The American Legion PUBLIC TheRELATIONS American Legion TOOLKIT Produced by the National Public Relations Commission of The American Legion THE AMERICAN LEGION PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLKIT Handymen are known for the old adage, “Be sure you use the right tool for the right job.” The text you are now reading is part of a system of public relations tools designed to give you a complete kit of easy to use media products that can be tailored to promote your American Legion post, unit or squadron activities throughout the year. Whether you are reading this in a book, on the Internet or from a compact disk or flash drive in your computer, this toolkit will arm you with the print, PowerPoint, Internet, video and audio products to get the job done with confidence in today’s high-technology media world. Best of all, this all-mode system utilizes the KISS principle for ease of use. It has been designed to give you the tools you need to be successful with the easiest possible methodology. From writing a news release to planning a major community event, this PR Toolkit will help you get the job done. THE AMERICAN LEGION | PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLKIT TABLE OF CONTENTS THE AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE ADDRESS | 700 N PENNSYLVANIA STREET INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46204 PHONE NUMBER | 317-630-1253 E-mail | [email protected] THE AMERICAN LEGION | PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLKIT SECTION ONE The Changing Media World …and how to engage it with your post public relations plan THE AMERICAN LEGION | PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLKIT SECTION ONE | THE CHANGING MEDIA WORLD ust as the invention of the transistor began the space age rush to Developing a communications/public relations plan that addresses microchip processor computers that get smaller and more power- the use of today’s media technologies is the first step in successfully fulJ every day, the explosion of the Internet has had a profound effect on reaching the target audience(s) needed in your community. the way Americans get their news and information. But while the tools have, and continue, to change dramatically, the ba- In the late 1990’s, the Internet and websites were considered by sic techniques of communications and public relations remain the same. some to be just “fads.” Today, due mainly to the exponential growth of the Internet, the communications paradigm has shifted and creat- What is Public Relations? ed new digital information sharing technologies that are dominating As the term implies, public relations (PR) requires that you relate the way people can - and must - be reached. Many daily newspapers to the public in some manner. The question is, “What is a ‘public’ and across the country have literally “folded,” or given way to all electron- how do we relate to it?” Several ‘publics’ require our attention as Ameri- ic versions. As a result, many journalists are now doing double and can Legion public relations practitioners. These include but are not triple duty. Reaching out to them in pitching story ideas requires a limited to: whole new approach - and toolkit of ready materials - to compete for • Our members their attention and time. • The media An entire new genre of social media has sprung up, leaving those • Local and national elected officials and decision-makers public relations practitioners who have not embraced their use, in the • Local community members dust. Television stations have cut back staff, including reporters and • The public photographers, requiring many to become “one-man-bands,” reporting and shooting the video themselves. Radio stations are moving to more You can narrow it further to specific target audiences, such as partici- “syndicated” programming, requiring fewer staff and live shows. Satel- pants in The American Legion programs and recipients of our support lite radio offerings have increased dramatically, reaching national audi- and charitable contributions. ences while offering little to no local access opportunities. HOW you relate to the public depends on which public it is and At the same time, Internet technologies offer limitless access to both what your message is. general and targeted audiences. Harnessing these new opportunities is In a nutshell, public relations is primarily about IMAGE. And every critical to a healthy and effective communications outreach for Ameri- member of The American Legion plays a role in communicating our can Legion family activities both at home and abroad. image to the various publics to which we relate. The positive and nega- tive things seen and heard at every level of the organization affect peo- THE AMERICAN LEGION | PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLKIT SECTION ONE | THE CHANGING MEDIA WORLD ples’ perceptions of what The American Legion is and what we stand programs are conducted. In other local communities, members of The for. Perception is reality for most people. American Legion are champions of social issues and pillars of the com- The familiarity and reputation of its name are two of the greatest munity. Still others may view an American Legion post as a watering assets of any product or organization. In modern advertising terms, hole for older veterans without offering much for younger Iraq-Afghan- it’s called “branding.” It’s the first thing you think of when you hear a istan veterans or their families. Each public’s perception is its reality. name. For instance, what is the first thing you think of when you hear the word “Lexus”? Do you immediately think of luxury and quality? Responsibilities of a Post PR Officer How about “McDonald’s” or “Hyundai”? Now apply the same exercise Public relations representatives might have any number of titles in cor- to “The American Legion.” Just remember that your perception will be porate and government circles. Public affairs, communications, publicity, different than anyone else’s, because your image of a product or organi- marketing, media relations, new media and several other like titles may be zation is based on your experiences and knowledge. used. As discussed here, all these roles are combined into your job descrip- An organization’s image is based on the character, integrity and total tion as public relations officer or chairperson for your post or department. performance of the organization. It consists of every contact the orga- In many ways, the public relations function is the most important nization has with its various publics. It is a composite of: function at any level of The American Legion. It is our job to inform, • The organization’s history in dealing with people enlighten, persuade and convince our many publics of our beliefs, • Internal attitude toward members events and goals. • External attitude toward community responsibility and involve- The first responsibility should be to determine your image in your ment community, if you don’t already know. And you should constantly re- • News releases, interviews and other dealings with the media view your organization’s standing on the image meter. Ask media repre- sentatives how they perceive your organization when you talk to them. • Internal and external publications Talk to your community leaders and to your post’s neighbors. Talk to • Institutional advertising your members – not just those who are always there to help, but the What is the image of The American Legion today? It depends on members who seldom show up for meetings or events. Find out why which public you ask. To the media in general, we are the largest vet- they don’t show up so you can begin to change their perceptions about erans organization in the nation and are considered to be a reliable the post and get them involved. source of information relating to veterans issues. In some local com- munities, The American Legion has no image because no community Your primary responsibility now will be to alter or maintain the im- age of your post and/or The American Legion and to communicate THE AMERICAN LEGION | PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLKIT SECTION ONE | THE CHANGING MEDIA WORLD your various messages to each of your many publics. Based on your The Military Public Relations Model knowledge of what your image is, you can better focus your message(s) For years, the United States military has successfully utilized a three- to achieve your goals, whether it is to garner support for a veterans is- tiered public affairs (relations) paradigm. From the Pentagon down to sue or convince members to support a post function. the post/fort/base level, military public affairs offices divided the PR Good public relations begins with the post commander establishing mission into three separate, but related, functions: policies and practices that are ethical, honest and in keeping with the Media Relations public interest. Then the PR officer can take those policies and practic- es to the public for acclaim, understanding and, if need be, for clarifying Outreach to the general public is crucial to the success of any corpo- any misconceptions. rate or private entity. While there are varied ways to disseminate in- formation, the media offer the best way to reach the largest number of The post PR officer is expected to provide four basic services: people with your information. Advice and Counsel Why won’t your local newspaper run your story about this week- The PR officer should advise post officers of the PR impact policy end’s fish fry? What is that TV reporter doing inside your post at the decisions will have on the media, on the community and on members. bar with a photographer interviewing your members? How did that Communications Service story get printed without me (or the post commander) knowing any- The process of letting the members and the public know about thing about it? events and policies via newsletters, booklets, speeches, news media, Effective media relations mean that you and the various media in good citizenship, examples and other means.