471 Media Relations_Chapter 3

Public relations 471Media relations

About whom are we talking?

Mass media public breakdown

• Local

• Print Magazine• TV Radio• Blog

• National

• Print Broadcast• Radio Blog• Magazine

specialized media public breakdown

• Local and National

• Trade Paper

• Organizational Membership

• Ethnic Publication

• Specialized Broadcast

Media relations research

Media relationclient research

How much coverage has the group received?

Does the client even like to receive media attention?

Were they on offense or defense?

Did the media outlet do a good job?

How did the media outlet respond to feedback?

Media relationsopportunity research

PR people forget to do this far too often.

•What kind of items do media outlets cover?

• If media outlets don’t cover press conferences, don’t schedule one.

• If media outlets like exclusive interviews with the CEO, offer said opportunity.

•Understand how media outlets cover breaking news.

• Do they shoot first and ask questions later?• Are they responsible?• Are their priorities the web immediately or the next news

cycle?

Media relations audience research

How many people work there?

How many people read or watch their content?

What kind of content do they cover?

Who covers what?

What is their deadline?

Do you have their editorial calendar?

Media relations objectives

Media relationsimpact objectives

• Increase awareness about a client or issue

• Make your client a thought leader.

• Increase client credibility overall

Media relationsoutput objectives

• How much coverage did you get?

• Blog posts• Column inches• Minutes of TV time

• How much was that media exposure worth?

• How much did they spend on your PR plan?

Media relations programming

Media relations programming• Uncontrolled Media will stress you out.

• How will reporters alter your news release?• What kind of photos will outlets use?• Which soundbite gets used from the press conference?• Will the media interviews go the way you planned.

• The growth of controlled media has changed the game.

• Online newsrooms• Social media, specifically YouTube• Direct mail• Email marketing

Media relations programming• My thoughts on effective communication.

• Be there when you don’t need them.• Make sure you write a good bio for your clients. It helps

make them more credible.• Think video and pictures. • Backdrop

Media relations evaluation

Media relations evaluation

• Monetary evaluation looks good.

• Content analysis that shows improvement looks better.

• Sometimes no media coverage looks great.

• All evaluation should link back to stated objectives.

Six ways to answer media questions

• Open with a Short Answer

• Eyes on the Message Points

• Pick One Question: If asked multiple questions, answer the easiest one

• NEVER Repeat Negative Words

• Eliminate Complexity

• It’s OK to say, “I don’t know” BUT then bridge to your message points.

Two great ways to get out of troubleBridging Tough Questions

•  Reporters tend to ask questions that come out of left field. A technique called “Bridging” can help get interviews back on track to your main points.

• Answer the question concisely and then BRIDGE to your main points. It’s easy. Bridging phrases can include:

• “That’s an interesting question, but what you really need to focus on is …”• “Well, the answer is no, but what is really important here is …”

Two great ways to get out of troubleCapture The Flag

• Some reporters don’t pay attention to what you’re saying during an interview. In some cases, the person writing the story isn’t even the person talking to you. So how do you make sure reporters get it? Flagging is the answer.

• Flagging puts a verbal exclamation mark on the message you just delivered. Here are few examples:

“I can’t stress enough the importance of …”

“You should write this down.”

“Finally, the most important thing people need to know is...”

Media relations case study

Let’s start thinking

• You’re the state of California.

• You have thousands of parents who struggle to find care for their children during the day.

• You have resources to help.

• How do you connect the dots?

Let’s start thinking

• http://www.ogilvypr.com/en/case-study/california-department-education