Community Outreach Bulletin 3.0

 

Effective & Efficient Media Relations


from The Renaissance Transgender Association, Inc.

Conducting an effective and efficient media relations program is simple if you first understand how reporters and editors think, and if you comply with several rules and conventions generally followed by the media. The use of fancy news releases and expensive word processing equipment won't improve a campaign that starts off on the wrong foot or follows a poor plan.

The People You'll Be Dealing With

Some reporters and editors, like some people, are lazy. They prefer to have their work done for them. The spokesperson who understands this has a greater chance of getting a story on the air or in print than one who doesn't. Reporters and editors sometimes also suffer from a lack of imagination. While they will all recognize that a man biting a dog makes news, they may not see that when a certain type of dog bites a man, that is also news. To have greater success, it will be necessary for you to tell them why your story is important, unique, and interesting to their viewers and readers (the "hook"). Reporters and editors also share many of the misconceptions and stereotypes held by the general public. This can be a problem, but it can also be a plus, depending on how you deal with them.

Two Types of News

Journalists write stories rather than articles. The content of a newspaper or a broadcast (television and radio) news program consists of two types of stories. These are [1] hard or breaking news and [2] features. Hard news stories concern events that are happening now, while feature stories provide a glimpse of things that would otherwise by missed in the crush of the day's events. The distinction is often fuzzy, and is made more so by a third type of story, the news feature. Generally, you will be dealing with feature type stories. But your contacts with the media should be as hard hitting and immediate as they would be for breaking news.

News Is What You Make It

Organizations or individuals seeking publicity frequently do it in one of two ways; they invite reporters to events and hope they attend and cover it, or they hold events that are designed to be covered. Obviously, the latter strategy can be carried too far. A mud wrestling contest in drag would certainly get publicity, but it would not be the sort of publicity you would want. In designing an event for publicity, keep in mind that reporters and editors are often unimaginative and many times fall back on obvious story hooks. While this can be an annoyance because you often must deal with the same stereotypes you are attempting to combat, it makes your work somewhat easier because you know how reporters will play the story. For example, a story about the contrast between a crossdresser's "respectable" public life and their "secret" interest is bound to attract attention. Of course, you don't need to create an event to get coverage. You can invite the media to an event that has already been set up in hopes that they may find it worth covering.

Care and Feeding of Reporters

There are two ways to invite reporters to an event or to request coverage: call them on the phone or send them a news release. In both cases you should be as specific as possible, providing them with what reporters call The 5 Ws: Who, What, Where, When and Why. You should also sound upbeat and self-confident. Your confidence in the newsworthy nature of the event can rub off and help you get covered. Don't hesitate to tell the reporter (or assignment editor at a television or radio station) why the story will be of interest to their readers or listeners. You could say, for example, "Our transvestite and transsexual support group has over 100 members in the local area, so the service we provide is of interest to a large number of people." It is important that you sell the story; a little "puffery" is acceptable, but don't lie. For a nuts and bolts explanation of writing a news release, please see the following section.
It is best to have one person designated to at least make initial contact with the media for all events. This builds trust and familiarity. The designated spokesperson can, when appropriate, direct the reporter to other members or sources.

If reporters do appear at your event, be a good hostess. Have a copy of the news release for them, tell them what is going to happen, be accessible and helpful, but don't be pushy. Each reporter has his or her own way to cover a story. As you gain more experience, you will begin to know the strengths and weaknesses of the reporters in your area. Then you can "suggest" possible angles for them. But at first you have to let them alone after you have provided routine assistance. You still have some degree of control, however. Just because you invite a reporter to cover an event doesn't mean that you have to bare your entire life to him or her. At the beginning you can establish "ground rules". For example, you can specify that you or any member not be identified by your real name. Or you can ask that an event not be publicized beforehand to reduce the possibility of troublemakers attending. Ground rules must be established before you begin an interview.

What about photos? If your members have no problem with having their pictures appear in the newspaper or on television; great! But if they do, explain this to the photographer or reporter (television camera operators generally take direction from the reporter).

You need not invite reporters to actually be present at an event. You can send newspapers a release immediately after the event has occurred This practice generally does not work for television and radio. They will need video or audio tape of the actual event.

Preparing a News Release

These are the important ellements in a press release:

Sending Photos

If you send an after-the-fact release and you have access to a darkroom, you may want to include a glossy black and white photo of the event. Make sure it is at least 5 by 7 inches. Don't send color prints, and don't ask that the photo be returned. Depending on how well you know (and trust) the people who are pictured in the photo(s), you may want to have them sign a simple photo release to protect you and your group from possible future legal action. But editors don't care about such releases. They assume that if the photo is sent to them openly, it is okay to publish it. Each photo must have a cutline or caption attached. The most acceptable way is to type it on a separate sheet and tape it to the back of the photo. The cutline should have most of the same information that is at the top of the news release that accompanies it. Do not write on the back of the photo. To keep the photo from being bent in the mail, put a sheet of cardboard in the envelope.

Issued by Renaissance

A non-profit association to educate the professional and general communities about transgendered people.

For more information write:
Renaissance
987 Old Eagle School Rd., Suite 719
Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: 610-975-9119
Email: renaissance@ren.org

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