Wildlands Media TrainingOctober 2015

Strategic communications:

Communicating the best message, through the right channels, measured against well-considered organizational and communications-specific goals. In the world of nonprofits, strategic communications is an orchestrated use of channels of communication to move and influence public policy decision-makers or to promote an agenda. [Georgetown Dept. of Communications]

Getting Started

• You need a plan!

• What’s the goal? How can you reach it?

• Who are your target audiences?

• What message will move them?

• How will you convey the message?

Target Audience(s)

• General public is NOT a strategic audience

Persuadable

opponents supporters

Develop Messages

• Start with the “frame”

• Frame= how an issue is presented

JOBS

ENVIRONMENT

CLEAN WATER

LOGGING POLLUTION

CORPORATE GIVEAWAYS

OUTDOOR FAMILY TRADITIONS

Develop Messages

• Focus on values

Primary Secondary Tertiary

Prosperity Stewardship Process

Family Fairness

Faith Accountability

Messaging Tips

Do Don’t

Focus on values, outcomes: fairness, cost/prosperity, preserving outdoors/stewardship, family, faith, accountability

Delve into process or issues of constitutionality

Make it real, highlight the threat, use examples

Spend too much time on the villain (specifically for public lands attacks)

Put people first Neglect to recognize human toll of events, overlook need for community protection

Use accessible language so everyone can understand

Use acronyms, jargon

Messaging Tips

Do Say Don’t Say

Wildlife, plants, animals Species

Natural areas, natural systems, wild places

ecosystems

Pollution and toxins Greenhouse gasses and CO2

Logging, mining, water pollution Non-climate stressors

People Humans

Messaging

Problem Solution

Call to Action

Benefit

Message BoxProblem

Special place is at risk

Solution

Save it! (planning process,

designation, etc.)

Call to Action

Submit a comment, enact a

plan

Benefit

Good for families, outdoor economy,

climate

Tools for Communication

• Reporter Outreach

• Opinion Press Outreach- Op-eds, editorial boards, columnists

• Phone and in-person pitches supplemented with fact sheets, background information

• Press Statements--to react to breaking developments

• Press Releases-- to push out news

• Blog and Twitter outreach (ongoing conversation can create buzz to generate mainstream media coverage)

• Sierra Club channels: Lay of the Land blog, social media, newsletters

Tools for Communication

• Press Teleconferences--reach local reporters in multiple locations, more chance for in-depth discussion

• Events for volunteer recruitment that have a local/national media component.

• Visibility tactics for specific campaigns: Print ads, billboards, bumper stickers, online or radio ads

• Radio tours/actualities--can be planned or used reactively

• Fact Sheets--must be fully cited with credible sources (not other environmental groups)

• Online Video--short (2-3 minutes MAX), pithy, B-Roll

• Sierra Club channels: Dan Chu blog

Tools for Communication

• Press Conferences--to announce major breaking news, new coalitions, major campaigns, major reports

• Reports--Increasingly only successful when written in partnership with an independent, impartial, science-based source

• Sierra Club channels: Michael Brune blog, Sierra Club radio, Sierra Magazine

Communications Capacity

• Media team

• Design team

• Vocus media database

Plan it Out

• Develop a strategic communications plan

• Match tactics with campaign timeline

• Map how message should evolve

Resources

• Volunteer and Chapter Communications Handbook

• Clubhouse

• Virginia Cramer, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org