Training
Conducting a Media Campaign
by Wayne D. King
A successful media campaign
can give your business or organization a lot of free publicity without tapping
into your budget resources. There is no other more cost-effective way to
generate publicity and credibility for your organization.
Some people refer to the media attention received
by a media campaign as free media, but the actual term for this is "earned
media" because your organization earns its recognition by telling its
story. Free media almost never happens. . . it must be earned and that means
you need to be proactive.
But getting the media interested in your story is
not an easy task. Reporters and editors everywhere are bombarded with
hundreds of news releases every day. To increase the chance of having your
story published, you must make the editors' job easier by presenting your news
release in a format and style that appeals to them. Here are some tips for
successfully doing so.
1) Choose Your Issues Carefully
Is your company/organization working on a project
that is particularly interesting? Is there a natural nexus between a high
profile media story and the work in which you are engaged? Has some high
profile news story mislead the public or provided "facts" that you
can countervail? All of these things provide opportunities for your organization
to get its message out to a broader public. Generally this can be done through
news releases but you may also wish to consider news conferences as well.
2) Make a list, prioritize your list,
schedule your releases and media opportunities.
A very effective way to do this is to add 15
minutes into a weekly organizational meeting to brainstorm ideas. Select one
person (your media specialist if you have one) and have that person take notes
and include them in any memo that is written regarding the meeting and
distributed among staff members. You will be surprised at how many new ideas
will be generated at the next meeting if people read about this in a memo.
As your list develops prioritize it and group
stories and issues that relate to one another. Use this list and schedule as a
set of measurable goals for your media campaign. Follow it, but don't be so
rigid that you miss an opportunity to respond to some other timely issue
because you were staying on schedule. If events warrant a change in the schedule
then take advantage of those events to broaden your campaign.
3) Draft News Releases and media advisories around
your schedule of issues.
If you have a readily available
media, choose some issues around which you can build a news conference and
invite the media to attend. Be sure to give them advance notice with a Media
Advisory and follow up if possible with telephone calls and emails to remind
them.
4) Develop Relationships and Gain Credibility with
the News Media:
A relationship and credibility with the media
creates a two-way stream of opportunity for your media campaign. Up until now
we have only discussed how your organization can proactively create and
distribute its message. As you gain credibility with the media, you will find
them calling you when a news story merits a response from your
organization.
Don't expect to gain credibility with the news media or
the general public right away. This is a process that takes time – AND NEVER
ENDS. you will constantly be tried and tested by the public and the media. Any
organization that begins to lose site of the importance of conveying their
message in a way that reflects both style and substance will eventually begin
to see its support among institutions and individuals wane.
5) Honesty is Always the Best Policy:
Finally,
(and it may sound strange coming from a recovering politician) it is sound
advice to say “Always be honest” with the public and the media, whether this is
in the context of a news release, an interview with a reporter, a newsletter or
an annual report. Your credibility over the long term rests on the ability of
people to trust you. Better to admit a mistake than to suffer the consequences
associated with trying to rationalize it or justify it.
