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Cover letters,

media advisories

how to play nice

WORKING WITH MEDIA

Why is this important?

PR needs the media to validate content.

The media needs PR to find stories they’re too busy to find.

There is a love/hate relationship.

• Many journalists think PR people are used car salesmen.

• Many PR people think journalists are sensational.• This is why personal relationships matter so much.

Media relations checklistSeven Steps For Success

1. Know your media

2. Localize

3. Be available/responsive

4. Be honest and fair

5. Be sensitive to deadlines

6. Be persistent, not annoying

7. Be wary of offering free stuff

NATIONAL Database GATHERING

There are five that most use

•PR Newswire

•Busineswire

•Cision,

•Vocus

•Meltwater

DatabaseFEATUREs

1. Media organization name

2. Mailing address

3. Telephone and fax number

4. E-mail addresses

5. Names of key editors and reporters

6. Social media accounts

7. These are not always precise

Editorial calendars

1. Provide information about what will be covered in certain issues of a publication.

2. Often set a year in advance.

3. Many keep same special issues from year to year.

4. These allow you to play connect the dots between media and your organization.

Tip sheets

Weekly newsletters that report on

• Changes in news personnel and their assignments

• How to contact them

• What kinds of material they’re looking for

HARO is a great daily tip sheet

There are two ways we initially alert media

Pitch Letter/Email

OR

Media Advisory

PITCH LETTER=PITCH EMAIL

PITCH LETTER/email OVERVIEW

• Pitch letters let media gatekeepers know something is going on.

• They are usually the first thing a gatekeeper sees.

• It’s a sales pitch that explains why the media outlet needs to cover this.

• PITCH LETTER MUST BE CUSTOMIZED.

• YOU HAVE TO CONNECT YOUR CONTENT TO THEIR NEWS VALUES

PITCH LETTER/email OVERVIEW

• Step One: Connect to them.

• What is of interest to them?• How have they covered the story or issue in the

past?• Twitter and Cision help you personalize the pitch.• LinkedIn can help too.

• Step Two: Connect to you.

• Keep it short.• Follow up with call or tweet.

I really can’t stress this enough

• The more personal the pitch, the higher the batting average.

• This applies to cover letters as well.

PITCH LETTER 101COURTESY BAD PITCH BLOG

1. Hit with your best shot.

2. Make it damn personal.

3. It’s method, man. Letters delivered by email need different content than those delivered by envelope with stamp.

4. Do not rush a letter.

5. Proofread. Proofread. Oh and then proofread again.

Pitch letter example

• I hope you've come down from the Breaking Bad high of Sunday. I still can't believe everything that happened in 75 minutes.

• As you get ready for the OSU/Northwestern game and other coverage this weekend on ESPN Radio, I wanted to pitch a potential guest who can offer a different perspective on where the OSU team is and how it got there….

Pitch letter example

• I recently read your vaccine article and wanted to connect about an international autism conference taking place next week in Columbus, Ohio.

Pitch letter example

• Sorry about Pete Carroll’s brain freeze.

MEDIA ADVISORIES

Let’s Talk Media Advisories.• They tell assignment editors about upcoming news

events, opportunities or local angles

• When you host a press conference or event, you send these.

• When you have special availability, you send these.

• When you don’t trust reporters to embargo a release, you send these.

• When you have a major announcement and don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, you send these.

Formatting

These are one page:

• These are almost always for immediate release.• Contact Information: CELL MANDATORY….• Headline• What, who, when, where, background in that order.• Logistics

• Where can I park?• Where do I go when I get there?

WORKING WITH MEDIA ONCE THEY ARE INTERESTED

How can we play nice? Six tips for media interviews

1. When reporters call, interview them first.

2. Know the purpose of the interview

3. Be prepared for questions, know your facts.

4. Don’t be combative, arrogant, evasive. If you don’t know the answer, it’s OK. Just explain when and how you can find the answer.

5. Get your message/talking points across.

6. The best PR pros think like reporters….

How can we play nice? News conference

1. Don’t use reporters for routine announcements

2. Allow all media information simultaneously

3. Allow follow-up questions

4. Schedule at a good time for reporters.

1. 10, 1 and 3 are good times.

5. Select a location that accommodates reporters’ technical needs.

How to play nice:News conference

• Invite reporters a week in advance.

• Establish a schedule and rules for the conference.

• Spokespeople should remain available afterward.

• Be tech friendly

• Webinars• UStream…

How to play niceMedia tour

If they can’t come to you, you go to them.

• Media outlet itself• Satellite media tour

• Radio• TV….5 minute interviews• Skype!!!!!!!!! • Internet or Twitter chats

How to play nice:other ideas

• Previews

• Opening of facility.

• Launch of a product or campaign.

• Press junkets

• Entertainers do these all the time to promote.

• They stay in one place and reporters rotate in and out.

• Press tours/trips

• Must be legitimate news angle.

• With bloggers, all bets can be off.

How to play nice:other ideas

Editorial board meetings

• Contact editor to request a meeting.• Great way to build relationship with

gatekeepers.• Great way to build third party

endorsements.• People don’t use this enough.

How to play nice:other ideas

Create Conferences & Fundraisers

• You garner support• You state a case to a sympathetic crowd.• You better control content because it’s a .

one stop shop for media and audience• It’s also social media friendly. • The key is to sell the subject matter, not

the conference itself.

Media relations checklistSeven Steps For Success

1. Know your media

2. Localize

3. Be available/responsive

4. Be honest and fair

5. Be sensitive to deadlines

6. Be persistent, not annoying

7. Be wary of offering free stuff