Press & PR Catrin Taylor, Amgueddfa Cymru –
National Museum Wales
Today’s session
• What is news?
• Media & contacts
• Is the press release dead?
• Selling in
• PR & Social Media
• Tips
• Please ask questions…
What’s ‘new’s?
A dog biting a man is NOT news
A man biting a dog IS news
What is news?• Largest• Smallest• Unusual/quirky object• Good photograph• Rare object found• Object relating to a topical issue• Human interest story/profile• National days/weeks• Exhibitions and events
Some examples£100,000 from players of People’s Postcode Lottery
Some examples
Unseasonal wild flowers Winter 2012
Media• Print
- Local weekly papers (Tivyside Advertiser, Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald)
- Local daily papers (Wrexham Leader, South Wales Argus)
- Wales national papers (Western Mail, Daily Post)- UK national (Guardian, Times)- Magazines (Golwg, Buzz Magazine, Cardiff Life)- Specialist publications (Museums Journal, Art
Newspaper)
Media• Broadcast
- Radio (BBC Radio Wales, Real Radio, Heart FM)- Television (Heno, BBC Wales Today, Newyddion)
• Online- BBC Online, Wales Online, ITV, Culture 24
• Social Media- Facebook, Twitter, Flickr
How to make contacts?
• Read, listen and watch
• Network
• Research online
• Work in partnership
Is the press release dead?
PRESS RELEASE
•A summary of facts about an event,
exhibition, programme or issue on which
you want media attention
•It must contain news
How to write a press release
• Inverted pyramid style
• First paragraph is "lead" and contains the most important information
• Subsequent paragraphs expand
on information and give
more detail
A good press release
• Who, what, when, where, why,
and how
• Who is the subject of the story?
• What is the story about?
• When is, or was, the event?
• Where is, or was, it happening?
• Why is the information important?
Selling in• Journalists receive hundreds of press
releases a day• Your journalist contact has to sell your
story to the editor• Journalists can switch off after the first
paragraph• Work to the journalist’s deadline -
always ask when their deadline is
Selling in• Preparation is key
• Know the publications/outlets you’re calling
• Be enthusiastic
• End by asking ‘Is this of interest?
• Any examples?
PR & Social Media• Website – update regularly
• Social Media
- Blogs
- Vimeo
- Flickr
This is news
• There’s no point selling in a story if the
journalist’s going to ask ‘so what?’
• Something that’s relevant to the
current news cycle
• Is it a story that you’d want
to read?
Making an impact
• 55% judge you on how you say
things
• 38% judge you by what you look
like
• 7% judge you by what you say
Any questions?