PUBLIC RELATIONS BE PREPARED 101 Prepared by: Marketing & Communications National Council Boy Scouts of America and Edelman Table of Contents I. Introduction II. What Is News? III. Media Outreach Process IV. Preparing for an Interview V. Interview Preparation Sheet VI. Case Study VII. Contacts INTRODUCTION May 26, 2005 Contact name Council name Boy Scouts of America Council address Dear Contact: It is our common vision to further elevate the Boy Scouts of America brand to make it even more relevant and meaningful to audiences in the local communities we serve. In order to take steps that will help us reach that goal, the National Council is introducing a strategy to assist you in maximizing your public relations and marketing efforts and to provide you additional resources. Our objectives are to assist you in: Generating local and regional news coverage for your council and district efforts Raising awareness of your council in order to assist in the recruiting of new Scouts Coordinating local and National Council marketing efforts Representing the overwhelmingly positive impact Scouting has on our society In order to meet these objectives, we are excited to provide you the following Public Relations Tool Kit. The kit is designed to serve as a template that can be customized to your public relations needs and includes a number of items that will help you communicate with the media. Within this kit, you will find information on a variety of public relations topics including: Recognizing newsworthy events Contacting the media Preparing for media interviews Coordinating your activities with those of the National Council (calendar of events) Engaging National Council support and contacts Producing Good Turn for America public relations case studies We hope you will utilize the program and tools we have provided and engage our team as your partner. We look forward to your feedback and working with you as we continue to ensure that Scouting remains a relevant force in today’s society. Best regards, Stephen Medlicott, Director Marketing & Communications The Boy Scouts of America National Council 1 WHAT IS NEWS? What Is News and What Isn’t Why talk to the press? It’s free; news coverage creates word-of-mouth, which creates trust; media coverage adds credibility to your organization because people believe it more than advertising; and media coverage leads to more coverage. The news media serve as a liaison to reaching target audiences within your community. They act as a filter to disseminate information about your council to consumers, i.e., parents, youth, educators, and businesses. Garnering positive coverage in the news media can be highly beneficial because it is viewed as an endorsement by a disinterested third party, which builds credibility for your council and the good news activities that your members are engaged in. The press wants to talk to you. It is their duty and they want to hear your side of the story. And quite frankly, they’ve got a news hole to fill. Just as important as telling the media about your council initiatives is positioning your BSA spokesperson as a good source of information with a dynamic perspective who’s quotable. The media need to know that they can count on the marketing representative as a good information source. In relative terms, news is “new.” It is a vision, a unique approach. It’s controversial. It’s an idea, a launch, or an event that is relevant to consumers. It’s something that makes a difference or an impact. News doesn’t operate in a vacuum; rather, it takes you to identify and create it and then share it with the media. It has to be organized and well thought out. News should be encapsulated into the five W’s and the H—who, what, when, where, why, and how: Who—Your local council and any partners affiliated with the initiative What—Discuss the components of the initiative and explain its importance When—Disclose the timing of the initiative or event Where—Determine if this will impact the entire or part of the community or if it is a staged event taking place at a specific locale Why—Explain the purpose. What is the rationale? How—The logistics of the initiative or event An example of a newsworthy event is a Scout from your local council being chosen as a delegate for the Report to the Nation. If properly positioned and pitched to the media, this can turn into a wealth of local coverage. Making something ordinary newsworthy requires planning, time, and creativity. What News Isn’t News can’t be an afterthought to generate coverage for something at the last minute or that already occurred. News is ultimately determined by the reporter/editor, not by you, so it’s important to understand the reporter’s journalist style and points of interest. In general, journalists are trying to portray an objective point of view and want to appear as unbiased as possible. News is not business as usual, nor is it promotional. It is not necessarily a new version of an existing initiative. 2 An example of an event that is not newsworthy is a service project Scouts have already completed, regardless of the size and scope. Remember, for the media to be interested, they must feel as if they are “breaking” timely news. Story Angles Local Media Seek Efforts that benefit the community and its residents Creative ideas generated by the youth membership Educational initiatives Efforts with a human interest component Initiatives created because of local trends Strong visual for photo opportunities (a strong visual might contain an unusual point of view and Scouts in action) Checklist to Determine Newsworthiness of Story Angles What are the five W’s and the H? Is the topic something new? What are the two to three key messages that I’m trying to convey? Will the story be relevant to the local community? Does it have a strong enough local angle? Does the opportunity provide a strong visual appeal for photo journalists at newspapers and TV stations? Is the photo opportunity spontaneous and original? Have the right media contacts been identified? Does the story match the section of the paper, and do the editors write about the story you’re pitching? 3 MEDIA OUTREACH PROCESS Media Outreach Process Despite occasional luck, successful media relations (the primary component of public relations) is not just picking up the phone and blindly calling your local reporter. You will need to establish a relationship with them and be available to them for both positive and negative stories. If you have participated in media training before, you already know that it is a good idea to meet your local media prior to pitching them a story. This will ensure that you are not just blindly calling them and asking that they cover your story. You want to be their partner and assist with their needs, not just your own. Types of Media in Your Area Daily newspapers Weekly or community newspapers Television stations Radio stations Online publications Most communities will have a daily newspaper and local radio stations of varying sizes and formats. Some communities also have weekly community newspapers or magazines. Larger markets will have local television news and are likely to have television and radio network affiliates as well. Most of these media will have an online component (e.g., a station Web site) as well, and many larger cities have online city guides and online versions of their newspapers that run additional local stories. Developing Relationships With Media You or someone on your team should become familiar with the local media: the main newspapers and magazines, weekly papers, local radio and TV programs. You need to identify all possible outlets for your story, from mainstream papers to the trade publications, and all public and independent radio and TV stations. This can simply be done by reading and watching your local news outlets. Remember, no outlet is too small: often the free publications and weekly community papers are more widely read than daily newspapers. Ask yourself if you have any media contacts already. Personal contacts with journalists, whether from previous coverage, family, and friends, or just a friendly phone call, can be leveraged to establish a relationship with a reporter. If not, identify the contact name of the right person for your type of story. This is not difficult: just looking through your local paper, you will see stories about similar themes to yours—make a note of the section and the writer, and try to place a similar story in the same section yourself. 4 If you are “cold calling” a newspaper or local radio, just ask for the name of the most relevant person to your story: the news editor, features editor, metro editor, picture editor for photos, etc. Once you identify the appropriate reporter(s), ask the reporter(s) his/her pitch preferences, e.g., e-mail, phone. Proactivity is key to establishing, strengthening, and maintaining relationships with reporters. A few ways that you can be proactive include: Contact reporters with story ideas. Examples include Habitat for Humanity initiatives, cross-district canned food or first aid kit drives, special service projects created by a member. Leverage trends and tie in your district’s initiatives. Examples include a shortage at the local food bank and the district conducts a good drive and helps distribute food to local clearinghouses, a troop’s or council’s support during a natural disaster, collecting school supplies for children in underserved neighborhoods during the back-to-school season. Note his/her recent articles. A reporter’s article may spark a story idea for you.