1. John Callow Community Development Director Murfreesboro, TN
Working with the Press
John Callow
Community Development Director
Murfreesboro, TN

2. Working with the Press
Ten Suggestions

3. Promote, promote, promote
Suggestion 1
Promote, promote, promote

4. Suggestion 1

5. Suggestion 2
Build a relationship with your reporter and your reporter’s assignment editor
This is me getting some tips from my old boss.

6. relationship, your calls will be heard and turned into stories
Suggestion 2
Once you build a
relationship, your calls
will be heard and turned
into stories

7. Suggestion 3 Reporters are busy people:
Make it easy on them - give them a hook

8. Suggestion 3

9. Suggestion 4
Help with photo suggestions – the ‘grip and grin’ doesn’t cut it
Would this picture get you fired up?

10. Suggestion 4 Put faces on your story -
Be prepared to be the facilitator

11. Suggestion 5

12. Suggestion 5 Press releases – keep them short
Even though this one is only one page, it may be too long to attract attention.

13. Suggestion 6
Not all days are equal – there really are slow news days. Be ready to help.

14. Make yourself an expert
Suggestion 7
Make yourself an expert
Who knows more about
what you know about
than you?

15. Suggest ideas for editorials
Suggestion 8
Suggest ideas for editorials

16. Suggestion 8 This could be you – make them take a good picture.
– better yet contribute a guest column
This could be you – make them take a good picture.

17. Suggestion 9 http://www.murfreesborotn.gov
Use your city’s assets to tell the story

18. Suggestion 10
The Wayne Gretsky Principle

19. “Thanks for being here.”
Suggestion 10
The Wayne Gretsky Principle
“Thanks for being here.”