7

42. 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

43. Good quote
Cutting down the rain forest for money is
like burning a Rembrandt to cook soup.

44. 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...

45. 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

46. 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.

47. It’s junk food for fish…like expecting a teenager to
grow by just eating marshmallows.

48. Give story pitches and press
releases new life as:
• Blog posts
• Newsletter articles
• Website content
• Twitter and Facebook fodder
Keep your talking points “handy”

49. Recycling: It’s not just for
paper and plastics
8

50. Content creation takes time
To maximize your return on investment—and hedge your bets in a
competitive media market—think creative reuse.

51. Give story pitches and press
releases new life as:
• Blog posts
• Newsletter articles
• Website content
• Twitter and Facebook fodder
Recycle and repackage

52. • 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

53. 9 Conservationists Adapt
Successfully to Changing
Media

54. While the shape of media is
changing…
The public’s appetite for timely, relevant news remains constant.

55. 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

56. 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

57. 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?

58. Sian Wu
Program Director
Seattle Office
sian@resource-media.org
206.374.7795 x102
@ThatsSoEco
Nicole Lampe
Program Director
Portland Office
nicole@resource-media.org
503-719-5626
We welcome your questions!

59. Explore More RM Trainings
• Story Pitching – November
• Blogger Relations – December

60. In the
Beginning