36 Tipsfrom Media Professionals

Here are 36 tips about how to get more media coveragefor your state or local Libertarian organization. Thesesuggestions are straight from media professionals -

the Wbite House reporter for USA Today; the Washingtoncorrespondent for the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain; a bookerfrom CNNcable network, and a producer for a WashingtOn-arearadio station.

These tips were collected at a seminar at the National PressClub entided: "How to Get ~Iedia Coverage for Your Issues andSpokesmen," sponsored by one of'W'ashingtOn, DC's mostsuccessful public relations firms, Creative Response Concepts(CRC). Quotes are verbatim from the various journalists.

IGood media coverage starts with a good media fa.'(or maillist "There's quite a bit of turnover; keep your list up-to-date."

2 "It's ~portant to have a regular list of contacts. Have a 'core'list mata/ways gets your press releases."

3Keep your press releases to one page.rTwo pages just .annoys them."

4Wote good headlines. "Make it sery and interesting."

5 Use a subhead in your press release. "There is supportingevidence that a subhead 'Willencourage the reader to read thefirst paragraph."

6Writeabout breaking news. "Piggyback on headlines. What'scompelling to you isn't ah••.ays news, but what's news is alwayscompelling."

7 Don't call journalists late in the afternoon. "Try to contactreporters in the morning - before 1 or 2:00 in the afternoon. By4:30 or 5:00, they're scrambling on deadline."

8 Send out press releases on a regular basis. "If there is noconsistem contact, they're going to forget about you. Regularcontact is important."

9 Trt to mft your press releases as a "horror story." "That'sWh:H sellsnewspapers; that's what gets TV ratings."

I 0 Put a human face .on your Story. "Nothing sells like ahuman face. You need to have your facts and figures, yourstatistics, bur a human face will trump your faces."

I I Try to localize your Story. "You want to give an example ofhow your issue will impact your neighbor, your community. Manysmaller newspapers will only take Stories 'With a local angle."

12 Avoid the beltway mentality. "We think what's importantto us is important to the folks back home." Frequently, it isn't.

13 Take your message to alternate media sources like talkradio. "There's nothing to reach the masses like talk radio.There's nothing to get your message out like talk radio."

14 "Recyde your press dips" on a regular basis to show themedia that you're already newsworthy.

I5 Be L:~tive. "The more creative you are, the more themedia wants to keep in touch with you." ..

16 Be immediately accessible. ::D;i~·tr..nsce;'~/ev~rythingelse. I can't srressrhis enough. When Ineed information, I needienow."

17 Be honest. "Once crossed, a reporter will never trust youagain. Once you've breached that trust, it's gone. If you don'tknow an answer, tell them so."

18 Bepersonable. "It goes a long way."

19 Take advice, "Listen to what [he media tells you abouttheir business."

20 Target your media message, "Know the publication you'rereaching out co. Understand your various options of coverage."

21 Provide noueuy. "We're always looking for new people totalk to - fresh angles."

22 Be [he first to spot J [rend. "Help us identify trends: giveus solid examples. Two [things happening] is a coincidence;three is a trend!"

23 Put a specific journalist's ~e on ~v~ fi..~"[USAToday] gees more than 1,000 pages of material each day," andfaxes without a reporter's name gee tossed into the trash.

24 If you leave a phone message, "Keep ie short!"

2 5 If you mail your press release (instead of faxing it) tryhand-addressing the envelope. "A loe of people say they're moreindined to open hand-addressed mail."

2 6 Provide your home phone. "Home phone numbers areinvaluable. Please give me your home phone number" to contactafter business hours.

2 7 Never call a reporter after 4:00 pm. "Don't call me ondeadline. If it's after 4:00, I'm on deadline."

28 Don't send a press kit unless requested. "I must confess,fancy press kns end up in the trash."

2 9 Call reporters back ?'sM. "If I call you, you can assume Ineed you right away, Don't neglect call-backs."

3 0 If you leave your phone number on voice mail, "sla»doum, and maybe say it twice."

31 For events you want televised, give advance warning -but not too much. "It's helpful to call on Monday if you havesomething going on on Thursday or Friday."

32 Be (politely) persistent, "If I don't call back, call again,Sometimes, the only v.ay you get nouced-s to call two or threetimes."

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33 Faxed p~s releases still work better than e-rnail. It willbe "three to five years" before ehe Internee is a primary conduitfor news. "We do not receive press releases by the Internet. It'sstill down the road."

3 4 When calling a reporter, your first question should be:"Is it a good time to talk?"

3 5 On talk radio, be interesting and provocative. "We wantpeople who wiil make our listeners say, 'Did you hear what theysaid on ~"W'RC?'"

36 Grab people's anention wtth the first sentence of yourpress release. "If someone hies me in the first sentence, I mightget to the second sentence."

HoW'~~ 'Yrite 'an EffectiveNe-ws- Reteas-e

The News Release

News releases are used to notify the newsmedia of an event that has happened or willhappen. These events include: meetings,announcements of candidacy, staged events,actions of LP groups, and comments on currentevents by LP leaders or candidates. In short,anything which could be of interest to someoneoutside the LP is a possible topic for a newsrelease.

Prepare a Media list. The easiest source isthe Yellow Pages under the headings:Newspapers; Radio Stations; TelevisionStations. It's desirable to send your releases tothe "Political Editor" or "News Editor." - It iseven better to find out that person's name, bycalling the newspaper or station. There areother sources of media lists besides the YellowPages, notably the library. Include the wireservices (AP, UPI, etc.) if their offices are inthe territory covered by the release.

You may wish to use one release for news-papers, and another for television and radio.You will be writing them as you would like tohave them printed or read, and different mediawill be able to use different lengths of stories.

Write to be heard. And write your releaseexactly as you would like to see it printed in thepaper. Very often it will be, if you do a goodand reasonable job. Don't write a four pagerelease if the paper can only be expected to printthree paragraphs.

Most reporters and editors are busy (andsometimes lazy) people. They do not wish torewrite your release, and the chances of gettingyour release used by the media areproportionate to its correctness of style,structure, and content. Fortunately, masteringstyle, structure and content is easy.

Always Include •••

• The name of the organization issuing thenews release;

• The name of the person responsible forthe release; -

• A telephone number where that personcan be reached;

• A statement of when the release should bemade public (it will be "For Immediate Release"nine times out of ten).

Format/Appearance

A news release should be easy to read. If itisn't, it won't be read. Therefore, alwaysdouble space; always leave big margins aroundthe copy; always indent paragraphs well infrom the margin - about ten spaces. _

If the release is more than one page, staplethe pages together, and indicate page numbers.Use a standard designator at the end of therelease, such as "'#," "-30-," or "End." Type"MORE" at the bottom of each page to showthat the release continues on the next page.

Style/Structure

If you have never written a news releasebefore, or if all of your previous ones havebeen lousy, take a look at a number of newsarticles from your local paper. Read them forstyle, not content. Note that-all newsarticlesare written alike; they all read !he same way.Remember that if your release doesn 't read likeany other news release, the reporteror, editorwill have to rewrite it. He doesn't want torewrite it. So he probably won't use it.

A news release is not a short story. It doesnot have a beginning, a middle, and an end.Instead, it follows a specific structure known asan inverted pyramid.

Decide what you are going to say, then-prioririze. your points in .order of importance,and write them, paragraph by paragraph, indescending order. The important points comefirst; the trivial detail comes last.

The Reason: Editors have spacerequirements, and may need to cut your story to

fit available space. They cut from the bottomup. Maybe the editor will have room only foryour first two paragraphs; if so, you'l1 want tosay what you have to say in that space.

Paragraphs should be short, no more thantwo or three sentences, and sometimes only oneis enough. Involved, complicated thoughts donot fit easily into news articles.

Because of the importance of the invertedpyramid, always tell Who, What, Where, andWhen in your first paragraph.

What to Say

The first paragraph covers all the bases, andshould be written as if the entire story could betold - not the details, but the essentials -even if everything else were cut out.

And What Not to Say

A news article is not an editorial, and anews release is not a vehicle to propagandize assuch. Express as much opinion as you want,but do it between quotation marks.

Avoid esoteric terms understandable to noone but another libertarian ("epistemology,""neo-Rothbardian ").

Back to quotes: Make them up. If you arewriting a news release about your candidate,you don't have to call him. If you will behandling releases regularly, make priorarrangements with the candidate that he willstand behind any quote you attribute to him.

Photos and Tapes

Use them, if they relate to the story and aregood quality. Include them with the release tonewspapers. For television, use slides or filmclips if you can get them, as well as photos.For radio stations, provide cassette tapes of thespeaker. for use on the air. These should bevery brief.

Announcements

Confine these to the bare details. After theannouncement goes out, call the individualrecipients, make sure they have received it, andinvite them to attend.

Helpful Hints

• Hand deliver your press releases to theappropriate person. As with ev.erything else inpolitics, personal contact is crucial. If you havea major story, you may wish to meet a friendlyreporter over breakfast to discuss it in detail.Be sure to make at least one personal call onevery news entity in the district as early in thecampaign as possible. It will help you to getyour stories printed, and will also be helpfulwhen it is time to seek their endorsement laterin the campaign.

• Follow up your news releases withpersonal phone calls. Reporters and editorswill come to know you, and may even call youfor commentary because they know you'rearound. Always treat them as people; they'llappreciate it.

• Correct all grammar and spelling.

• Cultivate local newspapers and stations.They need news, and are more likely to runyour release in its entirely.

• Think of ways to catch the editor'sattention visually. Buy a rubber stamp andstamp "NEWS" in red ink on the release, or usecolor in the letterhead.

• Preview your ads with the press,especially if it is an attack ad. If your ad isunique enough yoomay get substantial airplay onnewscasts, along with extra comments by you.

• In some of your releases, target issues thepress feels strongly about. By displaying areasof agreement with the local press, you are morelikely to get your other stories covered.

• Learn deadlines. Don't try to push them.

From Libertarian Political Action, TechniquesAn Advance Announcement is used to for Effective Campaigning,

notify the media of an upcoming event. A Publication of the Libertarian Party.

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More Tips on News Releases

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• Here are some more tips to successful news releases:

* Never send out a news release that doesn't have an individuals name on it.Editor or Reporter. Establish a friendly relationship with your media contacts .

• Keep an accurate, up-to-date list of targeted media people. Call your l~l mediaand ask who is their political reporter, talk show host, etc. Get names, titles,fax #'s, phone #'s. Keep your list up to date. 25% of the list will be obsolete in ayear. Call through the list every six months. Note new media outlets in your area.

• Keep a special list of those who are specifically sympathetic to us-~tten orsaid something nice about us. If they responded once, they are most likely torespond again. They need to get every release.

* Mix up the type of releases you send. There are samples of each type included.

• News Releases-something happened or is about to happen.Most likely to be picked up. Especially by local outlets.

• Issues Releases-an opinion. Will depend on how influential you are. Be novelor unexpected The entertainment value.

• Useful Information Releases-provide a service to the journalist. State anopinion and include interesting factual data. Allow the journalist to sound smart.Do the research for them.

• Strategy Releases-the sporting event factor. A strategy that you'reimplementing, i.e. young candidate appealing to GenXers. Combine with-anissue. How you're going to succeed. Use objective facts and figures. to proveyour credibility. -•.~ ,_ ::,

Number of registered Libertarians going up: 'More candidates running than last year. More contributing members.Bigger budgets. Rate of growth of members.

Repeat the good numbers over and over in different releases.

* Make your releases professional and interesting. Add a punchy headline. You have fourseconds to interest them. Your headline is it. You have ten seconds for them to read yourfirst paragraph. Your first paragraph gets them to read the rest.

•. Keep it.short. Never mor~ ~en one p~ge. Us~ s.tandard news writing style ..Bemteresnng news. A tantalizing, sensational opiruon, Summarize the release In onesentence (your first sentence), Keep opinions in "quotes." Facts without quotes.Use short sentences. Action verbs. Be lively,

• Use the same header on your releases every time. A standard look. Change it

y~iy; Date our releases foi the next day and write :'Immediate Relc:a~e"onthem. This tells them this is pew, and the date says It has not been sitnng aroundthere desk for 'weeks. .

• Include your name and phones numbers. When they need more information, theyneed in NOW! Be available.

*Put out more releases. A Party that does more will generate more media. Constantlyremind them you're there. Tout your accomplishments. More releases increase your oddsof getting lucky.

*When quoting an official in your Party, it is not always necessary to have that personactually make a quote. Just make something up and attribute it the them.

• Let the quoted person read the draft sentences before it is sent out. After awhileyou will get a list of issues you will always have to have the quoted review firstand another list of issues where the quoted won't need to preview the quotes.

• After the quotes are made, the quoted person should memorize the quotes he"said" in case a media call in generated the quoted person will be on the samepage as the release .

• News releases are not a substitute for action. Success generates coverage .

• The interview call. Your releases will generate calls. You need to be available and prepared.

* The first four minutes are the most important. You never have to recover from a goodstart. You never have to recover from a good start. Capture the attention of theaudience. Be interesting, fun, enjoyable. / '

.~." •....* Several times (every fi!t~n minutes or so), find an opportunity-to Say, '''We may not be

able to fully address this Issue today so people can call us at 1-800":6-81-1776 (or 1-800-292-3766) or they can link to our website-at www .Ip.o rg (or www.lpnc.org)."

* When taking calls use thirty second answers. Use the Ransberger Pivot (contact theAdvocates for Self-Government for training on the Ransberger Pivot). For people whodisagree, make your point and move on.

*Make the host look good He may invite you back or to stay longer .

• What follows are sample ~ews releases. First is an announcement of a county organizationalrneenng. The latter are vanous styles of releases sent recently by the National Party.

-, - . .. ".

,Public Relations-'

• There are some 200,000 media contacts in the U.S. .* The National Party can afford to send its News Releases to only about 2,000 of them.* The National Press Secretary urges and encourages each State and Local Party toforward National News Releases onto media outlets in their areas.

• The media in your area is most likely not getting National releases. Especially ifyou're in a smaller market.

* Smaller market news papers are the most likelv to run our stories!

• Those smaller papers are not getting the regular and constant attention they need tobe aware that we are out here and have an opinion on every breaking news story.

• If your media contact just happens to be getting National releases and you startsending them. They will kindly let you know that they are getting two copies.

* If you are not already getting the National News Releases, contact the National PressSecretary on the enclosed contact sheet. Releases can be received by fax, mail, or e-mailvia the National Party's Announcement e-mail list.

• To subscribe to the announcements mailing list, send a message to<announce-request@lp.org> with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.* Note that the e-mail releases are 500 words while the faxed and mailed

releases are just 350 words to fit on one page .

• If you choose to forward the National releases, you can add your contactinformation next to National's on the release but know the facts and backgroundinformation on the story in case you get called. If you don't know the data, leavejust the National contact information attached. , _

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