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Volume
5, Issue 6 - November 2003 |
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WANT TO MAKE HEADLINES?
MAKE IT NEWSWORTHY
First Rule of Public Relations: You Must Understand the Media’s Needs
By Elizabeth Martin
Reporters try to generate news and feature stories that they believe will
interest a mass audience. So should you. The mass media reaches a large
audience and can, indeed, give your organization a publicity boost that's
unequaled. But many newspapers have a rule of thumb limiting feature stories
about any group to once a year.
Hard news coverage and coverage of events isn't included in the
once-a-year limit. So news is what you should strive to create for the
greatest media exposure.
Just because your organization is doing wonderful things, they're not
automatically newsworthy. If you didn't have a vested interest in your
organization, would you want to read a story in your local paper with this
headline? "Local Children’s Services Group Held a Bake Sale at the
Community Church last Wednesday and Raised $75."
Packaging can make a big difference in whether your press release
intrigues or gets tossed. What you need is to stand out – to be the first,
largest or most unusual at something – or to have a heart-tugging human
interest story. That's where creativity comes in.
Your
most important asset – especially if your budget is limited – is
imagination. (A volunteer who's a skilled photographer is a terrific asset,
too.)
Here are a couple examples of using creativity to present your story:
A press release on receipt of a $500 grant might generate media yawns.
But if the grant allows you to introduce the city's first pet therapy
program that trains dogs to provide therapy to children with cancer, now
that's a story of interest to the community, and especially to the media.
But send a picture of a dog with a child, not a picture of the check!
An awards presentation can be good PR with your volunteers but a
low-interest story unless you give it an unusual twist. For example, if the
mayor or local celebrity hands out certificates, you've added interest. (If
Robert Redford hands out the certificates, you'll have to rent a bigger
venue!)
If a volunteer has made life better for ten families, maybe the families
could create and present a unique certificate. Imagination is the key.
Finally, while imagination can increase your success rate enormously,
there are some events that are meaningful to you and your organization
alone. They're wonderful. But they're dull to anyone not intimately involved
in the organization...no matter how much creativity you apply. Don't send
releases to the media in such cases. Include them in a newsletter if you
can. Or just let these stories pass. You want the media to open envelopes
with your logo and not automatically pitch them because the editor thinks
"This group never sends me anything interesting."
Still can’t come up with any ideas to get the media’s attention? PR!
Success offers newsletters, workshops, and a one-on-one public relations
training program developed by seasoned PR pro Elizabeth Martin aimed at
enabling organizations to get media attention. Contact Elizabeth at
505-989-1733 or visit
www.prsuccess.com.
Back to Table of
Contents
Some public relations tools are more appropriately used with your program's
clients; some are ideal ways to communicate with your volunteers and
underwriters. Some can be effectively used with a variety of target audiences.
The most common pitfall in the practice of public relations is the vain
hope that one newspaper story or one all-purpose brochure will create all
the public awareness your group will ever need. Communication is an ongoing
process, comprised 10% of the big and splashy and 90% of the slow,
persistent and consistent broadcasting of a few key points. It's taking
every opportunity to seek out potential supporters and tell them why your
group's work is important to them and how they can be involved.
When developing your public relations plan, the more specific goals you
have the more effective you'll be in taking full advantage of publicity. For
example, if you’re goal is to increase ticket sales to your event by 20%, a
big feature story on the event in your local newspaper may or may not prompt
people to purchase. But if you copy the clipping and send it to your
"potentials" list with a personal note and a ticket order form, you'll get
better results. Once you've defined who you need to talk to and what you
want to say, you're in a position to make the best choice of a
communications medium.
Finally, it's important to try to accomplish only one objective per
promotional message. If you want to increase program use, don't also try to
raise funds for your program and recruit volunteers in the same promotional
piece. Create separate promotional activities for each distinct target
audience and message.
For help in creating PR tools for your
nonprofit organization, PR! Success offers workshops and teleconference
seminars. The next PR! Success workshop will be held on January 16 in New
York City. To register or to find out more about how you can have PR!
Success, call 505-989-1733.
Back to Table of
Contents
Here are some useful tools for creating a solid public
relations campaign:
A Current, Targeted Media Database
with names of reporters, editors, producers, and freelance writers is a
must! It’s important that your list contains appropriate contacts at
newspapers, magazines, Web sites, television, and radio stations.
Mailing Lists are worth their
weight in gold if they are broken into constituent categories (that includes
supporters, clients, and local politicians) and if you keep them updated.
Newsletters you produce can
cover the good news that's interesting to your constituents but not
necessarily to the mass media. Your newsletter is the place to recognize
volunteers and contributors, announce upcoming activities, and thank the
repairman who fixed your office equipment at no charge. Thanking such
supporters publicly encourages further support. And it's impressive to
potential donors, who often not only want to see that other companies
underwrite your activities, but also, that you generate grassroots support.
Brochures are greatly favored
by any organization, and they have their uses. But funds should be allocated
for a newsletter first because it's an ongoing communication whereas a
brochure appears only once. The brochure targets a single message one time.
The newsletter allows you to change the message frequently and continuously.
Audio-Visual Presentations of
five minutes or less (either in PowerPoint, slide-show or videotape format)
can prove useful in many settings: as part of community service fairs, on
fundraising calls, at presentations to clubs and organizations. Always keep
duplicates in case of loss or the need to be represented in two places at
once.
Speakers Bureaus can bring a
representative of your group to speak before clubs, churches, service
organizations, and professional groups that might share an interest in the
service you provide. Poll your board members and volunteers working in the
field to determine their willingness to speak. Then contact groups whose
support would be beneficial to your organization to see if a speaker might
be scheduled. Follow up on the bookings, keep a list of equipment and power
requirements, make sure your speaker is certain of the time, place and
directions and ask for feedback after the talk.
Exhibits can be assembled from
photographs, clippings, existing audio-visual presentations and memorabilia
from your group and used at a variety of public gatherings.
Flyers and Posters can be
placed in stores, community centers, libraries and spots with public
bulletin boards. Cleverly designed, they can also serve as mailers to
patrons.
Certificates and Plaques you
give to supporters, special volunteers and helpful officials are likely to
be displayed if they're attractive. And they'll further spread your fame...
as well as your reputation for practicing good public relations.
Click Here for more Great PR Ideas!
Back to Table of
Contents
Need
to know how your salary stacks up against others in the nonprofit sector? Visit
www.workforce.com/section/02/article/23/55/06.
Target Funding Group publishes a monthly email newsletter on how to make
the most of your charitable fundraising auctions. Go to
www.benefitauction.com
to sign up for this free newsletter.
Learn all you need to know about internal financial controls at
www.delawarenonprofit.org/FinMgmtFaq1.
If you haven’t visited Tony Poderis’ web site, you should! It is full of
great, practical, useful articles and ideas. Go to
www.raise-funds.com and load
paper into your printer!
Want to tap into Internet fundraising the easy way? Hold a virtual
nonevent and get the help you need at
www.NonEvents.com.
Learn about risk management from the pros at the Nonprofit Risk
Management Center. They offer a nine-part module that helps give your
organization a risk management checkup. Go to
www.nonprofitrisk.org/cares/cares. They also offer 4 Pillars of
Accountability: ethical fundraising, strategic risk management, cultural
competence and fiscal integrity. Read more at
www.nonprofitrisk.org/pillars/pillars.
If you know some great Internet
sites, please send me an email so I can share them in the next newsletter!
Back to Table of
Contents
Now you can add two great books to your agency library.
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Back to Table of
Contents
Without knowing it, you probably learned the first rule of successful
public relations in kindergarten: ask nicely and always say thank you. Your
first contact with the media is likely to be one or more of these written
communications suggesting a story for possible coverage.
A personalized pitch letter sent alone or with a press release can point
out a specific angle or suggest story ideas or good interview subjects. This
shows you've taken the time to consider what might interest that particular
reporter. As you work with the media, you will become increasingly aware of
the kinds of stories that appeal to various people.
press release is often the first step to attract attention, but
make sure the release is a good one. Keep it to one to two pages, use an
active headline, include five or six paragraphs that cover the WHO, WHAT,
WHEN, WHERE, and WHY. Use quotable quotes, especially by well-known
spokespeople.
A calendar listing or news advisory ticks off the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE
and WHY in very concise fashion--often with times and places underscored or
in bold to catch a busy editor's eye. Calendar items, if your meeting or
event is open to the public, should give details on the program, place, time
and ticket cost (if any) and sent to calendar editors of magazines,
newspapers, and radio and television stations.
A press kit may be necessary, if you have several related stories to
tell; a number of related events, like a month-long series of speakers or
demonstrations; or a new programming season to announce. In addition to a
fact sheet and general release, a press kit may contain photos (with
captions attached), a calendar of events, biographies of key individuals
involved and brochures.
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are non-paid "commercials" on a
nonprofit organization's upcoming event or its on-going services which many
television and radio stations will run free-of-charge.
Follow-up phone calls are often helpful in placing stories. A good way to
start the conversation is to identify yourself immediately, briefly state
your reason for calling and ask if this is a good time to talk. If the
reporter says "no," ask when you could call back. Sometimes reporters or
editors are relaxed and chatty, but it's still best to be well prepared with
what you want to get across and to make it as succinct as possible. Even
though you sent a release directly to the individual, the reporter may not
have seen it and will ask you to resend it. That's a good sign. Or the
reporter may suggest you send it to someone else at the newspaper or
station. Making a placement on the first try is terrific (and exhilarating).
More often, perseverance and many calls will have to be placed before a firm
interview is set. On the other hand, if someone is clearly not interested,
it's best to take "no" for an answer. If you push too hard, chances are
you'll never place anything with that particular reporter.
Don't be discouraged if you get minimal or no interest in a given story.
It is extremely rare for 100 percent of the media to be interested in a
story; and even if they're interested, sometimes a reporter just can't be
available at the right time. Finally, every PR person's recurring nightmare
is that a spectacular fire will erupt 30 minutes before their "good news"
event is set to begin. If that happens, kiss the cameras goodbye.
Reporters do file releases for future use. And even if you can't sell
your first story, you will have made a valuable media contact and have
improved your chances for the next time!
Remember, it never hurts to say a simple “Thank You” for the coverage you
receive. You can do this with a short phone call, e-mail, or a nice Letter
to the Editor.
Effective public relations are created from a variety of different parts
-- from newsletters to news releases, speakers’ bureaus to special events.
Media relations alone can be an exercise in patience and persistence. But
fortunately, such consistent, persistent campaigns accomplish a great deal
over time. They can bring credibility to your organization with the general
public, local government officials and with special publics you wish to
reach. And, if you have received a contribution or grant from a local
company, you can probably increase the chances of getting future funds by
making sure they get the recognition they deserve. Everyone appreciates a
well-deserved pat on the back and publicizing the fact that the company
believes in what you're doing may cause other companies to support you, too.
Unlimited funds are wonderful. But, again, your greatest asset
(regardless of your budget) is imagination. The more you exercise it, the
more creative -- and effective -- you'll be.
PR! Success Tips is an email
subscription that provides tips, techniques, and ideas on improving your
public relations. If you would like to sign up, visit
www.prsuccess.com,
click on PR! Success Tips and fill in the form.
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Contents
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HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
TAKE THIS QUICKIE QUIZ
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Please give me a call if you want to turn any NO into a YES. I can help
with:
- turning your Board into a dynamic group of volunteers,
- facilitating a strategic planning session,
- analyzing your current fundraising and suggesting some new ideas, and
- training volunteers and staff in becoming more effective fundraisers.
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Here is what people have said about my training and facilitation:
"Jean Block is a powerhouse in the
Non-Profit world. You don't move about these circles long before her name is
prominent in the conversation. Her commitment to training, fundraising,
motivating, and cultivation is unsurpassed. To say she is an influence is
to miss the point. She gives new meaning to the word enthusiasm! You don't
know Jean, you experience her! She is a force unlike any other I have every
met."
Randy Gleason
Randy
Gleason Consulting, Inc.
"I attended the Corporate
Sponsorship Workshop - WOW! You were amazing! What an OPPORTUNITY for me!
Your presentation style was EXCELLENT. By
far the best workshop I've been to in a long time (content and style
both!)."
Vicki
Kopplin
Epilepsy
Foundation of Minnesota
"I attended your workshop in St. Louis
and left there feeling so uplifted by your motivation. Your training - to
make us all savvy marketers - has paid off. Even in this economy, our
underwriting is up and our auction donations have blown away everyone in
town! We simply feel empowered to ask anyone and everyone AND to tell them
WHY we are their market. It's working!
Thank you!"
Kirsten Wagmeister
Junior League of Evansville
"Thank you for the awesome training
sessions...As someone (who) would normally walk over hot coals before asking
for $, I was amazed by your session. I actually feel fired up at
fundraising. I went right home and called two friends with ideas for their
non-profits. I hope to give a presentation to my Board encouraging them to
have you train us."
Heather Harden,
Finance Council Director
Junior League of
Champaign-Urbana
"I just have to tell you that you made
such an incredible impact when you spoke to our Board. I can't begin to tell
you how many times your words of wisdom have been brought up at our
Executive, Board and Committee meetings. In fact, just today, in two
different conversations I was having, your ideas were quoted by others.
Thank you for inspiring us to think in a new direction."
Kim Erdel
Junior League of
Springfield, Missouri
"Jean conducted an extremely well
organized and productive [Board] retreat, one that I can
say with confidence that our members count as the finest
ever conducted for us. Jean's follow-up report was
in-depth and meaty, and both Board and staff have
referred to it time and again. The knowledge of
boardsmanship the members took with them has made a
remarkable difference in their levels of commitment and
support."
Eileen Cook, Executive Director
Casa Esperanza
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Director of Development, The ARC
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