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

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AGENDA

• Context
• Brainstorm session
• How-tos
• Examples of Successful Challenge events
• QA

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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

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Types of Media Coverage

• Letter to the Editor
• Reporter coverage newspaper article, TV story,
  radio story
• Editorial
• Opinion Editorial
• Feature Articles
• In this training we will focus on the first two
  Letters to the editor and reporter coverage!

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Letters to the Editor

• 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?
• 150-250 words. Depends on paper check their
  websites
• Follow up call up the paper to make sure they
  got it
• Send in more than you will actually get 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 Page A24
• 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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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
• Since were all working on events right now,
  lets go into more depth with this one.

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BRAINSTORM!!!

• What types of media outlets do we want to cover
  our event??
• Ask yourself
• Who is our audience?
• Where do they get their information?

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3 Easy Steps to Generating Media at your Event
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Step 1Plan or Die!

• Plan the event with the media in mind

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WHAT What should our event be??

• VISUALS
• Campaign product achieved at same time
• BE CREATIVE!!! The world is your oyster, have fun

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Brainstorm Types of Events

• Dorm energy contest, award presentation to winner
  
• State summit
• Green fair
• Concert
• Green film festival
• Clean car show priuses, etc
• Enviro speaker or debate
• Movie night
• Climate kegger
• Kegs not coal
• Wandering bear
• Boxing match
• Dance-off between wind turbine and coal
• Duel between smokestack and windmill
• Screening of old capt. Planet episodes
• Show the waterline with kayaks

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Things to think about

• WHO?
• a crowd of people!
• Speakers
• VIPs

• WHERE?
• think proximity
• think visuals

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WHEN?

• What day of the week is the best? Think of your
  audience!
• Coordinate with other campus events
• When are people most available?
• Off-campus media
• What time?
• When are there a lot of ppl on campus?
• Ask your top reporters!
• General rule for off-campus

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STEP 2 Pre-event publicity through media outlets
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Use media to help publicize your event

• Again, think of your audience. Where do they get
  their information?
• Post on facebook, campus website, campus
  calendar, hip weekly paper, local radio, etc.
• Format of submitting events for calendars will
  vary with each outlet. Call and ask how it works.
  
• Give yourself enough time to make sure you make
  the deadline.
• Dont forget one-on-one contact is still the
  best way to turn people out!

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STEP 3Get Media to Cover Your Event!
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Alert the Media!Step 1. 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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Sample Press Advisory

• Media Advisory Contact Amit Rana, phone
• For immediate release amit.rana_at_sierraclub.o
  rg
• Sierra Club gives Crenshaw High School Eco-Club
  30,000 Grant
• Inner-city students get their first outdoor
  experience
• WHAT Sierra Club Building Bridges to the
  Outdoors project presents 30,000 check to
  Crenshaw High School Eco-Club to give inner-city
  kids first outdoor experience.
• WHO
• Martin LeBlanc, National Youth Education
  Director, Sierra Club, presents Sierra Club grant
  to Crenshaw HS
• Bill Vanderberg, Dean of Students, Crenshaw HS,
  receives check from Sierra Club
• More than 100 students from Crenshaw and other
  area High Schools experience nature for the first
  time
• VIPs
• Honorable Kevin Murray, California State
  Senator-District 26
• Honorable Karen Bass, California State Assembly
  member-District 47
• Yvonne Burke, Supervisor, Los Angles County
  Second District
• Bernard Parks, Los Angeles City
  Councilmember-District 8
• WHERE Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
• 4100 South La Cienega Boulevard
• Los Angeles, CA 90056

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Alert the Media! 2. Pitch Calls

• 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
• Call day before to remind
• Call day of to confirm anyone that said yes.

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

• Ask for the specific reporter
• Introduce yourself. Explain what SSC is
• Let them know youre inviting them to an event
  this Wednesday
• 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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Sample Pitch Call Script

• Hi, this is _______ with the Sierra Student
  Coalition. May I please speak with Joe?
• Hi Joe, this is ___ with the Sierra Student
  Coalition. Do you have a quick minute or are you
  on deadline?
• Great. Well, the SSC is a student group working
  to fight climate change around the country. Here
  at Local university, were working to get the
  administration to cut our campus global warming
  emissions. Im calling to let you know about a
  really exciting event happening this Wednesday.
• As Im sure you know, global warming is a major
  threat to Florida, because of rising sea levels.
  Well, this Wednesday, we will be demonstrating
  the future sea level in Miami in 100 years if
  global warming is not curbed. Well have a tape
  outline about 15 feet off the ground going around
  the major buildings on campus.
• There promises to be a ton of students gathered
  to find out more at informational tables. Also
  available for interviews are several Student
  leaders and our groups advisor, Prof Smith, an
  expert in climate change.
• Do you think youll be able to cover the event?
• I can send you an advisory with all the details
  and my contact info. is email ok? Whens a good
  time for me to give you a call back?
• Great. Thanks, and talk to you then!

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Write press release

• This is the perfect story, pre-written for
  reporters
• Have it ready at the event to give to any
  reporters
• Format
• One page, no longer
• First paragraph is summary of entire story
• Include juicy quotes

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Sample Press Release

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact Odette Mucha,
  415-977-5761
• NUCLEAR AGENCY IGNORES TERRORISM RISK AT GRAND
  GULF PLANT
• Port Gibson, MS The Nuclear Regulatory
  Commission (NRC) is failing to fully and publicly
  address terrorism risks was they consider plans
  for an expansion of the Grand Gulf nuclear
  facility in Port Gibson, according to a
  contention filed by the Sierra Club and other
  groups earlier today with the Atomic Safety
  Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory
  Commission. The groups are calling on the agency
  to evaluate a permit decision in light of a
  recent appeals court decision requiring the
  nuclear agency to fully and publicly address
  terrorism concerns.
• Americans want to know that their communities
  are safe from terrorism. You don't have to be a
  CIA agent to know that nuclear power plants are
  natural targets, said Rose Johnson, co-chair of
  the Mississippi chapter of the Sierra Club.
  People have a right to know the potential
  dangers they face in their own neighborhoods.
  Thats not only common sense it happens to be
  the law.
• The Sierra Club, which was joined by the Nuclear
  Information and Resource Service and Public
  Citizen, is urging federal agencies to act in the
  publics best interest and consider the threat of
  terrorist attacks before rather than after the
  decision to build a new reactor is approved.
• This June, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  found that the NRC cannot ignore the risks of a
  terrorist attack when evaluating the
  environmental impacts of a nuclear power plant,
  in their decision regarding the planned expansion
  of the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility in San Luis
  Obispo, CA. In light of that ruling, the Nuclear
  Regulatory Commission has the same responsibility
  to consider terrorist risks in evaluating the
  safety of a new Grand Gulf reactor. The Sierra
  Club is calling on the Atomic Safety Licensing
  Board to hold a hearing to address the matter.
• Currently 2.4 million pounds of extremely
  hazardous nuclear waste is being stored on site
  with more being added every refueling cycle.
  Despite the lack of a long term plan for dealing
  with the nuclear waste and the added security and
  safety risk that additional waste would bring,
  the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has taken
  action to make it easier to license the siting,
  construction and operation of new nuclear
  reactors.
• It makes sense that we take every precaution to
  protect Americans from terrorism and sabotage,
  commented Pat Gallagher, the Sierra Clubs
  Director of Environmental Law. Protecting
  nuclear plants from potential terrorism attacks
  also protects our communities, our health and our
  environment."
• For a copy of the Sierra Club's contention,
  please contact Odette Mucha at odette.mucha_at_sierra
  club.org.

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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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Follow up, Follow up, Follow up!

• Send release to all outlets after the event has
  happened
• Call radio tell them youre available for an
  interview or to do a feed about the event
• Call newspapers-- set up a time to meet with the
  reporter!

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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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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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Questions?
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Stay in Touch!

• Please send all feedback the good, the bad, the
  interesting to trainings_at_ssc.org
• Powershift 2007 The hottest event since Global
  Warming!
• Dont miss it, register now!
• www.powershift2007.org
• Thank you for coming! Have fun getting media
  coverage! We cant wait to see your clips!