Post on 31-Dec-2015
“Communications on a Shoestring”
Sean Curtis-WardCommunity Outreach Manager, Media Trust
June 12 Newcastle
“The discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behavior. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics”.
CIPR
What is PR ?
• Man bites dog• ‘New’ news• Topical stories• Controversy, ‘scandal’• Human interest • Information relevant to their audience• Experts• Facts and figures• Exclusive story
Building Relationships with journalists
WHY?•Increase (favourable) coverage
HOW?
•Twitter and Linked-in
•Become source of credible stories
•Keep regular contact (but avoid sending non-news)
•Offer an exclusive story ?
•Be contactable after hours
•Don’t complain if they don’t write about you
News Stories:Why now?
•Topical•Event driven•Factual•Shorter•Spokesperson quotes
= Press release driven
Features:Why this topic?
•Less time sensitive•Longer, discursive•May not be based on a news story•Can be opinionated, emotive•Has to include case studies•May include multiple spokespeople
= Phone/email approach
News Stories vs. Features
Planning a Good Press Release• Why is this a story – and who cares? • Work out what your story is
• Headline – tell the journalist, but don’t be too clever
• Work backwards from your headline
• Do you need a sub-heading?
• First paragraph explains the story
• Date• Headline• Opening Paragraph• Context/Facts• Quote• Background• Contacts• References
Most important information
Least important information
Key messages?
•Always three – people lose interest after that
•What do you want to people to remember?
•No point in coverage without getting your
point across or your message out
•Weave key messages into a quote or a call to
action
• Keep the tone positive• Use an active voice where possible• Use headings to make a point• Cut out unnecessary words• Check grammar and spelling• Avoid clichés like the plague!
Style which communicates
• What is it?
• Where you can find?
• How you can use it? • And Yes, it really is free!
The Community Newswire
www.mediatrust.org
Go to the “Get Support” section and then the “Community Newswire”. Follow the upload instructions.
alexd@mediatrust.org
or Twitter @del24