District 9465 - PR Presentation to District Assembly

District 9465 Public Relations

Spreading our Message

A special how-to with tips and resources for clubs

Rotary District 9465 * www.rotaryd9465.org.au

http://www.rotaryd9465.org.au

Who is John Stockbridge?▫ Rotarian for 23 years ▫ (joined at age 15)

▫ Past President and Current member of the Rotary Club of Southern Districts ▫ Run my own Business Development Consultancy ▫ Fellow of the Australian Computer Society ▫ Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors ▫ Paul Harris Fellow ▫ National Director of the Australian Information Industries

Association (AIIA) (12 years) ▫ Past Member of the WA State Government Export Advisory

Council ▫ Past Member of the WA IT State Advisory Council ▫ All round nice guy and George Clooney look-alike

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How did I get to be PR Chair?▫ Brian Eddy called ▫ I thought there was money involved

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Public Relations - Everyone’s Job

Spreading Rotary’s message


http://www.rotaryd9465.org.au

What is Public Relations?

Public Relations is • Developing and

spreading your message

• Maintaining goodwill & understanding with your audiences


Not the Enemy

•Journalists are not the enemy •Media outlets are looking for stories for their audiences

•Newsworthy vs. noteworthy


Is it News? Making our news their news


“It’s not news if a dog bites a man, but it is news if a man bites a dog.” !

Adage about media perspective:

How media outlets determine newsworthiness

What makes something newsworthy?

Journalists make judgments about what is newsworthy and what is not for their readers and viewers. There is a limited amount of time and space for the news. The more newsworthy your story is, the better chance it has of making the news.


Qualities of Newsworthiness

Proximity – story happens in media outlets’ reach Example: An Armadale Rotary club’s activities won’t normally make the Joondalup Times !Rotary Example: It’s hard to get your local media to cover a Rotary event in India unless people from your area were at the event. Media outlets look for ways to “localise” news. !




Timeliness/Immediacy - the story happens now or soon. You don’t want to wait weeks after the 4-way test speech contest to pitch a story about it to the media. !Example: An event two weeks ago is way too old for most media outlets. They would prefer to look ahead (preview) than review a story. !Rotary Example: You’d want to pitch a story about your RYLA participants before the February event.



Prominence - a prominent person or place is included in the story !Example: Your doctor’s report doesn’t make the news, but your country’s Prime Minister’s does. It’s only because of prominence that the story is reported. !Rotary Example: If the mayor or other local prominent people (like your club’s president) are involved in programs, you have an element of prominence.



Impact/Consequences - the larger the impact or potential impact of a story, the more newsworthy it is. How many people will your story affect? The media outlet needs to see how your story impacts readers. !Example: A storm that shuts down most of the South West and leaves thousands without power is more newsworthy than a storm that shuts down your neighbourhood pool. !Rotary Example: A district-wide Polio effort has more than 3,000 Rotarians behind it. Polio efforts themselves impact millions.



Conflict/Controversy - a story might have an element of conflict or controversy !Example: Look at the front page of today’s newspaper or news website. Media outlets are drawn to conflict. !Rotary Example: Your water drilling team can’t travel to Cambodia because of bandits.




Human Interest/Emotional Appeal - a story has heart or talks about individuals and their lives !Example: A personality profile about your mayor and her struggles with polio as a child. !Rotary Example: A feature story about your Ambassadorial Scholar and why she chose to study social work in America




Unusual/Bizarre/Singularity- a story is bizarre or unusual or unexpected. It could also be a first or historical kind of story. !Example: Long lost sisters find each other at the local supermarket because of a billing error. !Rotary Example: Your club is the only one in the world chosen to conduct a special pilot program.


Is it News?

Telling our story in their terms, with newsworthiness

Less Newsworthy (noteworthy) More NewsworthyThe fact that your club conducted a speech contest.

The winner’s message and his or her back-story. (using human interest, timeliness, proximity

The fact that your club fights polio. A member’s experience with polio or a trip to a national immunization day. (also uses human interest, timeliness, impact, proximity)


Making our news their news !

Is it News? - Practice Making our news their news

Story Idea NEWSworthy Just NOTEworthy

Oct. 24 is World Polio Day !

More than 3,000 Rotarians in the district will fight p0lio through projects from Perth to Albany to Kalgoorlie to Port Hedland on Oct. 24, World Polio Day. (Would tell story of a few clubs)

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After you decide which column the story idea will fall into, hit the space bar for the answer

So you have news. What now?

It’s time to write a news release. Even if you plan to call a reporter with the story, it will be helpful to have written info ready to send to him or her.

Parts of a News ReleaseThe makings of a winning news release

Letterhead: This doesn’t have to be on your specific letterhead, but you want to create a similar look for your news release. Include club name, address, telephone/fax, website address and e-mail.


NEWS RELEASE: Type these words somewhere on your release. Avoid the term PRESS RELEASE if you’re sending to media outlets other than newspapers.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: This lets the media know the news is ready to be published and not embargoed, or held until a certain date. !DATE: Place the date you release the release somewhere on the page.


CONTACT(S): This is one of the most important parts of the release. Give name, phone number, mobile number and e-mail for the Rotary contact who is prepped to help the media with this story. Make sure this person has a copy of the release, will respond quickly to media calls and can answer to potential reporter questions.


HEADLINE: This is one of the first things a reporter will read to decide if he/she wants to read more. !Write headlines in present tense and active voice. Example: Local Rotarians raise $50 Million in Polio Campaign


DATELINE: This is the city where the release has been crafted. If you’re in Canning Vale, the dateline is CANNING VALE, WA.


LEAD: This is the first paragraph of your release and is as important (or more) than the headline. The news team will decide whether or not to cover your news or read further at this point.


LEAD: Your lead should have the most newsworthy parts of your story. One helpful hint is to think about how you would tell a friend about this project/event/etc. Then work some details into the first paragraph. !


LEAD: Try to incorporate some (not all) of the 5 Ws 1H (who, what, why, when, where, how) into your lead. !Ideally, your lead will only be about 25 words. Keep it short and sweet. !Details can be weaved into the rest of the release. Try to move from the most important details to additional facts and then some background info.

Inverted pyramid journalists use


BODY OF RELEASE: This is where you’ll explain details for the event. You could even add quotes from your club’s president or the group you’re working to help, like the food bank.


ENDING MARKS: Make some kind of notation at the bottom of the release to signal its end. !Options: -30- ### -end- -Rotary-


BOILERPLATE INFO: This is one more way to tell a reporter about your club. It’s a sentence about your club or Rotary International that could be used every time.

Example: Founded in 2009, the Rotary Club of Southern Districts is part of Rotary International, a global network of community volunteers with 1.2 million members. The club’s Web site is southerndistricts-rotary.com.

http://southerndistricts-rotary.com

The release is ready. To the masses, it is.

You have news. You have your news release. It’s time to distribute it to your media outlets. But to whom?

Media ListGetting your news to the news

❑ A media list is a list of media targets in your area. It should contain contact info like names, phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses for editors, journalists, and news directors who might cover your news. !

❑ Your club may have a list and you’ll just need to update it. !

❑ Chambers of commerce sometimes have media lists available to members that make a great starting spot. !

❑ Area public relations undergraduates might be a good resource for creating a list for internship credit !

Media ListA sample media list to get you started

Organization Name Title Address Phone Email Time of day to contact

Preferences or beat

Notes?

Local newspaper

Regional Weekly Paper

ABC affiliateRadio 6PR

Business News

Community News

Rotary District 9465 Newsletter

YOUR club’s newsletter, etc

Rotarian magazine


❑ Consume your local media. !❑ Look for reporters who cover organisations like yours or similar projects. Make notes or add to your media list. !

❑ Look for special sections or segments that complement your club or your Rotarians

❑ InMyCommunity (Community News) has a segment called Local News that is right up our alley. ❑ Business publications typically run special sections like “40 under 40” or “WA Women” to honor individuals. Nominate an appropriate club member.

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Don’t forget the Internet and other outlets that touch many readers or viewers !

❑ School district Web site (especially for 4 Way Test Speech contest) ❑ District and Club Facebook Pages. If you are a friend you can post on their timeline. ❑ College Web sites and media outlets (Rotaract events) ❑ Greensheet or other free pick-up publications ❑ Popular blog sites ❑ Twitter (find a club member who likes to tweet after each meeting) !

Distribution time!

You have news. You have your news release. You have a media list. It’s time to distribute it to your media outlets.

Contacting the mediaPitching your story and sending your release

Remember that the media professionals are not the enemy. They LOVE great stories and are always looking for the next one. You may just have it. !Media professionals also like to hear from THEIR viewers or readers. !Ideally, you’d contact the individuals on your media list based on their preferences. Some really rely on e-mail and others can’t sift through the 1,000s of e-mail messages a day. !


E-mail: Contacting the mediaPitching your story and sending your release

E-mail: Your chances are better if you have a reporter’s e-mail. The generic [email protected] type address will go into the abyss. It’s even better if this reporter will recognise your name and OPEN the message. !Give it a subject line like STORY IDEA or part of your headline. !Attachment or in the body of the message: I’ve had better luck pasting the body of my news release in the message and attaching the official one or providing a Word doc when requested. !

E-mail: Contacting the mediaPitching your story and sending your release

BCC: Don’t CC a bunch of reporters. If you are sending one e-mail to a group of reporters, use the blind carbon copy feature in your e-mail. !LETTERHEAD: If pasting your release into the body of your release, you can eliminate graphics. !CHECK YOUR E-MAIL: If you send a release via e-mail, check your Inbox often for reporter response. A reporter will want a prompt response. !

Phone: Contacting the mediaPitching your story and sending your release

Pitching a story over the phone Picking the right time to call is key. You don’t want to call during a deadline. For outlets with an evening deadline (television stations and most newspapers), you’ll want to call mid-morning. Some will be in the office at 10 or so. !Don’t make apologies for your call. Say you have a story idea you’d like to pitch and then hit it. You want to verbally re-cap your release in a sentence or two. Play up the newsworthiness and why the story is a good fit for that reporter’s publication and audience. !

Phone: Contacting the mediaPitching your story and sending your release

Yes or no. The advantage to a telephone call is that you will get an immediate feel for if the story is a good fit. !More info. The reporter will probably ask for you to get info to him/her immediately. Ask for his/her preference of delivery (e-mail/fax), verify the correct number/e-mail and send it immediately .

NO! If you get a “no,” no worries. Be gracious. Don’t get pushy or upset or argue. You want to be able to pitch another idea some day in the future. !NO! is not personal. !

Follow Up & MiscellaneousPitching your story and sending your release

✓ If you e-mail, fax or mail a release, follow up on it. !✓ For a release about an event, send your release a week or so before an event and follow up a day or two before. If you’re working with a monthly or weekly publication, send our your release sooner. Know the publication’s deadlines. !✓ Sell the story. Be careful that you are not asking the news media to advertise for Rotary. You are looking to spread Rotary’s message and the mass media is one way to do this. It also gives a media outlet a great community story. !✓ Have a newsworthy story to sell. You don’t want to gain a reputation for sending news releases without any news. !!!!


More than a News Article

Other opportunities exist for your public relations efforts. !PHOTOS: Media outlets need visuals. You can invite photographers to events or submit photos the club shutterbug has taken. !LETTERS TO EDITOR: Look at the publication’s policies before writing. Make the letter timely and connected to an editorial, other letter or something in the news. !GUEST COLUMN: Read others that have run in the publication. Gather your thoughts and then pitch the idea to the editorial page editor. !!!

More details in Effective Public Relations

http://shop.rotary.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=32_35&products_id=141

Planning your public relations

Story ideas may pop up, but ideally your public relations effort will be planned.

Places to look for ideasPlanning your Rotary public relations

✓ Look in editorial calendars published by publications. Look for months where they are focusing on things that your club focuses on…education, health, nonprofits, etc. Sometimes these are located online in media kits or advertising kits. !✓Look at special sections or segments about community leaders. One example is the People section of the Community News where local business leaders are highlighted. Your new president might make a good dossier feature. !✓Look at District 9465’s calendar !✓Look at Rotary International’s calendar !!!!!


Places to look for ideasPlanning your Rotary public relations

✓Create a calendar or list of your programs !✓ Identify which programs have potential newsworthiness !✓ Watch the PR e-mails from the district (upcoming slide) and Rotary International !✓Look through Rotary International’s collection of PSAs (public service ads/announcements) !✓ See what media opportunities and outlets exist in your area !✓ Look for other stories in the media spotlight that tie into your programs or events


http://www.rotary.org/en/Members/RunningAClub/InformingTheCommunity/Pages/HumanityinMotionPSAs.aspx

District 9465 CalendarPlanning your Rotary public relations

❑ July 1 – New Rotary Year – a short blurb to the local media about your new president and/or other leaders ❑ Feb 25 – Ron Sloan Endeavour Scholarship Awards Night

❑ Ideas: If a group from your locale travels in, take pictures for local media or blog from an event. You could send a “brief” report from the game to the sports desk. Sports writers & columnists are looking for human interest to attract other readers to their section.

❑ Oct. 24 – World Polio Day – District would like all clubs to focus a polio-related project on this day

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Rotary International CalendarPlanning your Rotary public relations

August--Membership and Extension Month September--New Generations Month October--Vocational Service Month November--Rotary Foundation Month December--Family Month January--Rotary Awareness Month February--World Understanding Month March--Literacy Month April--Magazine Month June--Rotary Fellowships Month

These month celebrations might help with ideas for newsworthy stories


Rotary International CalendarPlanning your Rotary public relations

World Polio Day – Oct. 24 World Diabetes Day – Nov. 14 International Volunteer Day – Dec. 5 World Leprosy Day – Jan. 31 World Cancer Day – Feb. 4 Rotary’s Anniversary – Feb. 23 Earth Day – April 22 World Environment Day – June 5 Rotary Calendar Online

Other calendar items that might help with ideas for newsworthy stories


http://www.rotary.org/en/members/events/Calendar/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Experts and sources

Rotary is a gold mind for potential sources and experts who can help reporters better tell stories to their audiences.

Experts, Sources & IdeasBuilding relationships with media outlets

You may not have a story to pitch, but you can build relationship with reporters and media outlets by being a resource for them. !Your club has a wealth of knowledge to offer. See if members would agree to be added to a list of experts that you can submit to media outlets. There are times when reporters are hustling to find sources. Some are predictable and others depend on breaking news. Does your club have a WWII or Vietnam vet with a great story that could be shared on Anzac Day? !Example: Look at your local University’s Web site. Typically, it will list campus members who are experts in their field and are available to talk on subjects.


Experts, Sources & IdeasBuilding relationships with media outlets

If you have a story idea, even if unrelated to Rotary, share it with a reporter. This positions you and your club as a media-friendly. !Reporters are grateful for story ideas.


PostCare App▫ Setup for iPad, iPhone and Android ▫ Every postcard sent out by Rotary club will have

the club logo printed on the postcards. ▫ A promo code used to bypass the payment

gateway, which will allow you to send the postcard without purchasing any credits. ▫ Rotary Club will donate a certain amount to

Good Sammy to print and post the each postcard. In return, Good Sammy will give Rotary club a tax offset invoice for the donation.

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District 9465 PR Network

• Connecting club public relations chairs and others to share ideas, successes, etc. !

• Public Relations Directors are encouraged to join the network !

• Simply search for the Facebook Group “Rotary District 9465 PR Group”. This is a closed group.


Resources for Your Club

• Rotary International site: www.rotary.org !

• RI Public Service Ads/Announcements !

• District site: www.rotaryd9465.org.au !

• PR Network for District 9465: Rotary District 9465 PR Group !

• PR Tips e-mail: through www.rotary.org !

• Effective Public Relations: a book from Rotary


http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/PressCenter/Pages/ridefault.aspx

http://www.rotary.org/

http://www.rotary.org/en/Members/RunningAClub/InformingTheCommunity/Pages/HumanityinMotionPSAs.aspx

http://www.rotary5790.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/689434631118073/

http://www.rotary.org/en/Members/RunningAClub/InformingTheCommunity/Pages/PRTipemailnewsletter.aspx


Great Resource for Your Club

Effective Public Relations is a book available through Rotary.org.



































































































Concluding Thoughts

• ALL of us are responsible for spreading our message !

• Journalists are not the enemy !

• You CAN spread Rotary’s message !• Think newsworthy, not noteworthy !• District PR Committee

is here to help


Sources & Contact• Images and logos from Rotary.org • Effective Public Relations: A Guide for Rotary Clubs ([email protected]) • Plagiarism mostly from District 5790 !

• John Stockbridge, Rotary Club of Southern Districts District 9465 PR Chair, 0403 193 607

[email protected] www.southerndistricts-rotary.com Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SouthernDistrictsRotary Newsletter Site: http://southerndistricts-rotary.com/wordpress/ Twitter: @sthdistrotary !!!!


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.southerndistricts-rotary.com

http://www.facebook.com/SouthernDistrictsRotary

http://southerndistricts-rotary.com/wordpress/

District 9465 - PR Presentation to District Assembly

Presentations & Public Speaking

Transcript of District 9465 - PR Presentation to District Assembly