So you think you have a great story to get people interested in your event? But you need to get the word out, and that’s not easy without media coverage.
How do you convince the press, be it newspapers, radio or TV stations, that you have a story worth them telling?
We asked Becky Loton, former local Journalist and Media and Communications Officer at the New Vic Theatre, to shares her expert tips on working with press and media with Artsbank.
-
Decide what your story is
There needs to be a clear message. There might be lots of things you want to shout about, but you need to prioritise and focus on the ones that will make the press feel most inspired. It sounds obvious, but if you’re writing a press release, the most important point needs to be in the headline, if not the very first paragraph. If there’s nothing newsworthy that high up, you can guarantee a news desk won’t read any further than that anyway.
-
It’s about the sizzle AND the sausage
What I mean by this is, by all means make it sound as exciting as possible – but don’t go overboard in your press release or phone pitch because journalists can smell exaggeration a mile off, and they won’t take you seriously. It’s important to be able to back up your claims. Particularly if you’re getting the big guns in like local TV stations, make sure you can deliver. Don’t use gimmicks. PR people think these are cool. Journalists think they are a waste of time, which leads us to…
-
Keep things simple
News stories have a formula, and press releases should be the same. Answer the who, what, why, where and how. Make it so somebody can literally copy and paste your press release to the website / newspaper page, and cut straight from the bottom if necessary without losing any of the important points. Now is not the time to craft a literary masterpiece of Dickens proportions.
Don’t waffle on the phone. Be friendly but concise. Let the newsworthiness of the story do the work for you.
Focus on one story at a time. Don’t bombard journalists or news desks with multiple ideas at a time. Give them space between pitches.
-
Make friends
You’re only as good as your local media contacts, and the relationships you foster with them.
Down the line, they might even do you a favour when you need coverage but there’s not much of a news angle, because you’re a nice person and they need you too.
-
Persistence is key, but don’t be desperate… or rude
This will only serve to destroy number 5, above. Annoy people at your peril. They are busy people, but they will always remember someone who is rude.
-
Think local
If it’s local media you are dealing with, it’s the local angles you should be looking at. It’s an easy win. Is anybody involved local? They are the important people as far as the press are concerned.
-
Be accommodating (to a point)
Particularly in the early days of making your relationship with the press, just say yes. Whatever they want (within reason), say yes. Don’t make things difficult for them to actually do because, spoiler: they won’t do it if it’s not easy.
Sometimes ‘breaking news’ will get in the way and delay your story being published or broadcast. That’s life. Hard news will always be the priority for them. There’s nothing you can do about this; the sad truth is that if your story is remotely positive then it will always get pushed back until there’s time / space to cover it.
-
Be creative
Sometimes the news angle won’t always be clear. It’s up to you to find (or create) it. Don’t dismiss something straight away as ‘un-newsworthy’, after all, it’s your job to make it so. Brainstorm as much as possible. Investigate every last detail and person involved. It’ll be there somewhere. And if it’s not, at least you tried your best and can say you exhausted every possibility.
-
Crisis management
Could there be any backlash to the story? For example, you might think residents will appreciate you bringing world-class entertainment to their local park, but never underestimate the possible downsides to them – noise, environmental concerns etc. You can’t always please everyone, so think beforehand about how you can minimise the potential negative press.
Also remember, nothing is ever ‘off the record’!
-
Don’t try and micromanage the process
Be prepared, and helpful, but not an overbearing presence.
You’re basically just there to make sure the message gets delivered smoothly.
You can ask a reporter to go over the quotes before they leave, to make sure all the details are accurate. But don’t ever ask a journalist if you can see the story before it goes to print. I can categorically tell you that in 99.9% of cases it will not happen.
Written by
Becky Loton
Media and Communications Officer, New Vic Theatre
