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Writing For The Media 12.11.10
The document discusses the importance of editorial publicity over paid publicity and outlines strategies for effective communication with the media. It emphasizes the need for brands to engage in meaningful conversations, understand their target audience, and create compelling content while avoiding jargon and being authentic. Additionally, it highlights the challenges posed by 'churnalism' and the rise of citizen journalism, urging brands to take responsibility in leveraging traditional and social media for outreach.
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Writing For The Media 12.11.10
- 1. Sam Knowles, 12|11|10 Writingfor the media
- 2. All the researchI've seen says that editorial publicity is better than paid-for publicity. Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP, The Tim e s “ “
- 3. Agenda A. Do youknow who I am? B. Brand speak C. Churnalism D. Everyone an editor E. Bringing this together
- 4. Do you knowwho I am?A
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- 9. Competition for attentionis intense
- 10. In the 30seconds of a normal TV commercial, it is possible to take a telephone call, send a text, receive a photograph, play a game, download a music track, read a magazine and watch commercials at x30 speed. They call it Continuous Partial Attention.” Maurice Saatchi, The Strang e De ath o f Mo de rn Adve rtising “ “
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- 12. Brand empathy Any conversationyou have has to be of value to your customers Brands need “social currency” to build relationships and spark reactions Compelling content starts sustainable conversations and cut through the clutter
- 13. The cocktail partyprinciple “If you want to be boring, talk about yourself. If you want to be interesting, talk about something other than yourself.”
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- 15. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 1
- 16. Unde rstand your m e dia1
- 17. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS 1 23What do they cover? What is their target audience? What are their deadlines?
- 18. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 2
- 19. Be punchy,focused and clear Journalists and bloggers cut your story from the bottom up Get the what, why, who, where, when, how into the first two paras Be succinct2
- 20. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 3
- 21. Be inte resting3
- 22. Capture attentionfrom the start Provide the kind of content you’d share with your friends in the pub Or with your followers on Twitter (And don’t be boring!)
- 23. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 4
- 24. Frequentest thou this finehostelry oftentimes, fair maiden? Do you come here often? Talk hum an4
- 25. Plain English Campaign “Footin Mouth Award”, 1994 “Gordon Brown MP for his 'New Economics' speech. He covered "ideas which stress the growing importance of international co- operation and new theories of economic sovereignty across a wide range of areas, macro-economics, trade, the environment, the growth of post neo-classical endogenous growth theory and the symbiotic relationships between government and investment in people and infrastructures - a new understanding of how labour markets really work and constructive debate over the meaning and implications of competitiveness at the level of individuals, the firm or the nation and the role of government in fashioning modern industrial policies which focus on nurturing competitiveness."
- 26. Talking human • Avoidsounding like a spokesperson • Social media has blurred the line between corporate and consumer speak • Fashion great client quotes by talking to them
- 27. What kind oflanguage? SIMPLE INFORMED INFORMAL ACCURATE FLEXIBLE … but not trivial … but not full of jargon … but never sloppy … but not technical … but not infinitely varied
- 28. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 5
- 29. • Pitch contentthey want to cover • Pitch content their readers want to read • Understand that it’s not just your story that will be told Be use ful5
- 30. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 6
- 31. • Be authentic •Make extensive use of case studies • Tell stories Ke e p it re al6
- 32. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 7
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- 34. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 8
- 35. Use facts andfig ure s8 Be able to back up your claims Use statistics as proof points Deploy issues first, products second
- 36. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 9
- 37. Be accurate (anddo n’t lie )9
- 38. >> 0 >>1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >> 10
- 39. Ho ld som e thing in re se rve10
- 40. Companies that followthese rules
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- 45. Our media havebecome mass producers of distortion. An industry whose task should be to filter out falsehood has become a conduit for propaganda and second-hand news. Nick Davie s, The Guardian, 20 0 8 “ “
- 46. Cardiff University Research Just12%of 2,000 UK news stories composed of facts discovered by reporters 80%wholly, mainly or partly constructed from second-hand material from news agencies and PR; clone stories Only 12%of stories have facts checked
- 47. Causes FEWER JOURNALISTS, EDITORS,FACT CHECKERS –From active gatherers of news to passive processors of unchecked content RE CONTENT REQUIRED – FOR THE PAPER, THE ONLINE VERSION, THE BLOG, THE –Three times as much copy since 1985 –Just one third the time per story
- 48. Consequences Unchecked storiesspread – unchecked – like wildfire, from news reporters to columnists to become received wisdom Companies with access to the best advisers have disproportionate influence Decline in respect for journalism
- 49.
- 50. Causes • Mass availabilityof easy blogging tools and smart phones • Single-issue fanatics’ focus – live, multimedia, interactive fanzines • Collapse in trust for traditional media and corporations vs participatory journalism • Truly democratic – all opinions count • Harness the wisdom of crowds
- 51. Consequences Mass participationin journalism – the rise of the citizen journalist Success through quality content (content creates links, create popularity) Corporate transparency and accountability (nowhere to hide)
- 52. An outmoded pointof view
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- 54. In summary • Traditionaland social media offer great opportunities for brands to reach target audiences – if they follow simple rules • Pressures on journalists provide brands with opportunities but also responsibilities • New channels and technology mean many more voices matter
- 56. Thank you sam@saltlondon.com +44 (0)208870 6777 Park House, 14 Northfields, London, SW18 1DD www.saltlondon.com
Editor's Notes
- #27 I’ve put your original image to the side, in case you still want to use it