Getting

noticed

Gordon Mayer

CMWho?

Communications35%

Executive Director, or other

staff32%

Board member/other

volunteer7%

Other26%

What do you do?

Turnout

Attendance at an event

Why we communicate

Awareness

Usually traces back to money

Advocacy

Best to engage audience

Where did that plan go?

How long is a strategy?

What are our goals?

Who are our audiences?

What are our messages?

• Hi! My name is _____ and I’m a …

• You know how… (problem)

• Well, what I do is…(feature)

• So that …(benefit)

• I’m kind of like …(metaphor)

– Feature: the physical traits or description of what you do

– Benefit: a feature translated into a member’s satisfaction. What do the

members get because of what you do?

– Metaphor: a comparison that can be funny or startling; goal is to make

your work familiar.

Crafting an elevator speech

Who we are, in less than 2 minutes

1. Package

Package

2. Practice

http://bit.ly/newsrelease

3. Pitch

“Do you

have a

minute

for me

to pitch

you

a story?”

The subject line

• The most important part of the pitch

• Need to make most impact in fewest

words

• Competing with spam

• Balance between playing it straight, using

humor or shock value

Huh???

“Party like it’s 4701”

(for airfare sale to Asia, by student travel company)

Result: Atlanta Journal-Constitution coverage

“Laps with Led Zeppelin”

(for snorkel with attached radio)

Result: Dallas Morning News, Wash. Post coverage

Playing into media mindset

“Another annoying COMDEX request”

(for technology company trying to set up meetings at big trade show)

Result: Tech execs totally booked for show

“PR flack run down by bus!”

(pitch for company promoting hospital emergency-room efficiency)

Result: Boston Globe interview

“Not-so-hot story idea”

(pitch for an infrared sauna that was cooler than standard saunas)

Result: New York Post coverage

Sex sells (surprise, surprise)

“Texas Sodomy Imminent”

(for PFLAG, highlighting end of TX sodomy laws)

Result: Wall St. Journal, N.Y. Times, AP

“This month’s pin-ups”

(for “pinning” ceremony held at nursing school)

Result: NYC regional media coverage

Fun

“How many students does it take to change a light bulb?”

(pitch for American U. programs to teach basics of home repair to students)

“Would you like to replace your ex-husband with a plant?”

(pitch for photographer who digitally restores old photos)

Huh??? (round 2)

“Do cats need e-mail accounts?”

(for cat owners’ Web site)

Results: MSNBC, Wall St. Journal, USA Today

“Stevie Wonder, Dick Cheney and a Volvo”

(for Inventors’ Hall of Fame)

Results: L.A. Times, AP, SF Chronicle

“47% think it’s OK to use cell phone in bathroom”

(for Sprint PCS survey on cell-phone etiquette)

Result: Several radio placements

The spam problem

• Newsrooms have spam filters, but reporters don’t know

how to use them

• Innocent words can trip filters: “free,” “money,” “check,”

“cash”

• Action verbs, like “buy,” “save,” and “get” cause

problems

• List of “trigger” words at:

http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt8/spamfilter_phrases.htm

If it’s

that easy,

why is

getting

news

coverage so

hard?

To

make

news,

you

need

to do

or

create

somethingMan bites Dog, Peter Blapps, from flickr

Like what?

• Identifying a Problem

• Finding a Solution

• Creating a Conflict

• Making a Fresh Start

• Doing Something New

• Doing Something Unusual

Not these

“mission statement” by Ecastro, from flickr

6 types of media stories

• Oh No!...disaster, tragedy, bad news

• Yes!...victory, agreement, improvement

• Wow!...extreme, unique event

• Hmmm!...thought-provoking, stimulating

• Rituals...opening days, funerals, birthdays

• News You Can Use...helpful information

The alternatives may be better

http://bit.ly/cmwethnic

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