Media as a Partner
Lee Ann J. Kendrick, M.Ed.
Regional Advocacy Specialist, National PTA
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Why do we need media?
• Create a “buzz”
• Get the “word out”
• Show your power
• Inform others
• Recruit new members
• Share information
2
What is the media interested in?
• Increase in sales
• Increase in viewers/readers
Note: Media is not a public service for a well informed public!
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Where to begin
Guidelines for using media:
1. There must be hard news
2. Think pictures
3. Have a quotable quote
4. Help reporters do their work
5. Know the media staff
6. Include human interest
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There must be hard news
• Large numbers of people doing something interesting
• Someone who is news says it
• A new program is launched
• New information is revealed
• The unexpected happens
• New treatment of an old story
• A tie-in with a breaking story
5
Think Pictures
• No talking heads!
• Produce interesting visuals by:
– Moving the event outdoors
– Moving the event to the impacted area
• Add a subheading to the press advisory that says “Photo
Opportunity”
• Make sure your organization’s name is a prominent visual
6
Have a quotable quote
• Captures the meaning of the event
• Each speaker repeats it
• Put it on signs
• If nothing else, spell it right!
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Help Reporters
• Write releases as a news article
• Who, what, when, where and why in the first paragraph
• Length of a typical news story or a bit longer
• Factual, well written and accurate
• Put opinions in quotes
8
Know the staff
• Develop relationships
• Know who handles what beat
• Go introduce yourself
• Give occasional exclusives
• Nothing is EVER off the record or confidential
9
Include Human Interest
• How the problem hits real people, not just statistics
• Have people tell their own stories
• Bring children
• One expert is enough
10
The Press Release
• Send one week ahead of event
• Don’t give them too much information or they won’t have to
come
• Who, what, where, when, why
• Follow up with reporters
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•
St. Finbar PTA
424 S. Finbar Street
St. Finbar, New State 09031
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jane Mayer, PTA President
777-666-2121
janemayer@stfinbarpta.org
October 31, 2011
NOTICE OF MEDIA EVENT
Members of the St. Finbar PTA will release a report ETC…. ETC……
They will then wrap the office of School Board member Linda Nagashima with a paper chain made by students of the
Linguistics Academy, one of the bilingual schools threatened with loss of busing. The paper chain is made up of
10,000 bands printed with “Please save our school” in 27 languages by the children and parents of the Academy.
FRIDAY, JUNE 24
4:00 PM
Office of Linda Nagashima
1833 Office Way, St. Finbar
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: The children will wrap the office with the brightly colored paper chain.
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Questions
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