Tips on Effective Use of Publicity

On a local level, there are three main types of public media that can be utilized: newspapers, radio, and television. Each one of these tools poses their own unique challenges; yet, the media has the unique ability to give your campaign instant credibility. People tend to respect issues that are presented by ‘professional’ entities such as newspapers more than an individual or group acting without a media voice.

When using the media, there are several points to keep in mind:

· First and foremost, make sure that you are presenting something that is truly newsworthy. If the media group feels that your have wasted their time, you may lose your credibility and your ability to use that tool in the future.

· Be sure that what you are releasing is central to your campaign. Refrain from ‘crying wolf’ by releasing every little development in your campaign. By doing this, you risk losing the interest of the public and the media.

· Make people or the community the focus of your press release, not animals or the environment. An industrial development that poses a health threat to the children in the area draws is more ‘newsworthy’ in the eyes of the media than a development that threatens an animal or the environment.

With these principles in mind, approaching each media type presents its own problems. When composing a newspaper release it is important to remember that newspapers have limited space to print such articles. Releases must be concise descriptive and powerfully written. If an editor has to cut from the release, he or she will cut from the end, so it is absolutely crucial to include all the important information in the first few paragraphs. This should include what? Where? When? Why? How? And your, or your organizations contact information. When presenting the release to the editor, three guidelines should be followed: the release should be typed, double spaced, and less than two pages; your contact information should be at the top of the draft; and the release should appeal to the particular editor’s interests. This last point is crucial to getting the article printed.

Radio releases should follow the same general content guidelines as the newspapers, except that the reading time of the release should be stated, as broadcasts are structured around set blocks of time. The release should fall into one of three time segments: 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 60 seconds. Also, make sure the language is such that people listening on the radio can understand what you are trying to say. Keep your message simple and to the point.

When appealing to television for coverage it is especially important to recognize that television viewers respond to action, not talking heads. To entice viewers coverage of picketing, marches, and the like can be very helpful to your campaign. However, television crews are notoriously unreliable. They are assigned within days and hours of the events, and these assignments can be changed at the last minute if a ‘breaking’ story develops elsewhere. Remember that your event is competing for coverage with every other event in the area. Notify your local station 2 or 3 days before your event, than notify it again about 2 hours before your event. And, because there is always the chance that the crew will not show up, do not plan your event simply for media exposure. It is much more effective to invite the media to an event that is planned for other reasons; if they do not show up, at least the other purpose is still served.

Other common and moderately effective ways of informing the public and elected officials are fliers and posters. Fliers should be written similar to press releases. All of the important information should either be at the beginning, or should be made to stand out on the page. Also, make sure the flier is as short as possible while still being thorough (no more than one page), and that it is both attractive and pleasing to the eye. Posters and flyers need only present small amounts of information and are particularly effective at notifying the community of a meeting or other group event. With posters, it is important that they catch the eye of passers-by, and convey a short yet powerful message.