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Media Trust
Hitting the Headlines How to get your story into the
media
Suchandrika ChakrabartiCommunity Newswire and England
Outreach Manager
What is Community Newswire?
• A free news distribution service
• Created in 2004 as a partnership between Media Trust and Press Association – 2014 is our 10th anniversary
• PA is the national news agency for the UK and Ireland
• Founded in 1868, PA delivers text, pictures and videos to all major UK news organisations
How does it work?
1) Press release received by Media Trust
2) Chosen press release written up as news by PA journalist
3) News story distributed to media organisations
Examples of coverage
Village’s WWI project to be filmed (Arlesey Remembers You)
Story: A community wants to lay a poppy cross on the grave of every serviceman listed on its war memorial to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. Usage: ITV East Anglia (TV news), ITV.com, Grantham Journal, Biggleswade Today, Haverhill Echo, Buckingham Advertiser, Bury Free Press, Fenland Citizen, Peterborough Today, Newmarket Journal, Suffolk Free Press, Bedford Today, Lynn News, Spalding Guardian, Diss Express…
Examples of coverage
The Dr Hadwen Trust gives out studentships for summer research
Story: The Dr Hadwen Trust, a non-animal medical research charity, gave grants to students to help them in their groundbreaking medical research over the summer.Usage: Daily Mail, The Star (Sheffield), Peterborough Today, Yorkshire Evening Post, South Yorkshire Times, Wakefield Gazette, Sheffield Telegraph, The Rutland Times, North Yorkshire News, Malton Mercury, Worksop Guardian, Brighouse Echo, Thame Today, Northampton Chronicle and many more. The stories gained 98 pieces of press in a day!
How using the media can work for you
The call to action in your Community Newswire story can be further amplified through our Do #Something Brilliant campaign:
• Upload your call to action as a Little Brilliant Thing to become part of the campaign and share online
• Your charity could appear in a Brilliant Britain show on Community Channel
• Talk about your call to action My Brilliant Moment for Community Channel
CNW as part of Do #Something Brilliant
Exercise: Editorial Meeting
• What makes a good story? • Differences in how news brands cover
stories• Reaching the public vs. reaching
opinion formers
Readership
Developing Stories
• Overview• What makes a good story?• Communicating your message
Overview: story types
News stories: Why now?
• Topical• Event driven• Factual• Shorter• Spokesperson quotes
= Press release driven
Features: Why this topic? • Less time sensitive• Longer, discursive• May not be based on a news
story• Can be opinionated,
emotive• Has to include case studies• May include multiple
spokespeople
= Phone/email approach
What makes a good story?
A sense of the subject’s voice and enthusiasm for your organisation.
1) An engaging case study has three acts:• Before: why did the subject come to your organisation?• During: what help did they find? How did they access the
service(s)?• After: how has the subject’s life improved?
2) A punchy opening that gets straight to the point
3) Details that help create visuals
4) Quotes that help convey tone of voice
Communicate your message
To get your story in the media, it needs to be newsworthy
1) Timing: it needs to be as new as possible. Also keep an eye on the current news agenda.
2) Proximity: will your story work better with a regional focus? Would local media coverage be more useful?
3) Prominence: if you could get a famous person to launch your campaign, it helps…
Communicate your message
4) Significance: the number of people affected by the story. Are you trying to attract new users / volunteers / funds?
5) Human interest: your success stories. Make sure there’s a human face and quote for your statistics
6) Multimedia: photos and videos add interest and make it more likely the story will be picked up
Press Releases
• Planning a good press release• Key messages• Style
Planning a good press release
• Why is this a story – and who cares?
• Work out what your story is
• Headline – tell the journalist, but don’t be too clever
• Work backwards from your headline
• Do you need a sub-heading?
• First paragraph explains the story
Key messages
• Always three – people lose interest after that
• What do you want to people to remember?
• No point in coverage without getting your point
across or your message out
• Weave key messages into a quote or a call to action
Style
• Keep the tone positive• Use an active voice where possible• Use headings to make a point• Cut out unnecessary words• Check grammar and spelling• Avoid clichés like the plague!
Dealing with the press
• Why work with the media?• Developing media relations• Approaching journalists
Why work with the media?
1. To let people know that you exist
2. It’s a cost-effective way of getting your message to key audiences
3. Can enhance campaign visibility, which can help fundraising
4. To achieve your campaign objectives: more sign ups, more event attendance, more donations, more service users
5. To gain support and change behaviour
Developing Media Relations
Who do you need to reach?
• To change opinions/behaviour: those who don’t agree with you
• To influence policy: decision-makers (MPs, teachers, doctors, etc.)
• To let those in need know about your services
• To raise awareness: supporters and funders (govt orgs down to individuals)
How do you reach them?
• Find readers by age, sex, social class... newsworks.org.uk/Facts-Figures
• Find readers by publication: nrs.co.uk/
• Look for journalists’ contacts at gorkanapr.com/
Developing Media Relations: Approaching Journalists
Do• Have case studies and willing
interviewees lined up• Have great multimedia, or at
least an illustrative photo• Develop good relationships
with a handful of trustworthy journos over time
• Read your target publications closely
Don’t• Send really long emails, press
releases, other documents• Blanket-email editors – they
like exclusives!• Use anonymous case studies –
hard for readers to empathise• Ignore the news agenda or
stick too rigidly to the embargo
Approaching Journalists: Top Tips
WHY?
Increase (favourable) coverage
HOW?
• Twitter and LinkedIn
• Become source of credible stories
• Keep regular contact (but avoid sending non-news)
• Offer an exclusive story ?
• Be contactable after hours
• Don’t complain if they don’t write about you
Using Social Media
• What can social media add to your campaign?
• Overview of useful platforms
What can social media add to your campaign?
• Quick and free way of getting your message out to a potentially infinite audience
• Easier to build new relationships
• You can track word-of-mouth
• Can take more risks – less permanent
• Can curate your image more easily
• Publicise your content e.g. new blogpost
Overview of useful platforms
Facebook Twitter
• Using your page as a blog
• Showcase for multimedia
• Lets supporters know about updates
• Passive, closed
• Openness allows for new connections
• Conversations with current and new supporters
• RTs can make new allies + underpin tone
• Can get lost in the ever-updating feed
Overview of useful platforms
YouTube LinkedIn
• It’s a professional context, so you can really show off what your org does
• Sharing content regularly keeps you in your contacts’ minds
• Reaching your contacts’ networks
• Closed off to random contact – opp Twitter
• Video is a powerful way of telling your org’s stories
• Brings case studies to life
• Younger demographic
• Filmmaking is costly + time-consuming
And finally… animal stories will always be winners!
