Lets Get Some MEDIA Attention

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Lets Get Some MEDIA Attention!

• How to Generate Press Around the Campus Climate
  Challenge on Your Campus

February 26, 2007
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Objectives

• Participants will leave with
• A greater comfort with the idea of working with
  the media.
• Knowledge of the tools available for getting
  media coverage.
• An understanding of the underlying rules of
  working with the media.
• Confidence to go out and try it!

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AGENDA

• Context why do media?
• 3 Steps to Getting media coverage
• Know your media market
• Strategery!
• Just Do it! Media How Tos
• Letters to the Editor
• Reporter Meetings
• Press Events
• Advanced Media Tips!
• QA

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Fears/Anxieties of working with the Media
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Why get media attention?

• We do media because it helps us to WIN!
• Generates Buzz/Hype around our campaign
• Gets people interested new volunteers, keeps
  old volunteers psyched
• Educates the general public on our work and on
  the issues
• The GOAL of media is to ADVANCE your Campaign

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3 Easy Steps to Generate Media Attentionaround
the Campus Climate Challenge!
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STEP ONE

• Get to know your Media Market
• And Create your Media Wish List

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• Ask yourself
• Who is our audience?
• Where do they get their information?

BRAINSTORM!!! What types of media outlets do
we want to cover our story??
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Create your Media List!

• Make a list of campus and local/state-wide
  newspapers, radio and TV stations, in order of
  priority
• Dont forget to think outside of the box for
  other outlets- like popular blogs, magazines,
  weekly papers, etc.

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Know your reporters!

• Read the papers, listen to the radio, and watch
  the TV stations that you want your story to
  appear in
• Goals
• Become familiar with the types of stories that
  are covered
• Identify reporters that might be interested in
  our story and get a feel for their style
• Keep track of great stories on Climate Change or
  related issues, so you can mention them when you
  contact the reporters!

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STEP TWO

• Create your Media Game Plan!

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Types of Media Coverage

• Letter to the Editor
• Reporter coverage newspaper article, TV story,
  radio story
• Editorial and op-eds (opinion pieces)
• Feature Articles
• Blog hit
• Columns
• In this training, well focus on the first two.

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Ways to get covered

• Have a media event and invite press to attend
• Write and submit letters to the editor
• Write an Opinion piece and get a VIP to sign and
  submit
• Build relationships with reporters and editorial
  boards and tell them about your story

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Strategize!

• Create goals of how many different types of media
  coverage you want to get before the end of the
  semester/year
• Make a plan to achieve those goals!

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STEP THREE

• Just do it!
• Media How Tos

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A. Letters to the Editor (LTEs)

• What is a Letter to the Editor?
• Why?
• Opinion page most read
• Public attention and information
• Attention of decision-makers
• When?
• LTEs are best in response to a recently published
  article, but you can write them any time
  (especially for on-campus papers).

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Letters to the Editor

• How?
• Keep it short! 150-250 words. Depends on paper
  check their websites for guidelines
• Make it personal talk about why you care or
  what you are doing
• Stick to one point
• Follow up call up the paper to make sure they
  got it
• Send in 3, get 1 published
• Bonus Writing LTEs can be a great action for a
  meeting or tabling event!
• Have samples available, and articles to respond
  to
• Have the above list of tips available
• You can do the follow-up or make sure that they
  do

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Sample Letter to the Editor

• Young and Green
• Published in the Washington Post on Wednesday,
  September 20, 2006
• In "An Inconvenient Truth About Youth" op-ed,
  Sept. 11, Laura Wray and Constance Flanagan
  contend that the apathy of young people toward
  conservation will be changed only through
  government action. Considering the Bush
  administration's environmental record, we're in a
  world of trouble if they're correct. Good thing
  they're wrong.
• Far from shirking their responsibility to our
  planet, young people are leading the way in the
  fight to stop global warming -- and to open their
  elders' eyes to the crisis.
• Two examples Students at Western Washington
  University taxed themselves an extra 19 in
  student fees to fund the purchase of renewable
  energy, and students at Pennsylvania State
  University -- where Ms. Flanagan teaches and Ms.
  Wray studies -- gathered more than 4,700 letters
  asking the administration to embrace the Kyoto
  Protocol. They have also secured green building
  standards, a campus wind turbine and a plan to
  have 22 percent of the school's power come from
  renewables by 2012.
• That is only the tip of the (melting) iceberg.
  Youth is leading government should follow.
• ELIZA SIMON
• National Campus Climate Challenge Organizer
• Sierra Student Coalition
• Washington

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B. Reporter Coverage

• There are many ways to get reporter coverage
• Reporter meeting
• Inviting them to an event
• Pitching a story
• Press conference
• Lets focus on two Reporter meetings and Events!
• Note Press conferences arent all that different
  than events, so this advice will apply to both!

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Reporter Meetings

• Why do them?
• Build relationship
• Give all relevant info to reporter serve as a
  resource for them
• Easy lots of bang for your buck
• Long-term payoff you dont always get the
  article right away, but you almost always get it
  eventually
• How to
• Call and ask.
• Prepare
• Show up!
• This is a remarkably easy way to get coverage-
  its surprising more people dont try it!

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Example

• At the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Carrie
  Wisinski and members of her group held a meeting
  with a reporter from the local newspaper. After
  the meeting, they kept in touch, and several
  weeks later she printed this article about them
• UW-L students work for cleaner campus
•  By KATE SCHOTT La Crosse Tribune
• Students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
  are getting fired up about renewable
  energy.About 30 students have joined in the
  Campus Climate Challenge, which asks high school
  and college students in the U.S. and Canada to
  get their campuses to use renewable energy. At
  least 330 campuses already have signed on, with a
  goal of 400. At UW-L, the Environmental Council
  student organization is spearheading the
  effort.When we talk about saving the planet,
  were not being facetious, said Kevin Hundt, an
  Environmental Council member. In a few hundred
  years, the planet will be uninhabitable. Who
  possibly could be opposed to stopping that?
  (more at http//lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/
  10/13/news/z01clean13.txt)
• Other examples?

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Event Coverage

• Why?
• Great way to generate buzz around our work!
• 2 birds wholesale and retail education at same
  time!!
• Media demand for reporting on whats going on in
  the community
• Makes an event even more exciting

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Media Events the possibilities are endless!

• Dorm energy contest, award presentation to winner
  
• State summit
• Green film festival
• Panel of speakers or a debate
• Clean car show priuses, etc
• Enviro speaker or debate
• Movie night
• Climate kegger
• Kegs not coal
• Do it in the Dark Party
• Climate Neutral Parties
• Wandering bear
• Boxing match
• Dance-off between wind turbine and coal
• Duel between smokestack and windmill
• Screening of old Captain Planet episodes
• Show the waterline with kayaks

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Alert the Media!

• Call to invite reporters to cover the event
• Find name and phone of appropriate reporter
  local, environmental, etc.
• Prep script very brief
• Call em up!
• Call 2-3 days before event (after advisory is
  sent)
• Call day before event to remind
• Call day of to confirm anyone that said yes.

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Sample pitch callCalling the reporter that
covers local news for the local paper

• Ask for the specific reporter
• Introduce yourself. Explain about the
  organization your with
• Inviting them to event
• Paint an exciting picture of the event
• Be sure to describe visuals
• Who will be there theyll be available for
  interviews
• 5. Ask if theyll come cover the event
• 6. Set up a follow-up plan

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Press Advisory

• Press Advisory
• Send to all reporters you speak to
• Email and/or fax to any other media outlet you
  want to come
• 2-3 days prior to event

• Format
• One page with
• Your Contact info
• Headline and Sub-header
• What
• Who
• When
• Where
• Visuals

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Press Release

• This is the story as youd write it
• Have it ready at the event to give to any
  reporters
• Format
• One page, no longer
• Inverted Pyramid format
• First paragraph is summary of entire story
• Include juicy quotes

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Anatomy of Press Release

• Include date of release
• Contact info. For more information
• Strong Headline (in bold), include action verbs,
  no Acronyms
• Sub-header (in italics)
• Lead paragraph included 5Ws
• Second paragraph is the lead quote, contains your
  frame.
• More background info and quotes to follow avoid
  jargon
• Last paragraph gives reporter heads up on next
  step
• Ends with to show the end

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Prepare talking points

• If you could say three sound bites about your
  campaign and the event, what would they be?
• Prep anyone that may be interviewed
• Example
• Rutgers administration needs to take on the
  Campus Climate Challenge and reduce our campus
  global warming emissions.
• Our campus alone emits 300,000lbs of carbon
  dioxide into the air each year
• Rutgers students want our school to be a leader
  in clean energy solutions

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Examples of Great Event Coverage

• Clean Energy car show at UMass Amherst
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v9KIP1JT4TD8
• Its getting hot in here carbon neutral
  sorority party at Pomona College
• http//www.tsl.pomona.edu/index.php?article1859
• Indiana University, Rewards to Climate-Friendly
  transportation
• http//www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?id38327adi
  dcampus
• Tell us about your media experiences, too!

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ADVANCED MEDIA TIPS
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About Reporters...

• Not your friends
• Always a reporter
• Need you
• Just as you need them
• Do your homework! They want to see that you know
  your stuff.

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Where is the reporter coming from?

• Theyre not (generally) experts on climate change
• Theyre often working on multiple stories at once
• Theyre on deadline under pressure from their
  editors
• They want a good story
• Their editors want to sell papers.

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Tips for working with the Media

• Stay on Message
• Credibility is your only asset
• Stay on Message
• Dont Lie (remember rule 2)
• Follow-up
• Talk to them like you would your in-laws
• Never thank them
• Do the work for them
• There is no off the record
• Oh, and Stay on Message

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• Always tell the truth then you dont have to
  remember anything.
• --- Mark Twain

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• I am now ready to give the answers I have
  prepared for your questions -- Charles
  DeGaulle

Do you have any questions for my
answers? --Henry Kissinger
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Effective Messages

• Brief--Bumper sticker test
• Simple
• Accurate
• Vivid, colorful language

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(No Transcript)
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Support Your Messages

• Facts
• Statistics (sparingly)
• Examples
• Experts

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Story Angles What Makes Something Newsworthy?

• New
• Fresh angle on an old story
• Local
• Local angle on national issue
• National connection to local issue
• Human Interest Angle
• Celebrity
• Heroes Villains
• Conflict
• Controversy
• Strange Bedfellows

• Visual/Colorful Quotes or Images
• Trend
• Special Event
• Timely
• Milestone
• Anniversary

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Preparing for an Interview

• List key messages 3 main soundbites!
• Anticipate questions
• Prepare responses
• Do your homework on the reporter, publication or
  program, and interview format

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Interviews for Print

• Print
• Longer, more detailed interview
• Possibly more knowledgeable reporter
• Questions repeated in different ways to get
  response
• Chance to correct misstatement

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Radio Interviews

• Radio
• Emphasis on delivery voice, inflection, pace
• Need to speak visually
• OK to use notes

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Telephone Interview Tips

• Buy preparation time if possible
• Establish an interview setting
• Clear your desk
• Close the door
• Use notes
• Keep message points in front of you
• Speak distinctly
• Use short declarative sentences
• Avoid ambiguity and subtlety

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TV Interviews

• Television
• Short, simple answers crucial theyre looking
  for a short soundbite
• Stick to your message!
• Emphasis on appearance, technique
• If its not live, its ok to ask to do it again
• Practice, Practice, Practice!

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Ten Tips

• Use simple, direct answers
• Repeat yourself
• Pause
• Shut up
• Avoid jargon

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Ten Tips

• 6. Dont say no comment
• 7. Dont repeat negative
• 8. Tell the truth
• 9. Keep your cool
• 10. Be yourself

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Interviewees Bill of Rights

• You Have the Right to
• Know the topic
• Know the format
• Buy time
• Have time to answer the question
• Correct misstatements
• Use notes
• Record the interview

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Interviewees Bill of Rights

• You Do Not Have the Right to
• Know the questions in advance
• See the story in advance
• Change your quotes
• Edit the story
• Expect your view be the only view
• Demand article be published

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Collect Your Clips!

• Keep hard copies of all print coverage web
  links disappear
• Save radio coverage to CD or mp3 if you can (or
  some other format)
• Order copies of TV coverage from the TV station
  (cheap) or get someone to tape you when youre on
  (free!)
• Send copes of all media hits to Challenge
  organizers, so that we can keep track of them,
  too!

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Questions?
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Debrief

• How well were objective met?
• What did you learn that was new?
• Where do you see yourself taking this knowledge?

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Thank you for coming! Have fun getting media
coverage! We cant wait to see your clips!
Stay in Touch!

• Please send all feedback the good, the bad, the
  interesting to jon_at_ssc.org
• Especially feedback related to these questions
  Do you think the registration form is a barrier
  for some people (i.e. they dont get on the call
  because of the form?) Are there other things
  that may be preventing more people from joining
  the calls?