Author: Elise Constable
Contributor: Natalie Toohey
Building a good working relationship with your local media is an important, cost-effective way to create and manage interest in your project. Your media activities will be even more effective if you have a clear communication plan in place, to guide how you work with the media.
1. Building relationships with the media
Positive support from the media can only happen if you develop good working relationships. Begin by designated one person as your project's ‘media contact’. Encourage them to build strong media relationships on behalf of your project. Think about:
- creating a list of your local TV, radio and print media for consumer and business audiences
- getting the name and contact details for each media outlet that's relevant to your project. For example, morning radio, a regular talk-back program on sustainability or an evening news TV reporter
- ringing and introducing yourself to the contacts, giving a very brief overview of the project. Make sure you're direct, brief and friendly
- asking your media contacts how they'd like to receive information from you. Also ask about deadlines and the type of information they're interested in, so you only send what's relevant
- making sure your information is factually correct and of interest to the audience
- answering questions promptly and as helpfully as possible. Agreed key messages are a handy tool and will help you stay 'on message' whenever you're dealing with the media.
2. Generating and managing media interest
Media coverage can help you achieve your goals in many ways. It can increase interest in a one-off event, and also help support a long-term campaign to convince the community of the merits of your project.
Here are some tips for generating coverage and managing queries:
- be clear about why you want the coverage, and make sure your contact with the media is focused on helping you achieve a specific project goal.
- make sure your language and tone suits your purpose.
- identify the media who'll be most relevant in achieving your goal, and make sure your efforts engage them. Don't hesitate to contact them directly if you have a media release or event you want them to cover.
- have a spokesperson who is briefed fully and available to comment and work with the media.
- if it would be useful to prepare a press release, make sure it contains relevant, accurate information. Draw on your key messages for impact and consistency. Don't forget to include your spokesperson's contact details in the release.
- collate any media feedback, capture any lessons learnt and use them to inform your ongoing efforts.
Always remember, it's much easier to generate positive coverage and respond to any negative coverage if you have strong, well-established media relationships.
3. Dealing with urgent issues
When urgent issues relating to your project crop up, the media will contact you for comment.
Here are a few tips to help you handle urgent or difficult situations effectively:
- take the details of the media contact, confirm their deadline and tell them when and how you'll get back to them.
- meet with your project leader and media spokesperson to clarify the issue, the source of information, the preferred outcome, and which media to respond to.
- prepare a short list of two or three talking points that answer the main questions around the issue, and any other messages you want to get across. Keep the messages simple and in plain, ‘everyday’ language.
- provide talking points for your media spokesperson and practise delivering the messages before the interview.
- ensure your spokesperson responds quickly to enquiries and is accessible.
- be open and realistic about any challenges your project faces.
4. Key messages
Key messages are important, so it's worth preparing statements about your project in advance. If you use the same statement or phrase again and again, it can increase the impact and cut-through of your communication. It also increases your credibility as a group, as your story is consistent and you appear professional.
Key messages are most effective when they:
- use simple and positive language. For example, “Most parents in our community want to support green energy”
- use relevant examples. For example, “Our energy project will supply enough green energy to keep the primary school’s lights on for two years”
- make visual statements. For example, "The number of people who support our project would fill our town square three times over.”
However, the most important thing is to ensure your key messages are aligned to, and support, the achievement of your project goals.
5. Creating media spokespeople
Media spokespeople are the people who've been briefed and can speak to the media on behalf of your project.
Ideally, you should have one spokesperson who speaks on all issues relating to your project. Or you may decide to use a range of ‘specialists’ who talk on different aspects of the project, for example technical, project management and government aspects. The more spokespeople, however, the greater the complexity in terms of hand-offs and coordination, and the more scope there is for messages to become uncoordinated. It can also be difficult to 'share' relationships with key media across a number of project members. For this reason, most organisations tend to use a single spokesperson wherever possible.
When you choose your media spokesperson, consider what skills they need in order to be successful. It helps if they have:
- extensive knowledge of the subject
- a good personal reputation and appearance
- a clear, concise and calm way of speaking
- a willingness to be available, as and when required, and
- a willingness to practise or receive training in media interviews.
6. Recording media coverage
Finally, it helps if you can gather and record any media coverage you receive. This information will help you determine the success and effectiveness of your media engagement activities so you can improve them over time.
More information
Staying credible: ACCC Green Marketing Checklist
Sourcing media contacts Australian Media Guide