PART THREETHE PUBLICS

CHAPTER NINE

PRINT MEDIA RELATIONS

9-2

Abundance of Outletswith Challenges Electronic media growth Decline in readership in U.S. Faith and trust in the media limited 1,480 dailies with 9 million circulation

121 million daily and 127 million Sunday readership According to the Newspaper Association of America

10,857 magazines published in U.S. with readership up in specialty publications

500 Cable and broadcast television channels

9-3

Top Ten Daily Newspapers in the United States

9-4

Public relations professionals rely on the media: As an important public for their efforts To secure positive publicity for their clients To assist in promoting and defending their

client as the need dictates

9-5

Question

Can you identify the promotion efforts?The City of New York

Can you identify the defense efforts?SARS

9-6

Can’t we all just get along?

A question at the forefront…..with media and practitioners.

Role of the media is to watch, look, listen, and question officials

Gather and report the news as objectively as possible

9-7

Public relations professionals and the media should have a reciprocal relationship built on respect, fairness, and trust.

9-8

Principles for dealing with the media: A reporter is a reporter You are the organization There is no standard

issue reporter Treat journalists

professionally Don’t sweat the

skepticism Don’t “buy” a journalist Become a trusted source

Talk when not “selling” Don’t expect “news”

agreement Don’t cop an attitude Never lie Read the paper

9-9

Question:

What is the difference between publicity and advertising?

Hint: Credibility

9-10

Advertising

Costs money for time or space Content is controlled Size is controlled Location dictates where it will appear Reach is exposure to households Frequency or times it is run

9-11

Publicity

Uncontrolled Editorially reviewed No direct costs for placement, like

advertising Appears as news, not advertisement Perception is more objective

9-12

How can publicity be used by the practitioner? To announce a new product or service, or

reinvigorate an older one Provide an explanation about a complex

product Requires little to no budget Can enhance the organizational reputation Provides a venue for crisis response

9-13

Publicity should remain a strong part of the organization’s overall marketing plan.

Practitioners must actively place publicity through gatekeepers. This practice is called pitching.

9-14

Guidelines for Pitching

Know deadlines for each media outlet Generally, write don’t call Direct the release to a specific person or editor Determine how the reporter prefers contact Don’t badger Consider exclusives carefully Do your own calling Don’t send clips of other stories about your client Develop a relationship Never lie

9-15

Pitching Online—A different space but relationship building is still important Use a media database that delivers releases to cyberbase venues Send an e-mail briefly inquiring whether e-mail is appropriate for

news announcements. Target, personalize the pitch Links are valuable to your website E-mail newsletters for targeted publicity Check online news cites and Rueters Check Web libraries and monitor discussion forums Cyber media tours can be valuable to many outlets

9-16

Wire Services Traditional Wire service Associated Press

has 15,000 clients worldwide Financial Wires are Dow Jones, Reuters,

and Bloomberg PR Newswire, Business Wire, and Internet

Wire are paid wires.

9-17

Measurement of Publicity

Media Directories such as Bacon’s Publicity Checker

Press Monitoring Bureaus such as Burrelle’s and Luce

Broadcast Transcription Services Media Distribution Services Content Analysis Services such as Medialink

9-18

Interviews

Interviewee role is to convey key messages

Interviewee role is to “get a good story”

9-19

Say what?Interview Do’s and Don’ts Do homework in advance Relax Speak in personal terms Welcome the naïve question Answer questions briefly and directly Don’t bluff State facts and back up generalities If the reporter is promised further information, provide it quickly There is no such thing as “off the record” Tell the truth

9-20

Press Conferences

Press conferences provide a venue to communicate in person real news. Can be used for annual meetings or major announcements.

9-21

Exercise

You’ve just been assigned to pitch the upcoming tour of an upstart rock band. What would you need to know to pitch them? Where would you pitch? How would you handle interviews and press conferences?

Compare your answers to the following list, how did you do?

9-22

Guidelines for Press Conferences

Don’t play favorites, notify all representatives Notify the media by mail well in advance Follow up early and often Schedule the conference in midmorning to accommodate schedules

and deadlines Hold conference in a meeting room Time should be allotted and stated in advance Keep the speaker away from reporters before the conference Prepare materials to complement the speaker’s presentation Remember to prepare for TV Let the reporters know when the end has come Cue the reinforcements