Working with the Press
From GPG
Contents |
It is important that good news messages about rights of way reach the press - all too often the only rights of way news is bad news.
It takes effort to work with the press, but the rewards are worthwhile. The more positive messages that the public (and your council members) read the more important your work is seen to be. If councillors can see that the public are interested in rights of way they are more likely to allocate resources to them.
Top tips for working wth the press include:
- Keep the message simple
- Make sure you reach the right press - local papers and radio are only interested if there is a local story
- Everyone loves a picture - make sure you tell the papers if there is a photo opportunity
- Put contact details on the press release, and remember to give some background - not everyone will understand what rights of way are!
The more press releases you send out the more coverage you will get, but you have to remember to send them, and to make the story interesting.
Here is a recent good news rights of way press release:
West Sussex County Council - £150,000 Boost for West Sussex Bridleways
Press Release Number - PR1048 11 - October 2006Horse riders, cyclists and walkers can follow their favourite rural routes more easily thanks to West Sussex County Council's annual bridleways improvement programme.
A number of impassable bridleways have been transformed by £150,000 worth of funding over the summer. They are now also accessible for wheelchair users.
By improving these routes, the Rights of Way group IS helping to protect riders by providing them with a safer network off the roads.
"Making the countryside easy to access is a key priority," said Louise Goldsmith, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy. "We hope to have £300,000 available over the next two years and this will make a big difference to the county's bridleways and benefit the people who use them."
Bridleways in Warnham, Ashurst and Twineham, covering 5.3km (around 2.5 miles), have had major work carried out after consultation with the British Horse Society and other equestrian groups.
The bridleways were resurfaced with Fittleworth stone, and other locally-sourced and recycled materials, using local contractors.
All the major routes have been cleared, resurfaced, ditched and culverted along their entire lengths.
To make the improvements last, riders have been asked to take care and walk their horses on all the new paths until they are bedded down.
Minor projects such as improving gateways, resurfacing small areas and renewing culverts have also been taking place over the summer.
What makes a good news story?
Basic answer: something which people are interested in finding out about.
Why do we need good media relations?
Strong links with the media are needed to raise the profile of a service - it raises the public awareness of the work being done and also informs people of the services available and any new developments being carried out.
This is especially important within services where there is less of an opportunity of directly communicating with users compared with other public services, such as leisure centres.
So what are the key ingredients of a story?
WHAT:
What is happening? Give basic details of the event taking place or work being carried out/competition/project/campaign etc
WHY:
Reason for something happening - what is the overall aim? Has it happened before or is it new?
WHEN:
When is it happening and for how long? When does event/project start and finish? Are there any key dates involved - such as work starting or finishing, official opening or launch.
KEY POINT - Tell the media well in advance
HOW:
Brief explanation of how it came about and how it will be carried out. Also how much is it costing? Amount of money spent on a project or an investment to benefit the local community.
WHERE:
Where is it happening - one place or various places as part of campaign?
Is there any added significance of where it is -is it something of local historical importance?
WHO:
Who does it involve? Organisers or those carrying out a scheme/project?
Who is benefiting - a group or something for the whole community - is it aimed at anyone in particular? Or is it a story of personal achievement by a member of staff which reflects the work of the department?
Provoking media interest
Use of photos - a good photo can be the difference between a story being run or not and is a very strong media tool - 'a picture paints a thousand words' is very true. Consider what would make an interesting photo to support a story what sort of background when deciding where to hold the photoshoot or props that could be used.
KEY POINT - Quirky is good!
There is an old adage 'never work with children or animals' but to attract media attention, the exact OPPOSITE is true. Using children, groups of elderly people or animals is always hugely popular with the media - especially for photos, television or radio. This helps to give the story a quirky angle which may help to 'sell it' to the media.
Different kinds of media
Written press - a news release explaining what is happening and who is involved supported by a photo is ideal.
Television - basic story supported by members of the public/councillors/staff to interview to put forward the message you want. Need to consider locations, background noise and suitable backdrops.
Radio - key to a good story is interviewing people involved or any background noises which help to explain or capture the flavour of an event or story.
Who do you aim releases at?
The main focus for many public services are the local written press, radio and television. This is to inform the public of things that are happening in and around your area.
However, larger-scale news stories or those considered to attract the national media are also targeted to the national news agencies.
Specialist industry press also play a very important role and you may find that your local press office within the public service are especially keen to target more releases at this sector. These can include greater detail of the work of a department aimed at a specific readership.
Other benefits
Apart from raising awareness about the work of the department, a better flow of information of events or developments from frontline staff to the central marketing and communications team or press office within a public service, will bring about improvements in internal communications. This will help the team to respond to any media enquiries with a much greater knowledge base and may also result in new ideas for promoting or hosting events etc.
