Using Media

A practical guide to using the media for community activists.

This very useful guide has been developed by Social Change Media

Contents

• Getting your message to the media 
  
• How to get media attention
  
• Give them what they need  
  
• Provide good spokespeople
  
• Target the right journalist
  
• Timing is crucial          
  
• Be aware of deadlines 
  
• Three other ways to court the media 
  
• Monitor your media coverage 
  
• Link your campaign to other events 
  
• What to aim for with media coverage  
  
• 11 steps to successful media coverage  
  

Getting your message to the media

In Australia there are approximately 90 television stations, 700 newspapers, 130 ethnic newspapers, 300 radio stations, 1300 magazines and 10,000 key media people. Given the right information, they will all want to know more about your campaign. Well some of them will. Competition for news coverage is extremely heavy. Everyone is trying to find their way onto the evening's TV news, the breakfast radio programs and the morning's newspapers. It's been estimated that a newspaper newsroom can receive up to 500 press releases in one day with announcements covering everything from politics to the new red telephone box on George Street.

The importance of television

From a promotional point of view, it's hard to argue with the view that television is the most watched medium. Market research tells us that 80% of the public nominate TV as their source of news and information.

A good picture wipes out a thousand bad words

Television is much more about pictures than words. One illustrative picture on the TV news is worth a dozen press stories. A good picture can also wipe out a lot of bad coverage. In the early 1980s then US President Ronald Reagan was under fire for cutting funds for disability services. During the day the cuts were to be announced his staff arranged for him to visit a disabled people's centre in Texas. With plenty of TV crews present, he was seen being met by smiling people handing him flowers. News stories that carried pictures of the President along with often savage commentary. One network reporter got a call from Reagan's press secretary. She prepared herself to be bawled out but he congratulated her on the story. When she asked if she was hearing right, he said, `Absolutely, the pictures were fantastic. The President was mobbed by happy, smiling disabled people. Noone remembers the voice-over, it's the pictures that have impact. It couldn't have been better for us.'

How to get media attention

You need a good media release

A media release is the first step to attract attention. But make sure the release is a good one. Keep it to one page, use a good headline, include five or six paragraphs which cover the 'who, what, when, where and why'. Use quotable quotes especially by well-known spokespeople. Keep the message simple
The media message should relate to people's daily lives. Don't get too theoretical and don't make it all sound too big and impossible. You need to focus on practical options like, 'don't use bleach, use vinegar for your toilet cleaning', 'write a letter to your local paper' etc. It's essential that a media release be well presented and written to be used as a 60 second TV or radio news item.

Use coloured paper

Use coloured paper when mailing releases - it makes it easier for journalists to find among the pile of faxes, press releases, media kits and other stuff on their desk. Always include after hours numbers as well as day time contact numbers. SCM Director Sean Kidney was once phoned at home at 6.30pm to appear on a late night news show that same night. He was in the studio by 8.30pm and in his loungeroom watching the pre-recorded piece at 10.pm.

A release for every occasion

You need to write a media release for each major event. But don't go overboard. Thirty releases a month on the same topic, however passionate you are about it, will not do your cause much good. Journalists are human (it's true) so they, like everyone else. need to be interested in your story.

Keep the stories local

One of the secrets of communicating successfully with a wide variety of groups and people is to individualise the message. The key to regular coverage in regional media is stories with a local angle. It takes a bit of digging to find the local angle, but it's worth it. You can still use national talent, but have some local heroes as well. NB. The importance of individualised messages also applies to special groups like doctors or unionists.

Develop your theme over time

Try to get regular feature coverage. National magazines, newspaper feature writers, 'magazine' style TV programs etc are your best bet. Journalists don't want you to write the stories for them (well most don't) but they do like you to feed them story ideas. Given them as much background information as you can. This is best done one-to-one over the telephone. Don't harass them, but keep in regular contact.

What to put in a media release

1. A headline that gets to the guts of the story.
2. A first paragraph that summarises the story.
3. Quotable quotes from a credible figure.
4. Some facts or statistics.
5. Explanatory details.
6. All hours contact and phone number and spokesperson details (if you are doing a national release, try to find local people to be available to speak).

Give them what they need

Think in pictures

You are more likely to attract television attention if you can supply plenty of visual material either in advance or at the time of the launch. A photo is remembered more than lengthy stories.

Broadcast quality tapes can be used. However it is best to create an event that will provide good pictures for TV.

Events to hang your media release on

Events can help to get media attention, but you need to think about them from the media's point of view. A junior minister, launching a less than riveting product will not get the press away from their desk. After all, they're even getting blase about people who throw themselves in front of ocean trawlers.
However with a little thought, you can make things interesting. A senior government minister will usually get the media there - if they've got something to say. A huge pile of letters dumped on the lawns outside parliament house will make a good picture. But an unknown person handing a less than charismatic pollie a petition is unlikely to get the cameras rolling.

Use facts and statistics

Facts and figures are good. The press love them. If you can find some good statistics in the latest research report, launch the report and invite the media.
It may be worth remembering that the media formula is fairly limited. These are the sort of stories that tend make it in to the media:

• 'We name the guilty'
• 'We reveal the startling facts'
• 'The powerless will fight'
• 'Underdogs win'
• 'Shock statement'
• 'Incredible facts'
• 'Cuddly pets'

Provide good spokespeople

Media stories are built around 'talent'. They want well-known people who are going to say interesting and hopefully witty things. From our point of view, it also helps if they understand the issue. They also need to know what being interviewed on TV or radio involves. When your message comes out on television, 70 per cent of it is 'visual'. Make sure there is nothing that could detract from what you want said. (see the Ronald Reagan anecdote above)

Have a good list of speakers ready

The public will respond if they see people they like and admire coming out strongly in support of the issues. The talent you use needs to be aimed at the target group. You wouldn't use a politician to sell a message to teenagers (or anyone else for that matter).

You need to put together a contact list of available 'talent'. It could include:

• sports stars
• soapie stars
• experts, academics
• community leaders
• politicians
• church leaders
• union officials
• business leaders
• 'real people' (who can talk about campaign experiences - the person who stood in front of the bulldozer)

Make sure your list is NATIONAL and don't forget the regional centres. Journalists don't like to go to a lot of trouble, so give them local contacts.

The list should be A4 and easy to photocopy. Tailor and update it for each event.

Target the right journalist

News stories can be directed to chiefs of staff at newspapers and news directors in television and radio news rooms. If it's a specialist story, for example, legal, environment or health story, send it to the relevant reporter. Local and international news agencies and press galleries are also important outlets for your news.

Producers are key people

The producers of radio and television programs presented by some of Australia's most well-known journalists should receive your release. In the main, it is the producer who makes the decisions about the stories and interviews for the day.

Specialist media

Throw your net wide. Don't restrict yourself to the main media. Target the specialist press too. Every organisation has a newsletter and somewhere you will find a list of all those newsletter. Make good use of it. Some events may not interest the general media, but you could get a good run in the specialist press.

Timing is crucial

If your use the mail, your release should be posted seven days before your embargoed story/event/launch. This gives plenty of time to journalists, especially if there are reports to be read or material researched.

It is a good idea to fax the news desks either the day before or the morning of your announcement.

Follow-up

After you've sent out your media release, make follow-up calls to a key list of media people. Radio producers and local radio stations should always be followed-up with a phone call. Try to build up a network of journalists who know who you are.
Be prepared to re-fax your media release - many will have been lost or mislaid.

Be aware of deadlines

Keep the deadlines for publications and programs in mind. Time your press releases and media plans to fit in with the appropriate deadlines.

Newspaper supplements

Newspapers usually prepare supplements some months in advance. Find out what they plan to do. There may be something coming up which is relevant to your campaign or story.

Magazines

Magazine deadlines vary considerably. Some glossy monthlies have a five-month lead time. This is worth remembering when planning media campaigns. Always phone and check.

Follow up

Always follow up every contact you make. It is essential to phone everyone on the day of the launch or event.

Three other ways to court the media

A media conference for an important message

Only use a media conference when there is something very important to announce or show. The best time is 11 am. The best days are every day except Friday and Saturday. Sunday is often a good day because it is generally a slow news day.

Media conferences give a certain degree of seriousness to the issue. Using the media conference forum can also be detrimental to your campaign - you might have to answer questions you'd rather not. So think carefully before you have one.

Remember to take copies of your media release along to the conference/press briefings

These can be useful to brief journalists about issues which are complicated and require a good deal of explanation. They are informal and the best time is early in the morning. Sometimes a story can eventuate out of a press briefing.

Either choose a central venue such as State parliament or a major hotel. A location which adds to the story in some way like a workplace which will provide good television shots.

Try the direct approach

There are many other ways to attract attention. Visits to radio stations to deliver your message while announcers are on air can be effective.

Direct contact with newspaper columnists might mean they use your story. Cartoonists on newspapers may well be interested. Letters to the Editor is also another way to get coverage.

Monitor your media coverage

You need to try and keep tabs on all your media coverage during a campaign. Then you can respond to any issues as they come up. It's also a way to build up a list of interested journalists who you can then target individually with further information.

You can use a media monitoring service to pick up clippings. Note the type of stories as well as the extent of the coverage.

Responding to controversy and criticism

Some aspects of a campaign will attract criticism. Sometimes conflict can be a useful way to get media attention. But it can also take attention away from the real issues. You must have a strategy to respond to criticism.

Three ways to deal with criticism:

1. Get an independent expert speaker to answer the criticism. This is hard because once you're responding to criticism, you no longer have control over the agenda.
2. Reclaim the agenda - redefine the issue in a more appropriate light.
3. Divert attention away from the issue by having and event or a press release on a different but related topic.

You will need credible community spokespeople to be available to address for all of these options.

Link your campaign to other events

Be like the cuckoo, leap into anothers nest

Part of the success of any campaign is to tie the campaign's message into as many other events as possible. This keeps the issue on the agenda. It also gives you the imprimatur and implicit support of the people you have linked up with. For example if a respected business leader talks about a successful workplace literacy program at a training conference.

Here are some examples of events you can piggy back onto:

• nationally organised events (eg Clean-up Australia, an international small business conference etc);
• other big events organised by someone else (ACTU Congress, Expo);
• conferences that relate to your campaign area.

Soaps and drama can take up your cause

With the right research, you can encourage writers and producers of TV soaps to take up your campaign issues. Australian soaps love 'issues' and given the right briefing material, they can handle the issues well.

For example kids love their soap heroes. If they see their latest heart throb talking about using condoms to his on-screen girl friend it will have the impact of a million brochures - or better.

Soaps also have the advantage of being able to put the issue into a human context and offer solutions. For example, a person who becomes ill because they couldn't read the instructions on a medicine bottle, and later learns to read.

To get these sort of stories up, you need to make personal contact with producers. Then you should attend briefing sessions with writers. Before you go to a briefing meeting, have story lines, based on real-life examples ready.

What to aim for with media coverage

In a nutshell, what you want to achieve by getting your message up in the media is to:

• set an agenda
• get people thinking
• stimulate debate & interest
• soften the ground
• provoke interest
• put decision makers 'on notice'

contents

11 steps to successful media coverage

1. Keep it short. Strip your message to the bare bones. Remember people hardly have time to read these days. Put your detailed information in a `fact page' at the end.

2. Think headlines. If the crux of your message cannot be expressed in a few words (maybe a sentence) it's unlikely to be successful.

3. Use a consistent slogan and logo. This is the best way to make your campaign instantly recognisable, especially over an extended period.

4. Do it regularly. Regular communication is essential to build a loyal and expectant constituency.

5. Be positive. Don't have a message which is totally negative. Offer a practical solution to the problem. This can inspire people. Litanies of disaster simply depress your audience and ruin the motivation.

6. Set the agenda. Redefine the problem to fit your solution.

7. Be visual. Pictures are much more effective than words. Pictures should reinforce emotions. Forget the intellectual high ground.

8. Appeal to emotions in news stories eg. conflict, fear, triumph over adversity (David & Goliath).

9. Entertain. Think of the media as theatre; it is primarily for entertainment.

10. Match the medium. Tailor the message to fit the different types of media.

11. Limit the campaign. Keep campaign segments to less than three months, otherwise everyone forgets the message, people lose interest and the campaign loses momentum.

For further information

Contact	:	Social Change Media
Address	:	PO Box 156 Annandale NSW 2038
Phone	:	(02) 9692 5161
Fax	:	(02) 9692 5192
Email	:	scm@socialchange.net.au

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http://media.socialchange.net.au