Media Relations 101 National 4-H Council Nov. 29, 2011

Welcome & Introductions Definitions & Clarifications Value of Media Relations Story Telling Building a Brand Story Next Steps Questions Media Relations 101 2

Kristin Walter, Director, Public Relations, National 4-H Council Victoria Houghton, Public Relations Project Manager, National 4-H Council Kyle Jones, Public Relations Project Manager, National 4-H Council Introductions 3

Definition: Communication between you and a member of the media, with the purpose of telling the story of 4-H. Media Relations? 4

 Gets your message out  Relatively cheap  Builds trust about your brand  Creates buzz  Builds visibility  Attracts interest from funders, parents, volunteers, etc. Why Media Relations? 5

A Unique 4-H Event Example: 4-H National Youth Science Day  What makes it unique?  Numbers: Hundreds of thousands of 4-H youth doing the same experiment on one day.  Subject: Hundreds of thousands of 4-H youth doing science.  Impact: Hundreds of thousands of 4-H youth experimenting with renewable energy technologies for their communities. What’s a Good Story to Tell? 6

Message: 4-H has a science program. Cost: 60 minutes prep; 60 minutes interview Trust: Parents, Funders Buzz: Word-of-mouth Visibility: 26.4 million listeners 7 Example: National Public Radio “4-H Clubs Conduct Nationwide Science Experiments” – Oct. 8, 2010

Research about 4-H’ers Example: Tufts University Study  Why is it a good story?  Reporters like comparisons (4-H youth vs non-4-H youth)  Reporters like facts – they’re hard to argue with  Reporters like unbiased information – it makes everyone more credible What’s a Good Story to Tell? 8

Example: US News & World Report “Study: 4-H Students Make Better Decisions” – April 22, 2011 Message: 4-H’ers are healthier Cost: 30 minutes staff time Trust: Parents, Funders Buzz: Picked up by other publications (e.g. AOL) Visibility: ~ 2 million readers What’s a Good Story to Tell? 9

Join the Revolution of Responsibility Story 4-H youth making an impact on the community Story ABCs:  A: Define a problem within your community.  B: How is 4-H part of the story?  C: How is this impacting your community? What’s a Good Story to Tell? 10

Community Impact Example: Mississippi 4-H Tech Team  A: Defined a problem – Local EMT and businesses did not have social media outlets to communicate during emergencies.  B: 4-H Role – 4-H’ers taught adults Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube…how to connect online.  C: Created Impact – The 4-H Tech Team connected their town and made it safer. What’s a Good 4-H Story to Tell? 11

What’s a Good 4-H Story to Tell? Message: 4-H’ers create positive impact on their communities. Cost: 4 hours of staff time Trust: Parents, Funders, Community, Govt. entities Buzz: Businesses in Lucedale Visibility: 183,040 readers 12 Example: The Sun Herald “4-H Teens Take Tech to Town” – Aug. 16, 2011

Join the Revolution of Responsibility Story Example: Meg Copass, Monroe County 4-H, KY  A: Defined a problem – No early-warning tornado system  B: 4-H Role – Citizenship project to raise funds for siren = $12,000  C: Created Impact – Meg Copass made her town safer. What’s a Good Story to Tell? 13

What’s a Good Story to Tell? Message: 4-H’ers create impact on their communities. Cost: 15 minutes staff time Trust: Parents, funders Buzz: Parents in Monroe County Visibility: 11,000 readers 14 Example: Appalachian News-Express “Community-Minded Teen” – April 15, 2011

4-H Talking Points 4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization. More than 6 million 4-H youth in urban neighborhoods, suburban schoolyards and rural farming communities stand out among their peers: building revolutionary opportunities and implementing community-wide change at an early age. With 540,000 volunteers, 3,500 professionals, and more than 60 million alumni, the 4-H movement supports young people from elementary school through high school with programs designed to shape future leaders and innovators. Messages to Remember 15

Questions: 1. Have you heard about Join the Revolution of Responsibility? (Please respond by typing in the comment box.) 2. Think about it: What project(s) is your 4-H group working on that could have an impact on the community? 3. Think about it: Do you know of any 4-H youth that are working on a project that could have an impact on the community? …let’s discuss #2 and #3… Your Turn! 16

Build a story…. Your Turn! 17

1.Build a Media Tool Kit (stay tuned!) 2.Build a List of Reporters 3.Send! Now What? 18

Components of a Media Tool Kit*:  Press Release/Media Alert  Research  Fact Sheets  Talking Points/Spokesperson  Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed)  Letter to the Editor  Media Lists *Not all of these components are required! Tune in: Media Relations 201 to learn more! Build a Media Tool Kit 19

Step #1: Make a list of local:  Publications – print & online newspapers and magazines  Radio stations  Television news programs Build a List of Reporters 20

Step #1 Example List of Local Washington, DC News: Build a List of Reporters 21 PRINTRADIOTELEVISION Washington PostWTOPWJLA The ExpressWASH FMWTTG The Examiner630 WAMLWNBC WashingtonianWUSA Washington City Paper TBD News

Step #2: Read, watch and listen.  Note what columns cover youth news, community events, and/or human-interest stories.  Find out what segments on your local TV or radio news cover youth news, community events, and/or human-interest stories. IMPORTANT: The more you know about their programs, the better off you are! Build a List of Reporters 22

Step #3: Pick your contacts.  Community news reporters, editors, producers  Youth-content reporters, editors, producers  Human-interest reporters, editors, producers  Topic reporters: science, education, healthy living reporters, editors, producers Build a List of Reporters 23

Steps #2 & 3: Example WTTG – Fox 5 News Build a List of Reporters 24 News Outlet Holly Morris, WTTG Fox 5 News Runs 5:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on the hour Details 3-5 five-minute segments Covers human-interest, events, youth Notes Likes youth interviews Likes hands-on activities = 4-H National Youth Science Day

Step #4: Write down phone numbers and addresses:  Keep in an organized excel sheet.  Update when needed. Build a Reporter List 25 NameNews Outlet PhoneUpdated Holly MorrisWTTG – FOX As of 8/17/11

/Internet Access  your press release or media alert to individual reporters  Send a personalized follow-up Phone  Call each reporter individually  Make sure they received the materials  If not – resend and restart the process  If so – ask them what they think and go from there… Send! 26

To learn more about Join the Revolution of Responsibility, visit h.org/about/revolution/. h.org/about/revolution/ To learn more about Media Relations, tune in next week for Media Relations 201! Media Relations Resources 27

For examples of various media relations tools and templates, visit h.org/resource-library/promotional-toolkits/. h.org/resource-library/promotional-toolkits/ Or:  Visit  Hover on the green bar: ‘Resource Library’  Click on the last option listed on the drop-down menu: ‘Promotional Toolkits’ Media Relations Resources 28

Questions? 29

30 4-H is the youth development program of our nation's Cooperative Extension System.