Ten Steps to Successful Media Campaigns

Use these 10 easy steps to plan your media strategy. They will help you stay focused, select the right media, and even help you write your media release.

1. Choose your media release topic
2. Time your campaign
3. Identify your objectives
4. Identify your target readers/viewers/listeners
5. Select your media list/s
6. How to structure a media release
7. How to get your message across to journalists
8. Visual effects - the power of illustrating your story
9. How to increase your chances of getting ink
10. Other publicity opportunities

NewsGallery Media Campaign Checklist

1. Choose Just 1! Publicity Project

Select just one product or service you want to launch or an activity or any aspect of your business you want to publicise. Keep it simple - don't try to cover every aspect of your business in one media hit. It's a common error, especially for those who are just starting out on the publicity trail. If you do have several announcements, apply these 10 steps to each one separately, and set your timing so that you don't bombard the same media with your stories. Two weeks apart is acceptable. Of course, if you have announcements of major news interest, this rule won't apply! Here are some of the categories of story that fit with the way most publications approach their editorial planning:

• Event announcements - media alerts, diary items, or invitations to attend
• New products or services
• New business wins
• New partners
• New appointments
• Contests, giveaways
• Reseller success stories
• Customer case studies
• Research results
• Human interest (opinion, personal stories)

2. Timing Is Everything

Make sure you have all your ducks lined up before you rush into sending out a media release. You must get signoff from partners or customers mentioned in your media release. At the very least it's polite, but even a simple statement can come back and bite you if your customer/partner isn't warned in advance.

Identify a time frame of at least three months for a campaign to allow your media relationship to develop and your story to bed down. There are three general phases of a company's maturity in the media marketplace:

1. Building awareness of your brand - company launch (new country, state, city); new personnel; product/service launch.
2. Positioning your product/service - new products and product upgrades, new business, value proposition and unique selling points (USPs).
3. Maintaining your presence - success stories and customer case studies, seminars, 'issues' commentary, ongoing new personnel profiles, contests, product giveaways, research results.

If you've done a good job through these phases, eventually media will knock on your door to ask for commentary in your specialist area. Don't forget to sign up in our Media Commentator Directory to increase the likelihood of this happening!

3. Identify Your Business Objectives

List and clarify the objectives or benefits you hope to gain from your media campaign. By writing these down you are also beginning to formulate your media release. You must include the timing and geography.

Objectives could include:

1. Increased sales
2. Brand building - local, national, international
3. Raising profile of your company CEO or other individual as an expert
4. Attracting investment or pre-float publicity
5. Attracting members or support to your cause

4. Identify Your Target Customer Markets

Before you write your media release or select the media you want to receive your release, you need to understand your end customers - you need to "get them where they live". Answering these questions will help you make relevant media selections - and might help uncover publication categories you hadn't thought of before.

Note: You may need more than one version of your story because it can be hard to reach, say, seniors and students in one hit with the same set of messages.

• Who are your customers or the influencers you hope to reach with your publicity and promotional activities? These could be direct customers, business partners, business associations, government agencies, politicians, board members, etc.
• How old are they?
• Where are they located?
• What do they for a living?
• What do they do in their spare time - hobbies, entertainment?

5. How to Structure a Media Release

When writing an unsolicited media release, keep it simple. You need to grab the reader in the first couple of paragraphs, even the first few words. Make these words matter. Many publications will print only a few paragraphs. Others might not use your release immediately, but hold it on file for later publication, for example, as part of a larger feature. You have about 500 words to tell your story and you need:

• 'Hooks' and 'angles' to grab the reader's attention
• A strong, punchy, informative headline - get across as much of your story as possible in as few words as possible
• A strong first and second paragraph, which are all that may be used. These should give the answers to Who? Where? What? When? Why? and How?
• The How? And Why? can be further explained in the body of the release
• One or two strong "natural-sounding" quotes from your spokesperson preferably phrased in a way he or she speaks
• Perhaps an additional comment from your customer or business partner, if appropriate - this forms the "testimonial" part of your story.
• The NewsGallery system allows you to include 'boilerplate' information about your own company, and a link to your website. You enter these when you register. In our Media Release Template you will also find a field where you can enter the boilerplate of your customer or partner, and their website details. If you choose to complete this it will be emailed to the journalist at the end of your media release.
• This cuts down the number of words you need to use in the body of your media release, and gives an interested journalist a little more background.
• The NewsGallery system also makes sure you can't forget important little details like how to get in touch with you.

6. How to Get Your Message Across

Australian media don't like the hard sell. Most of the time they are going to be cynical about your 'unique selling points'. Your job, as a media release publisher, is to get across the issues, features and benefits you want to communicate without sounding like a marketing brochure or advertisement.

Reduced costs, greater efficiencies, time savings, greater health, wealth or happiness, are all good things to communicate, but be realistic about it - don't exaggerate the benefits. If you are a "world first" or "Australian first" or "State first" say so - but be sure about it, within reason.

Put yourself in their shoes - they are looking for a story of interest to their readers, viewers or listeners. One of the tried and proven ways to get a journalist's attention is to relate your story to current issues you know are being discussed in the media.

Alternatively, introduce a new issue for discussion. Timing is everything - perhaps you can 'hook' your story into key events - the Commonwealth Games, 'back-to-school', ANZAC day, and so on.

Be parochial! A Bankstown journalist is more likely to pick up on a story about a Bankstown resident. This applies to all geographies. Stick it right in the headline: "Bankstown Girl Makes Good!". "Perth Residents Feel Impact of Interest Rates Rise", "Melbourne's Working Parents Rejoice in New Healthy Fast Food Joint".

Tell your staff, especially those answering the phone, that you are sending a media release. There is nothing more annoying for a journalist than a blank response when they phone to request an interview. Let your staff know exactly how to respond with enthusiasm and how to get in touch with you.

BE AVAILABLE. Don't send out a media release quoting an individual who is about to go on holiday or will be completely incommunicado in a board meeting. If the person is not immediately contactable, provide alternative contact details.

7. Create a List of Target Media

When it comes to media lists, bigger is not always better. A highly targeted media release sent to a handful of media you know your customers read will be much more effective than a generalised release sent everywhere.

One very influential journalist may be all you need to get your message across, because media do source their stories from other media, for example, radio announcers often pick up on the press news of the day.

To be an effective "media darling" you need to keep your eyes peeled and your ears tuned. You need to immerse yourself in your target media so you write what they want to hear/read.

Don't only target the general news desk on the major newspapers (known as "metropolitan dailies"). Each metropolitan newspaper contains weekday and weekend special sections and magazines inserts. Glossy magazines have numerous subject-specific columns (food, travel, health, web, etc). These offer excellent avenues to reach specific target markets, as do trade publications related to your industry.

At NewsGallery, we never send your media release to "The Editor" on a metropolitan daily, because this person is usually far removed from daily copy choices. General releases of a news nature are sent to Chiefs of Staff, who make daily copy decisions, as well as Section Editors (computers, food, lifestyle, health, etc), as well as individuals staff journalists and freelancers. In radio and television, we send your release to people such as producers, researchers, reporters and sometimes presenters. (Yes, we do ask their permission to send releases from NewsGallery, and we observe the Australian Privacy Act.)

8. Illustrate Your Story

There is a strong visual element to most mainstream media. Even a mediocre story can get coverage when accompanied by a great pic. This is best taken by a professional photographer with experience in press photography. Graphs, charts, illustrations and screen dumps can also help support your story.

For television, paint a visual picture - make sure they know what they would need to film to tell your story. For example, if you are inviting media to a launch, tell them what the venue will look like, any dignitaries or celebrities that will be present, or any activities that will look good on screen.

For radio, the 'visual element' needs to be painted in sounds or words - so if you have a sound byte let them know - engines revving, people singing, the roar of the crowd. Remember the TV commercial about the silence of eating an ice cream? How effective was that!

9. How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Ink

Sending out media releases is only part of your publicity campaign. Here are some related activities you can pursue to stay in the news.

• Hold a press conference if you must, but remember that media may not show up unless you have something or someone compelling to show them. Make this compelling element very, very clear. Include any photo opportunities in your media invitation.
• Write down and practise your responses to potential interview questions.
• Send product samples to key journalists.
• Develop "champions" - high-profile individuals benefiting from your product or service.
• Monitor the press for opportunities to respond to reported issues that allow you to talk about your own business.
• Watch what your competitors are doing in the press - imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
• Monitor speaker opportunities and other editorial/seminar opportunities - then send a media release about them!
• Follow up your media release by phoning journalists directly - this is by far the best way to ensure placement. See the Media Checklist.

10. Other Avenues for Positive Publicity

Now you know how to target mainstream print, radio and TV media with media releases, you can start to ramp up your publicity profile with some of these activities.

• Enter awards. The AIIA iAwards, Telstra, Yellow Pages, Business Export Awards are just a few
• Fairs, field days and exhibitions pertinent to your industry
• Advertorials - whereby you pay the advertising department for the space for your editorial-style stories
• Noticeboards - especially in universities and shopping centres, anywhere your customers hang out
• Online bulletin boards and chat forums
• Public speaking
• Networking - never miss a chance to talk about your product/service!
• Sponsorships