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Media Relations
Miki Haines-Sanger, Golden Goose PRTuesday 15 October 2013
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Chair’s introduction
Jenna Oxley, Transport for LondonMedia Relations
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Media relations
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Can you learn to be good at PR?• Strong people skills
• Likeable personality
• Confident on the phone, good at following up with written communication
• News sense
• Creative thinking
• Good at saying thank you
• Keep in touch with your contacts
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The press release
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The press release (wrong and right)
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A press release isn’t…
A marketing doctrine
An advert
A letter to journalists communicating a brand’s voice and beliefs to trigger them to write a proper final article
A brand manifesto
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The brand manifesto
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A press release is…
News
Relevant
Coverage generating
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The problem
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The exception
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The risk
Unless the news is so huge that it sells itself, if the press release is written word-for-word the way that a client or your brand manager thinks they want it, you run three risks:
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What to aim for
• Well thought out release with a real story
• Speak out if in doubt
• Sound out with a friendly journalist
• If you need to take it back a stage and build more into the story, then do
• No one can blame you if you’ve channelled the right content at the right time in the best and most professional way
• A journalist who receives this first class kind of communication from you is going to want to work with you and hear from you again
• A client who has seen your efforts result in great coverage will always trust you
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Different types of releases
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A few examples…
• First to market/real news
• Brand launch/new product
• Celebrity alignment/influencer endorsement
• Surveys and stats
• Stunts, activities and photocalls
• Business announcements/figures
• Crisis statements
• Creative content generation
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A brand news release
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The potential disaster
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Your job
• Write your releases well and have the conviction to stand by them
• Push back if the person signing off your releases tries to annihilate them with:
• Long sentences
• Intellectual words
• Unnecessary words
• Fluff
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Don’ts
• Write in the first person
• If the brand isn’t the story, don’t open with the brand
• Throw away the quote with a cliché
• Bulk mail
• Write a long email intro
• Send attachments or PDF’s
• Capitalise job titles
• Capitalise headlines
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How to write a good release
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Read the papers
Use the sentence structure of real news journalism
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Write like a journalistWrite in one sentence paragraphs
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Remain objective
Write like a news journalist NOT like a columnist
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A good release
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Keep it simple
• 200-400 words
• If there’s a simpler word, use it
• Avoid repeating points
• Forget university essay language (moreover, thus, indeed)
• Try to write a headline of no more than six or seven words
- if you can’t do that you don’t have a story
• If you can’t explain it on the phone in two lines is it a story?
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The big question…
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?
use
UTILISE
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?
use
UTILISE
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Pitching to the media
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When and how to pitch
• Look on Gorkana (for features, avoid press days)
• For national news every day is a press day – to get on their lists, call before conferences. Telegraph timings: 7am (mini conference), 8.45am, midday and 4pm
• In your head, get your pitch right in no more than two sentences
• Follow up your initial call with your email, address them personally. Thank them for their time on the phone just now
• Paste the release
• Reply immediately and professionally even just to say you’re on it
• Don’t call back to check they got the release – wait then call a few hours later
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Tips and tricks
• It’s worth one third and last call around 8pm (latest)
• You may find the story hasn’t made it which means you can forewarn
• Set your alarm for 6am and pitch to the online teams
• For light news, work with a news agency ([email protected])
• Release Sunday for Monday
• Always be prepared for rudeness
• Google your contacts/check their Twitter accounts
• Have a great visual
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One approach fits all
• You have to believe in the story
• You have to be able to picture it - even as a nib - in print or a moment on TV
• If you doubt it, brainstorm around it
• You can always target the Sundays if the mid-week publications haven’t used you
• For radio, the same rules apply but you need to pitch in an even more succinct written way. Sentences so short they are on-air soundbytes
• Press release writing is a skill that can make or break a campaign, it’s important to get it right
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Content generation
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Be creative
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Thank you
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