UKPAC

Press and Publicity

Press and Publicity

PRESS AND PUBLICITYPRESS AND PUBLICITY

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Identify your Audience

• For whom are you writing?

• What do you want to achieve from this article or news story?

• Why should the reader, listener or viewer want to know about your news?

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Build a Rapport with Local Journalists

● Which are the best publications, radio/TV slots for your stories?

● Discover who are your local newspaper reporters and radio/TV presenters.

● Listen to or read news items they have presented.

● “I heard your news item/read your report” builds a good relationship.

● Why not arrange a meeting with local journalists.

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Local Newspapers

● Read articles reporters have written (and had published)

● Try submitting a regular item each week/month for the Community News pages.

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Local Radio/TV

• Make contact with the presenter of the appropriate slot

• Establish yourself as the local ‘spokesperson’

• When doing interviews, don’t read from a script

• Think about your target audience – imagine you’re speaking to just one person.

• Stick to one or two points

• Be proactive - use radio phone-ins (retired members can help here)

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Supply Timely, Accurate Articles

● No one is interested in old news.

● Consider submitting two stories for each event; one to say it’s about to happen and then a follow up when it has taken place.

● Timing is crucial.

● Articles must be honest and accurate.

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Kipling’s Six Honest Serving Men:

"I kept six honest serving men,They taught me all I knew,Their names are:

Why and

What and

When and

How and

Where and

Who."

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The Inverted Pyramid

2

1

31 The nub and point of the story goes in the first couple of paragraphs. 2 If subsequent paragraphs were cut, would the most important part of the story still be conveyed? 3 The least important part of the story goes at the end. Editors cut from the bottom up.

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Avoid the Scattergun Approach

• Target the media.

• Improve your news release writing skills rather than flood the market with releases on the basis of: “One’s sure to get published”.

• Do your homework and submit relevant stories to appropriate publications and programmes.

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Photographs

• Submit photographs whenever possible.

• Ascertain whether publication accepts attachments.

• Supply interesting pictures – steer clear of the ‘grip and grin’ variety.

• Action shots are best.

• Those including children stand more chance of being printed . . . . BUT obtain parental written permission first!!! UKPAC

Write like a Reporter

• Don’t exaggerate or inflate stories – eventually your credibility will be damaged.

• Write in short sentences – keep it punchy.

• Write in short paragraphs of two or three sentences.

• Use double-line spacing.

• Keep it all to one side of A4 paper.

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Contact Information

● Ensure contact information is full and accurate.

● Give as many avenues to contact you as you can.

● Supply information on our organisation – don’t assume they know who we are.

• Don’t supply a contact telephone number and then go out for the day!

And finally - don’t forget to give websites for more information.

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