Media Relations

101:
Making Headlines
October 2010
Presenters
Nicole Lampe Sian Wu
nicole@resource-media.org nicole@resource-media.org
@ThePacificOcean @ThatsSoEco
Linkedin.com/in/nicolelampe @Sian_I_Am
Linkedin.com/in/sianwu
Program Director
Oceans and Public Health Team Program Director
2 years at RM Oceans and Public Health Team
Portland office 6 years at RM
Seattle office
 About Resource Media

•  Communications Strategy
•  Execution and Outreach
•  Digital and Social Media
•  Environmental and Health Policy Focus
San Francisco Seattle Boulder Kalispell Sacramento

30 Staff

9 Offices

Bozeman Portland Salt Lake City Anchorage

Have a question? Need help?
What we’ll cover today:

1. Changing media landscape

2. Recognizing and creating good stories

3. Packaging your pitch

4. Reaching out

5. Acing an interview
1 Newspapers Struggle to
Survive in New Media World
The media landscape is changing
beneath our feet
Changing their models:
Seattle Post Intelligencer,
Christian Science Monitor,
Capital Times, Detroit
News…

Shutting their doors:

Tucson Citizen, Rocky
Mountain News, Baltimore
Examiner, Albuquerque
Tribune, Honolulu
Advertiser….
The news business ain’t what it
used to be
•  Circulation is down by 30% since
2000

•  Advertising revenue has dropped

by 10% since 2009

•  Every newspaper in the country

has had to cut newsroom staff,
some by 25% or more
People consume news differently
these days
According to a September 2010 report
by Pew Research Center:

•  44% of Americans got news online, by

email, cell phone, social networks, or
podcast yesterday

•  Just 26% read a newspaper

•  57% of Americans are “news grazers”

•  33% use search engines to find news

on topics of interest
But good old fashioned earned
media still matters
Print and broadcast news remain
influential
Newspapers, TV and radio
can help you:

•  Raise Awareness

•  Influence decision-makers

•  Reach new audiences

•  Gain credibility
2 Shrinking Newsrooms Require
More Strategic Pitching
 Reporters are
busier than ever
•  Many reporters wear multiple
hats

•  They write stories, blog, tweet,

and monitor online comments

•  Rather than covering a single

beat, they have to be generalists

•  And more channels means they

get pitched even more often
Cut through the noise

You can help busy reporters do

their jobs—and get your news
in the press—by packaging
stories well.
3 Savvy Groups Shape News
Coverage
But first, figure out what makes good
news

•  Before a reporter can get to

work on your story, they first
need to sell it to their editor.

•  Give them the right tools to

pitch and write your story, and
you may just see it in the
headlines.
Learn to think like a reporter:

What makes a good story?

Something that gets people
talking. Something that is:

•  New or topical

•  Surprising

•  Moving

•  Relatable

•  Accessible

•  Or has great visuals

Pay attention to what’s making
news now
•  Be a news junkie

•  Use Google Alerts to track

coverage by keyword

•  Subscribe to Help a Reporter

Out (HARO)

•  Follow reporters on Twitter

•  Sign up for RSS feeds from

key outlets
Take advantage of external hooks

Make your news feel more

timely by tying it to:

•  Current trends

•  A decision point or milestone

•  An upcoming event

•  Holidays or other significant

dates
Get creative!
The Big Idea
What’s the Environmental Impact of Lady Gaga’s Meat Dress?

The media frenzy over Lady Gaga’s

meat dress provided an unlikely
opportunity for
4
Well-Packaged Story Makes
Front Page News
Think in headlines (and email
subject lines)
•  How can you convey a story’s
major points in just a few
words?

•  Try to paint a picture with

your words

•  Cut to the chase

Get through the editor’s filter

Be ready to answer questions like:

•  Why should my readers/

viewers/listeners care?

•  Why is this important now?

•  What’s the problem, solution,

threat, or benefit?
 Focus on the
human interest
angle
•  People relate to people

•  Personal stories help put a face

on facts and figures

•  They want to know how news

will affect their family, friends
and neighbors
Identify the right spokespeople

•  Local people who can describe

real world impacts

•  Scientists, economists, and

other experts that can provide
hard data and context

•  Advocates who can offer

solutions
Take stock of your visual assets

A great photo can:

•  Catch a reporter or editor’s

eye

•  Land a story on the front

page, catch readers’ eyes

•  Increase search engine

rankings

•  Boost traffic to the online

article
Share the (image) wealth

The media frenzy over Lady Gaga’s

meat dress provided an unlikely
opportunity for
5 Reporters Thank Enviros For
Bank of Story Ideas
Before Reaching Out…

•  Do your homework!

•  Consider the competition

•  Figure out who covers the

beat

•  Review recent coverage

 Choose your direction

Know when to call, when to send an email, and when to write a

press release, pitch letter, or media advisory
Timing is everything

•  Always call with breaking

news

•  Be mindful of deadlines

•  Give advance notice for

events or feature story ideas

•  Suggest a meeting or field trip

•  Try, try again

And make it social!

A social media release can

include:

•  Contact information,
keywords, quotes and facts

•  Video, audio, and images

•  Links to previous coverage

and additional information

•  Social media share links and

an RSS feed
 Engage in a little self-promotion

Post your content to new

media websites:

•  NowPublic

•  Digg

•  del.icio.us

•  Care2 News Network

6 Conservationist Aces Interview
Responding to media inquiries

Success is 90% preparation and 10% inspiration. Set the stage by:

1.  Making sure your organization’s media representative is clearly

identified and easy to reach (including by cell phone)

2.  Developing basic talking points and anticipating tough questions

3.  Training your spokespeople and staying in practice

When a reporter calls…

•  Find out what they are writing on.

If unprepared, offer to call them
back.

•  Do a little sleuthing to figure out

their background on the issue

•  Jot down some notes: what are

the three most important points
you want to convey?
Be a resource

•  Suggest other contacts

•  Provide background information

and reference materials

•  If you don’t know the answer, find

out and follow up

•  Preview upcoming news to gauge

their interest
 Dealing with tough questions
•  Stay calm, avoid repeating the
question, and use these tactics to
steer conversation back onto safer
ground:

•  The Bridge—Answer the question

briefly, then pivot to your key points

•  The Hook—Switch gears by

referencing new research or other
engaging news.

•  The Flag—Signal key messages

clearly.
Mind your Ps and Qs

•  Know that you are never really

“off the record”

•  Instead of saying “no comment,”

explain why you’re not the best
person to address that topic and
share something you do know.

•  Stick to your core messages

7 Conservation Quote
Heard ‘Round the World
 Some soundbites are just
memorable
A good message is:

•  Something you can picture

•  Something you want to tell a

friend

•  Something anyone can

understand with little or no
context
Cutting down the rain forest for money is
like burning a Rembrandt to cook soup.

Good quote
Bad quote...

Estimates based on the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change business-as-usual
emission scenarios suggest that
atmospheric CO2 levels could approach
800 ppm near the end of the century, and
corresponding biogeochemical models
indicate that surface water pH will drop
from a pre-industrial value of about 8.2 to
about 7.8.
 To make yourself quotable

•  Instead of leading with process,

talk results

•  Make your statistics meaningful

•  Translate your findings into

plain English

•  Tell a story

•  Use a little color

There's a limit to the amount of
heat-trapping gases you can put
into the atmosphere before Mother
Nature shows you what the climate
system will do. And Mother Nature
bats last.
It’s junk food for fish…like expecting a teenager to
grow by just eating marshmallows.
Keep your talking points “handy”

Give story pitches and press

releases new life as:

•  Blog posts

•  Newsletter articles

•  Website content

•  Twitter and Facebook fodder

8 Recycling: It’s not just for
paper and plastics
 Content creation takes time

To maximize your return on investment—and hedge your bets in a

competitive media market—think creative reuse.
Recycle and repackage

Give story pitches and press

releases new life as:

•  Blog posts

•  Newsletter articles

•  Website content

•  Twitter and Facebook fodder

Move good news around your
network
•  Link to positive articles on your
website

•  Blog, Facebook and Tweet them

•  Include in packets for decision

makers, editorial boards, or
reporters

•  Share with your networks and

members, and encourage
colleagues to spread the word
9 Conservationists Adapt
Successfully to Changing
Media
While the shape of media is
changing…
The public’s appetite for timely, relevant news remains constant.
Thriving in a brave new world

Remember:

•  Content is king: learn to recognize

and package a good story

•  Do your homework before reaching

out

•  Think about what the reporter needs

to sell the story to the editor

•  Harness the power of new media to

reach reporters and your target
audiences
Take it to the next level

Resource Media offers:

•  Customized message development

•  Interview skills training
•  Audit and analysis of your previous media
coverage and spokesperson quotes
•  One on one media outreach
•  Story enterprising
Feedback?
1. Would you recommend this webinar to a friend?

2. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 as poor and 10 as best

– how would you rate this webinar?

3. Ideas for 2011 webinars?

We welcome your questions!

Sian Wu Nicole Lampe

Program Director Program Director
Seattle Office Portland Office
sian@resource-media.org nicole@resource-media.org
206.374.7795 x102 503-719-5626
@ThatsSoEco
Explore More RM Trainings
•  Story Pitching – November
•  Blogger Relations – December
In the
Beginning