Recognizing a Good Story

1
Recognizing a Good Story Pitching it
for Great Results
2
Objectives

• How to identify a good story and a hook
• What makes this newsworthy and why should I care?
• How to gather the facts a reporter needs
• Do the reporters work for them.
• How to develop the perfect pitch
• Im gone in 60 seconds!
• How to develop good media relationships
• Dont just call us well call you too!

3
Recent Houston YMCA News Pitches

• Clay Road Family YMCA/Healthy Kids Day Set for
  Saturday
• 04/10/2008
• Company Boosts YMCA Campaign
• 03/06/2008
• YMCA kicks off annual fundraising campaign
• 02/21/2008
• Clay Road YMCA group creates kids teaching tool
• 01/24/2008
• Single mom, teacher nets YMCA award
• 01/17/2008
• YMCA Holds Open Houses
• 01/10/2008

4
Recent Houston YMCA News Pitches

• YMCA of Greater Houston
• KRIV-FOX HOUSTON, TX
• APR 19 2008 630AM CT
• HOLA HOUSTON
• 063054 AM GRANDPARENTS RAISING
  GRANDCHILDREN. AND IT SEEMS TO BE QUITE COMMON
  THESE DAYS. THIS MORNING WE'LL TELL YOU WHAT THE
  YMCA IS DOING TO HELP THOSE SPECIAL CAREGIVERS IN
  OUR COMMUNICATE.

5
Recent Houston YMCA News Pitches

• KTRK-ABC HOUSTON, TX
• APR 13 2008 900AM CT
• EYEWITNESS NEWS SUNDAY 9AM
• 090404 AM JAKAILA WAS EVENTUALLY
  REUNITED WITH HER PARENTS FOUR HOURS LATER.
  INVESTIGATORS TELL US THE DAYCARE NEVER CONDUCTED
  A BACKGROUND CHECK ON THE WORKER, MS. MORRIS.
  OFFICIALS AT THE YMCA CHILD CARE CENTER ARE
  ASKING PARENTS TO BE VIGILANT. THE PARENTS DON'T
  AND ENOUGH QUESTIONS. THEY GET LAX.

6
Recent Houston YMCA News Pitches

• KPRC-NBC HOUSTON, TX
• APR 12 2008 1000PM CT
• NEWS 2 HOUSTON AT 10PM
• 101634 PM OBESITY IS BECOMING A GROWING
  PROBLEM. TODAY THERE WAS A NATIONWIDE EFFORT TO
  HELP OUR CHILDREN LIVE HEALTHIER LIVES. IT WAS
  PART OF THE 17TH ANNUAL YMCA HEALTHY KIDS DAY.
  THE HOUSTON AREA Y SPONSORED ITS OWN EVENTS THIS
  MORNING TO ENCOURAGE FAMILIES TO GET OFF THE
  COUCH. ORGANIZERS SAY THERE ARE THREE SIMPLE
  THINGS TO DO TO KEEP THE FAMILY IN SHAPE.

7
Why We Need Public Relations

• Need to reduce costs
• Fragmentation of the media
• Clutter of commercial messages
• Increased competition
• Thomas L. Harris, Value-Added Public Relations

8
Why We Need Public Relations

• "Properly carried out, effective communications
  strategies can translate into greater financial
  support just as surely as product advertising
  translates into increased sales."
• Ray Boyer, Associate VP, Communications, The John
  D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

9
Why Financial Development Needs PR

• "By adopting the perspective that communications
  and public relations are critical to carrying out
  the mission of a nonprofit organization and a
  powerful tool in fundraising, it becomes too
  important to ignore."
• Ray Boyer, Associate VP, Communications, The John
  D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

10
Role of the Media

• Serve as gatekeepers of information
• Set the agenda and influence the marketplace

11
How Does the Media Work?

• Print
• Includes magazines, newspapers and newsletters
• Can be daily or weekly
• Breaking news, relevant feature stories, current
  news of the day
• Deadline-driven
• Reporters often cover specific areas or beats
• Also includes photo editors
• Like exclusives (separate from television)

12
How Does the Media Work?

• Television
• Breaking news
• Timely and feature oriented
• Like exclusives
• Behind the scenes footage
• Reporter participating in activity
• Think in sound bytes
• Short lead time, opportunity for long leads
  (sweeps, Feb., May, July, Nov.)
• Community service opportunities
• Guest segment opportunities
• Video-driven

13
How Does the Media Work?

• Radio
• Format-driven
• Opportunity for live remotes
• Short lead, breaking news
• Expert guests on shows
• Community service shows, public service
  announcements
• Paints pictures with sound

14
Identifying a Good StoryWhats the hook?

• Why should I care?
• What is so interesting about this story that I
  should give up valuable space and air time to
  cover it?
• What makes this story newsworthy?

15
Identifying a Good StoryWhats the
hook? continued

• Conflict
• Drama, comedy, emotion
• Tear-jerker
• Human interest
• Disaster or other crises
• Effects/involves a large number or specific group
  of people
• Something new, unique or improved

16
Identifying a Good StoryWhats the
hook? continued

• Effects/involves a specific area or community
• Timely
• Exclusive
• Great video/pictures/sound
• Were the only ones doing it
• Personal Profile
• Award
• Event

17
Identifying a Good Story

• Human interest
• Amazing volunteer, special teen, unique member
• New programs
• New forms of exercise, new youth or outreach
  programs
• Events
• Healthy Kids Day, Open Houses
• Community Impact
• Making a visible, measurable difference in large
  or small numbers
• Timely
• Tied into a current national or local event,
  whether good or bad news

18
What are some newsworthy, good stories at your Y?
19
Gathering the Right Information

• Reporters want much of the story handed to them.
• Reporters are busy and dont have a lot of time.
• Reporters are pressed for time.
• Reporters have to pitch ideas too.

20
Gathering the Right Information continued

• WE (Five Ws one E)
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• Everything else

21
Gathering the Right InformationMr. Razaman
example

• Mr. Razaman turns 102
• Who 102 Year Old YMCA Member the N. Harris
  County YMCA
• What Birthday party for a man turning 102
• When Today
• Where N. Harris County YMCA

22
Gathering the Right Information continued

• Why
• Its rare for someone to live to be 102
• Mr. Razaman comes to the YMCA 4 to 5 times a week
• He attributes his health, in part, to exercise
• He is so old, his country does not exist anymore

23
Gathering the right information continued

• Everything Else
• His wife works out with him she will be there
• His son will be there
• Were having cake and balloons
• Mr. Razaman will work out before the party
• He and his family would love to talk with you
• The YMCA has many programs to promote senior
  health and wellness

24
The Perfect PitchGone in 60 seconds

• You must grab their attention
• In the first 60 seconds of a phone call or face
  to face meeting
• In the first sentence of a news release
• In the subject line of the email
• In the header of your calendar listing

25
The Elevator Pitch

• You have 10 floors to pitch someone.
• What are your key messages?
• How do your organize your points?
• Be clear and concise.

26
The Elevator PitchExample Mr. Razaman

• 10th floor
• I have a great story for you. One of our YMCA
  members is turning 102 today.
• 8th floor
• He attributes his longevity to working out at the
  YMCA 4 to 5 days a week.
• 6th floor
• He walks on the treadmill and lifts weights each
  time he comes in.

27
The Elevator PitchExample Mr. Razaman
continued

• 4th floor
• You wont believe it but he drives himself to the
  YMCA everyday.
• 2nd floor
• Today when he comes in to work out, were having
  a birthday party for him, with balloons and cake.
• Ground level
• Mr. Razaman, his wife, his son, and a YMCA
  trainer will be here and all of them are willing
  to share this amazing fountain of youth story
  with you.

28
What is Your Elevator Pitch for a Good Story
from Your Y?

• 10th floor
• 8th floor
• 6th floor

29
What is Your Elevator Pitch for a Good Story from
Your Y?

• 4th floor
• 2nd floor
• Ground level

30
The Perfect PitchOn the Phone

• Not everything needs a news release just call
  somebody!
• Have your notes ready
• Introduce yourself
• Ask if they have two minutes to spare, because
  you have a great story for them
• Pitch your story, and use the elevator!

31
The Perfect PitchNews Release

• Name and contact information
• Catchy Header
• Grab their attention with the main point in the
  first two sentences
• Write in the format of your elevator pitch
• Include quotes when needed
• Try to keep it to one page
• If the subject is an event, recap the Ws.

32
The Perfect PitchEmail

• Catchy sentence in the subject line
• Keep the email short
• Remember your elevator pitch
• Bullet points are great
• Add news release as an attachment or in body of
  email
• Can stand alone, no news release needed

33
Developing Good Relationships with the
PressDont just call us well call you too!

• Once you prove reliable, you have a contact for
  life
• Once you let that contact down, you lose
  credibility
• After one or two successful pitches, they will
  occasionally call you REALLY!

34
Developing Good Relationships with the Press

• Things to do
• Mail an introductory letter, with business card,
  sent to the right person
• Follow up with a phone call
• Send a press kit
• Give them free stuff
• Take them to lunch
• Offer stories that arent about your Y
• Be reliable!

35
Developing Good Relationships with the Press

• DONT
• Call after 3pm, theyre on deadline
• Pitch a media outlet too often
• Take rejection personally
• Be afraid to ask what type of stories theyre
  looking for
• Be afraid to ask what in format they prefer
  pitches to be made

36
Tips to Get You Started

• Develop a media contact list
• Call and ask for names, look online, scan the
  paper or watch the news
• Health and fitness reporters/editors
• Feature reporters/editors
• Community affairs directors
• Morning show producers
• Assignment editors
• General assignment reporters
• City desk/assignment desk workers

37
Even More Tipsto Get You Started

• Develop a YMCA reference guide for reporters and
  update it every 6 months to a year
• Remember WE, five Ws and one E
• Make friends with the media
• Use the Good News Network

38
Now Go Pitch the Heck Out of a Story!!!

• Questions?