Becoming Media Savvy

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Becoming Media Savvy
Becoming Media Savvy
Thats My Story And I am Sticking To It!

• THIS IS MY STORY AND I AM STICKING TO IT!

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• Knowing how to communicate about your
  organization is as important as knowing how
• to run it. Sally Stewart, Media Training 101
• Social service organizations have as much, no
  more, right to a place at the media table than
  the large corporations who consistently demand a
  spot. Why dont these real newsmakers take what
  is entitled to them? Bob Garfield, Host NPRs
  On the Media.

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The Call Comes In

• The reporter youve been courting is calling, is
  interested in your story and wants to hear more
• Do you?
• A) Hide under your desk and fake a bad connection
  or a tornado in your office.
• B) Offer her anything under the sun she asks for
  at a moments notice, shes the professional
  journalist after all.
• C) Call to mind your key messages for the story
  and deliver them calmly. Remind yourself that
  this is simply a conversation between two
  professionals working on a shared project. The
  better able you are to help her understand your
  work, the better able shell be to do her work
  for the day.

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Why does media coverage matter to us?

• Coverage offers
• The Power of a Million Megaphones
• The Power of Credibility
• The Power of Messaging the Mission

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So, How Do I Become Media Savvy? Todays Learning
Objectives

• Drop your baggage, refuse to be intimidated its
  just bad self-messaging!
• Lay the Foundation for good media relations, the
  media train can thunder on by uslets lay the
  tracks right to our door.
• Understand The Pitch , professionalism, form, and
  savvy chatting skills matter.
• Preparing for media interactions when youve
  done your homework youre unstoppable!
• Full Circle follow upappropriate relationship
  building will keep you well-positioned for media
  relations in the long term.

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Dropping our Media BaggageWhy do non-profits
hesitate to go after media?

• The Myths
• Marketing is corrupt, self serving, or
  impolite.
• Journalists are difficult to talk to, because of
  their glamour and sophistication
• The Truth
• Feeling proud of your mission means sharing it
  with the world and putting your organization out
  there.
• Members of the media need us! We are their
  experts, their RPs, their story.
• Your work with the media is a reciprocal
  relationship

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Foundations What is News? Building Stories

• Newsworthy stories are
• Timely
• Intersect with current, existing headlines
• Of broad interest
• Contain local pegs
• Contain national or international pegs
• Are controversial
• Are emotionally charged

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Foundations What is Not News? Avoid the why
isnt anyone coming to my party? trap

• Its easier to write ourselves into the stories
  of the hour than working to build stories around
  anniversaries, events. etc.
• Events, personnel changes, and program
  developments are not news stories in and of them
  selves.
• Use the So What? test to broaden your story
  when necessary.

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Foundations What is News? Knowing your formats
is everything as one womans news is another
womans garbage

• FOR TELEVISION - Is the story visual, or does it
  have a visual component? (i.e., can we pitch
  footage of children to complement a story?)
• FOR RADIO - Is there a sound element (i.e., can
  we offer reporters to tape the Teddy Bear Band at
  Voices for Children Day?) to provide a colorful
  accent to the reporter's narrative?
• FOR PRINT - Can the story be enhanced or
  supported with a photo or graphic(s)?
• FOR INTERNET Can you quickly provide links to
  credible sources, or other supporting information?

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Foundations What is News Flat Example

• Headline
• THE MINNESOTA CHILD CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRAL
  NETWORK TO OFFER NEW SERVICE
• Lead
• St. PaulNovember 8, The Minnesota Child Care
  Resource and Referral Network is proud to
  introduce services in Hmong, Somali, and Spanish.
  Child care referrals and quality information will
  be offered in these three languages. Wed like
  to help connect parents to quality child care,
  says Ann McCully Executive Director of the
  agency.

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Foundations What is News, Successful Example

• Headline
• MINNESOTA AGENCY LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVE TO
  WELCOME IMMIGRANT FAMILIESOFFERING CONNECTIONS
  TO CHILD CARE, THE FIRST STEP FOR MANY IN FINDING
  WORK
• Lead
• St. PaulNovember 8, 2005As Minnesota welcomes
  the largest pool of new citizens in our states
  history, the Minnesota Child Care Resource and
  Referral Network introduces services in Hmong,
  Somali, and Spanish. Finding child care is a key
  hurtle to many immigrants and care often needs to
  be in place before the critical search for work
  can begin. Wed like to help connect parents to
  this care, says Ann McCully Executive Director
  of the agency.

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Foundations Media Specific Pitch Lines

• Whenever possible include specific descriptions
  of what your story has to offer to the media
  segments
• Example Visuals One large polar bear and more
  than 1,000 advocates of early care and education
  will be on the steps of the State Capitol and
  floor of the Capitol Rotunda children will use
  Radio Flyer wagons to deliver hand-made flowers
  and seed packets to legislators and join a
  sing-along with the Teddy Bear Band.

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Foundations Understanding Trends in Media, Time
and Space is More Limited Than Ever Before

• Media is Fragmented
• News is Instant and Perishable
• People are Overloaded with Information
• Internet Becoming Primary News Source
• The Good News
• Its more difficult to make the news in general
  however there is unprecedented interest in our
  issues and the coverage of child care is
  exploding!

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Foundations Understanding Framing

• Frames are persistent patterns or scripts
  journalists use to simplify and present news.
• Framing is a mindfulness towards these patterns
  and a concerted effort to direct the conversation
  as you participate.

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Foundations Relevant Frames

• Relevant Frames
• Supporting Our Youngest Citizens has polled as
  a very effective frame for discussing early
  education and education in general.
• Example We all have a stake in making sure that
  all children get the quality care and education
  they need. They will grow up to be our neighbors,
  our doctors, our firefighters, and our political
  leaders. Quality early childhood education
  provides our youngest citizens with strong
  foundations.

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Foundations Relevant Frames

• With so Many Kids in Care, Lets Do it Right
  has also proven a very effective way to begin
  conversations on care issues (such as a need for
  an effective training system and supports for
  these educators.)
• Example Investing in quality preschool makes
  economic sense because it builds a foundation for
  early learning and development for all our
  children that ultimately saves taxpayers a
  tremendous amount of money.

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Foundations Relevant Frames

• A note about School Readiness
• Discussions of school readiness have proven a
  slippery area for advocates and educators in our
  field. The public is confused by the term and
  typically people think it means that their
  childs school shopping is done. Alternative
  frames include Prepared to Learn and Prepared
  for Learning Success.

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Foundations Relationships, Relationships,
Relationships!

• Build Relationships
• Pay attention to the bylinesa line designating
  who wrote a news article. Look also for producers
  and correspondents of interest in the TV and
  radio news world. If they are covering issues
  close to your field, an informational meeting or
  introductory email or call may be in order.
• Make the most of the Networks media database and
  request searches/updates from Elizabeth as often
  as you need them.
• As you cultivate relationships with these
  reporters, record each media call in a database
  so you can track the relationship.

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Pitching The Art of the Press ReleaseThe
challenge is to pitch stories not commercials and
people not policies.

• Press Releases Should
• Fill no more than 1-2 pages, double spaced,
  typed.
• Contain contact info for a representative who
  will be readily available to take media calls
  following the release.
• Contain standard formatting including dateline,
  contact info etc.
• Contain a headline of 5-8 words in length with a
  catchy delivery of your core message.
• Contain a lead paragraph which answers the Who,
  What, When, Where, and Why of your story.
• Be written in the AP style.
• Be crafted with the inverted pyramid format in
  which each paragraph after the lead adds details
  in descending order of importance, finishing with
  the boilerplate.

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Pitching The Art of the Press Release
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Pitching The Press Kit

• Creating a cache of press materials for your
  organization allows you to react quickly when
  your issues are hot or when you need to follow up
  with a member of the media.
• Press Kits Contents
• Current or most current Press Release
• Story Proposal Letter
• Organizational Backgrounder
• Fact Sheet on Current Services Offered
• c Materials should be presented in a two-pocket
  folder with the organizational logo on front
  whenever possible.

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Pitching The Call Comes In

• The reporter youve been courting is calling, is
  interested in your story and wants to hear
  moreYou have done your homework and have a story
  to offer and the skills to deliver it. To manage
  the logistics of your media hits
• Have designated spokespeople prepared to deal
  with and manage interviews for each area of the
  story.
• Have designated RPs or real people available to
  add to the story. Example An excellent provider
  who is willing to talk about the importance of
  professional development.

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Pitching The Call Comes In

• You can and should ask questions of the
  journalists youre working with including
• Ask specifically what the story is about.
• Inquire as to the nature of the questions.
• Ask who else has been or will be interviewed.
• Ask when the story is scheduled to run.
• Ask about the journalists timeline and using
  this information request the time you need to
  prepare for the interview.

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Preparing for Your Media Interview

• Strategic Prep Questions
• Who is my audience? Remember, the reporter is not
  your audience. Your rivals are not your audience.
  Your boss is not your audience. Consciously
  remove this people from your thinking.
• Which specific audience members are most critical
  to reach?
• What do I know about their perceptions of my
  issue?
• Are there any issues surrounding my personal
  reputation in the community and the audience I am
  attempting to reach? Ex have there been recent
  difficult public decisions associated with my
  name etc.?
• What key words and points will most hit home with
  my audience?
• Have a positioned my remarks from their
  perspective or my own? Ex Am I thinking about my
  next raise/performance review, showing the world
  my grasp of the facts and figures, or have I
  instead focused on the discussion points that
  will best reach parents and caregivers in my
  community?

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Your Agenda

• You can and in fact should enter each interview
  situation with an agenda! This is not
  self-promotion its simply good planning.
• Write down your three main messages on an index
  card.
• Find at least three ways to make each point
  using
• Specific examples
• Personal experiences
• Facts or figures
• Comparisons/allegories/analogies

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Finding Your
Rhythm

• If you listen to news programs youll notice
  effective interviewees often follow a similar
  rhythm with each point they make.
• Message a Example a Supporting Fact
• Example Quality child care is critical to
  childrens well-being. During the early years.
  Child care is the place children gain the social
  and emotional learning that prepares them for
  success in school and life. The fact is that for
  every dollar spent on early care and education,
  sixteen dollars are returned to society by
  reducing crime and social service costs and
  increasing tax revenue.

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Understanding
Bridging

• Bridging is the technique used to refocus the
  interview on your message. The goal is focus the
  interviewer on the areas you want to cover.
  Simple phrases can effectively do the job for
  you. Try moving back in the direction youd like
  with the following beginnings.
• In the end...
• Keep in mind that...
• Ultimately, your readers will see that
• Let me give you an example
• What people seem most interested in is.
• What people seem most surprised to learn is
• The bottom line is this

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Understanding
Sound Bites

• Fact The average news story in 1960 was 680
  words, in 1995 this average had dropped to 310.
• Fact Competition for media attention has grown
  while room for this coverage is disappearing
  daily. We need to make the most of the short
  amount of time we are given.

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Managing the
Sound Bite Without Getting Bit Back!

• Be brief, get to the point and make your key
  points first.
• Speak in complete sentences.
• Avoid jargon particular to our field.
• Whenever possible tell a brief story that creates
  a visual picture. Example the capitol steps
  were teeming with thousands of Minnesotas
  littlest citizens, all dancing to the Teddy Bear
  Band.

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Preparing for Your Media Interview

• Practice, practice, practice!
• Tape record your three messages, do they make
  sense to you hearing them?
• Practice with a colleague and ask him to repeat
  back to you your three main points when you are
  finished. Have they come through loud and clear?

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Lets Try It!

• The call comes in youve been asked to brief
  interview on the relevance of child care and the
  value of additional funding.
• Lets say your three key messages are below
• Child care is early learning and represents an
  arm of our educational system in its own right.
• We need to decide if we want to invest in
  childrens successes now or their failures later.
• There is compelling evidence of the
  cost-effectiveness of child care.

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Understand
Media Etiquette

• TELEVISION
• Always address and look at the reporter, not the
  camera.
• Wear what is comfortable, but not so bold or
  striking that it detracts from what you are
  saying.
• Avoid the color white (not including men's dress
  shirts), bold prints and big prints.
• Good colors include navy, red and purple.
• Stay out of chairs that swivel - you will
  frustrate the photographer who can not frame up
  the picture because you unconsciously keep moving
  out of focus.
• Silence is better than "uhms" and "ahs. Give
  yourself time to think. The void will most
  likely be edited out anyway.
• Keep your gestures close to your body. Large
  gestures will be lost outside of the camera
  frame.
• Sit erect and lean forward slightly, but do not
  slump.
• Be mindful of your body language habits, if you
  typically look away or at the ceiling while you
  are thinking make a conscious effort to avoid
  this.

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Understand
Media Etiquette

• RECORDED INTERVIEWS
• Assume everything is on the record.
• Ask to be told exactly when the taping begins.
• Continue talking when the photographer is taking
  the establishing "cutaway" shots of your
  interview. This is a good chance to review your
  main point with the reporter, or talk about
  another, upcoming story.
• Never say something you wouldn't have said during
  the interview since the microphone goes on with
  the camera.

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Understand
Media Etiquette

• LIVE INTERVIEWSThese can be the most unnerving,
  but best opportunities. Reporters edit tape, but
  you edit the live interview.
• If there is no reporter present to conduct the
  interview, look directly into the camera.
  Otherwise, address the person asking the
  questions.
• Get to your main point quickly

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Understand
Media Etiquette

• RADIO INTERVIEWS
• Assume everything is on the record, but ask to be
  told when the recording begins.
• Ask if the interview is taped or live.
• Expect contact with different people. A producer
  may conduct a pre-interview before the host
  actually conducts the interview.

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Understand
Media Etiquette

• PRINT INTERVIEWS
• Most newspaper interviews will be conducted over
  the telephone. But give yourself time to
  prepare, by asking what the reporter's deadline
  is and getting back in touch.
• Print interviews are likely to be longer and the
  questions more detailed, because they generally
  have more time to gather background information.
• Print reporters tend to have specific beat
  assignments so they may be more familiar with you
  and your organization. There is a great
  opportunity here to build a relationship with a
  relevant beat reporter!

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Preparing for Your Media Interview Understand
Media Etiquette

• INTERNET INTERVIEWS
• Inquire in advance how the interview will be used
  ( i.e., chat room, Internet publication, etc.)
• Put most important messages first with detail
  later.
• Offer to link your web site to theirs for a
  specific period.
• Encourage the interviewer to list your Web site
  in the body of the article.

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Full Circle Follow-Up

• Always follow up with a thank you card and your
  card. This is a bit old-fashioned but represents
  a great way to nurture the relationship.
• Use your media database to track and log each
  media interaction.