Pressing the right buttons: making the most of the media ENCAMS CSG CONFERENCE 2008 MANCHESTER

Nicola Carroll Freelance journalist and media consultant

The media: Enemy or ally? What was your worst media experience? What was your best?

Roles and goals Political context Organisational context Media context Dynamics between them Your own role in all of this What you can and can’t control One thing you are trying to promote

The good news This stuff is topical Your residents are their audience The press needs you Everyone wants a good environment It can be fun - events, people, photos

More good news ENCAMS has materials that can be used locally Examples of good practice abound…

Bristol food litter Coverage on ITV, BBC, radio stations, Evening Post = £17k advertising equivalent + 29% drop in letter

Liverpool Fun approach - ‘G-Litter’, ‘Glitterbugs Ball’ Targeted messages to audience ‘Stop the Grot’ in Liverpool Echo Radio Merseyside phone-ins Something in it for the press “Carrots and sticks but more carrot” All linked to Capital of Culture 2008 Win, win, win

The bad news ‘Good news is no news’ You can’t control the press Residents’ behavior may need to change Journalists are under pressure Competition for audience attention is intense

Getting messages across In theory… MESSAGE MESSENGER MEDIUM AUDIENCE TIME

Getting messages across In practice…

Making the most of the media Take a proactive stance - think ahead Develop clear, concise messages Have skills/resources to articulate them Understand the audience Get inside journalists’ minds Build relationships Actively involve press in campaigns Consider potential pitfalls in everything Don’t panic!

Inside journalists’ minds STORIES ARE CHOSEN BECAUSE OF: Relevance to audience Timeliness Interest Familiarity Mix of topics Novelty

Getting messages across News is usually written in a pyramid style so it can be cut from the bottom… INTRO STATE THE FACTS ATTRIBUTE THE INFORMATION USE A QUOTE TO LIVEN UP A STORY ADD OTHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Planning a press release Headline Short, snappy introductory sentence State basic facts; who, what, where, when why? Quote from most relevant person Any relevant background information ‘For further information contact’ ‘Notes for editors’

Press release exercise Write the introduction sentence of a press release for something you are trying to promote Try it out on ‘the editor’ Does it pass the ‘so what test’? Is there a better way to get the message across to the audience?

Interview techniques Comment or no comment? On the record/off the record Make a few points clearly Stick to key messages Have killer facts at your fingertips Think ‘soundbites’ Use ‘rebuttal’, ‘bridging’, ‘sandwich’, ‘flagging’ Consider the implications Don’t panic

Do’s and don’ts What are the ‘top ten’ best hints for dealing with the media? What are ten ‘absolute don’ts’?

Contact: Nicola Carroll Tel: