Generating local publicity

Tell your story: PR on a

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Generating local publicity...Communications TeamEast of England26th September 2012

Generating local publicity

•All grants awarded are made public (press release, BIG and DCMS website)

•BIG sets embargo date

•National and regional media alerted

•Then it’s up to you! But today should help ...

Background - generating local publicity

•After the embargo date its up to projects to generate their local publicity

•BIG doesn’t have the resources to promote each project so amount of local media work is limited

•Therefore, we need you to shout about your project and the wider work you do – BIG encourages grant holders to promote themselves and their BIG funded project

Generating local publicity - proactive work

Before you start

•Have a plan

•Three key messages

•Q&A’s

•Research your environment

Generating local publicityproactive work

Know your local media

•Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet, including student or community-based stations

•Read the publication, watch or listen to programmes

•Identify key contacts

•Find out their deadlines for news stories (could be different for different sections of the paper)

•Use the internet to find out your local newspapers – eg: www.newspapersoc.org.uk


Journalists are looking for –

•News - a fact or event that hasn’t been made public before

•News comment or feature – putting events into context, letters

•Features – in-depth coverage of events or trends

•Diary pieces – entertainment, possibly a charity event


Journalists are interested in

•Exclusivity

•Clarity

•Examples

•Facts/ideas

•Human interest angles

•Contacts


Always have readily available

•Updated key facts and figures about your project

•Case studies with contact details

•Spokespeople available for interviews

•Contact details for key members of your organisation


Press releases – a key media tool

•Make sure you have something to say

•Answer the question – “Will the readers you are trying to reach be interested in your information?”

•If you cannot say “YES” – rethink


Planning a press release

•Identify your story

•Find a hook – is there something topical you could link your PR to give it a stronger chance of making the news?

•Have a clear message (when planning try to put it in 2 short sentences)

•Consider availability of case studies and images

•Identify and brief your spokespeople

•Obtain quotes from key spokespeople to include

•Alert all relevant team members about your plans


Writing a press release

•Grab attention with a headline and first paragraph – keep it simple

•Concentrate on what your news is and put it in the first paragraph of the release, don’t bury it in the last paragraph!

•Subsequent paragraphs should be in order of priority

•Include what, when, where, why, who, how

•Be concise



•Keep sentences short

•Make it relevant and timely – use present/future tense

•Keep adjectives to the minimum (you can use more in quotes)

•Keep it to 2/3 pages maximum

•Don’t use unproven facts (be ready to back your statistics)



•Use headed paper

•Clearly mark ‘News Release’ at the top of the page

•Add date and embargo date, or ‘For immediate release’

•Include your name, telephone (including an out-of-hours number), email address at the bottom of release

•Include Notes To Editors at the end - gives background info on the organisation and any useful additional info

•Don’t forget to credit Big Lottery Fund if appropriate


Sending out your release

•Check how journalist would like to receive it – fax, post, email

•Follow up your release with a phone call

•If you are holding an event, ask if they will send a photographer (remember to provide them with photo opportunities if you want a photographer to attend)

•Make sure someone is available to answer questions on the day. This should ideally be your media spokesperson

Generating local publicity - Reactive work

•When approached by the media consider the possible reasons for the enquiry

•Is it a cold call or is it a follow up to your publicity work?


When approached find out:

•Context of the enquiry

•Nature of the enquiry – is the journalist contacting anyone else for comment? If so, what are they saying?

•Name of the publication

•Name and contact details for the journalist

•Deadline for information


Action plan

Exercise judgement – don’t open up too much

Alert all relevant members of your organisation

Agree and disseminate lines to take to all your spokespeople

Offer to supply statement in writing – it’s harder to take words out of context

Exercise you right of reply, if the information printed/broadcast by the journalist is factually incorrect

Generating local publicityreactive work

•If an enquiry relates more to Big Lottery Fund than your grant

•Make sure that you pass the details to the Big Lottery Fund Officer asap!!

•020 7211 1888 or out of hours 07867 500 572

Generating local publicity

Press release exercise

Business

Generating local publicity