Successful PR, Lobbying and Advocacy at EU level Part 2: Working with the media in the EU arena Fran

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Successful PR, Lobbying and Advocacy at EU
levelPart 2 Working with the media in the EU
arenaFrancesco Longu, UEAPMEPress and
Communications OfficerIstanbul, 17 September 2008
PHARE Business Support Programme of the European
Union UEAPME - SME FIT II
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Overview

• The media as a lobbying tool
• Media strategy and media policy
• How we work with the media
• Getting the message across dos and donts
• Questions and answers

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The media as a lobbying tool

• It makes sense to use the media as part of an
  organisations lobbying strategy since
• the media report policy news and political
  announcements every day or on a regular basis
• the media enjoy a wide general audience or a
  small but targeted one - in both cases, they have
  a multiplier effect that can rise an
  organisations profile
• policymakers are concerned about their image
  conveyed by the media
• the media may generate pressure on policymakers

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Media strategy and media policy

• Advance planning is crucial, nobody can afford to
  sit idle until a crisis looms or bad coverage
  appears
• Media strategy decide how, when and why an
  organisation works with the media to get its
  message out
• Media policy establish clear internal procedures
  about who handles relations with the media and
  how
• Some other issues that require attention human,
  financial and technical resources, crisis
  management, performance evaluation

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How the media operate, and how to respond

• Tight deadlines must be understood and respected
• Editorial planning know their schedule, if there
  is one
• Editorial roles know who to talk to, and at what
  time
• Have a story to tell, provide additional
  background information, do not try to write their
  story
• Follow up, but dont be a pain
• Use the right tools for the result you want to
  achieve
• Try and target the medias media, i.e. the
  media journalists themselves are likely to use

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How we work with the media

• Focus on Brussels-based media (EU-wide outlets or
  Brussels-based correspondents)
• Main recipients press agencies, daily bulletins,
  online newspapers
• Less frequent contacts with TV and radio
• Main tool used news releases

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How we work with the media

• News releases are our main output. There are
  different types of releases
• Advisory Notices (advance warning to be followed
  up)
• Press Releases (who, what, where, when and why)
• Press Statements (quick reaction with quotes)
• Press Briefings (more in-depth and comprehensive)
• Embargoed Press Releases (issued in advance to
  allow journalists time to investigate and prepare
  their story)

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Anatomy of a press release

• Logo
• Date, place, embargo notice
• Title
• First paragraph the 5 W
• Direct quotes
• Editors notes
• Contact names for follow-up

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Getting the message across dos

• Be on the story
• Be realistic
• Be consistent
• Be proactive
• Be helpful
• Be accessible
• Be ready to provide figures and images
• Be ready to follow up

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Getting the message across donts

• Do not assume, but cross-check
• Do not obscure the message
• Do not use jargon, clichés or unexplained
  abbreviations
• Do not exaggerate
• Do not make claims you cannot prove
• Do not use irony (wit is ok)
• Do not make defamatory statements
• Do not use the media (only) to speak to someone
  else

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Current trends in media relations

• Online media and online information will gain
  importance in the coming years, so it is crucial
  to
• Consider these media as full-fledged outlets
• Provide policy positions and backgrounds online
• Update the organisations website in real time
• Adopt new forms of content distribution such as
  RSS
• User-generated content (blogs and social
  networks) will be a factor for organisational
  reputation
• The attention crash it is harder to stand out
  when media are overloaded with information

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Questions and answers
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Thank you for your attention!
PHARE Business Support Programme of the European
Union UEAPME - SME FIT II