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No More Homeless Pets Forum
March 22, 2004 Public Relations |
Lynn Spivak of Maddie's Fund and Barbara Williamson of Best Friends Animal Society, both seasoned media relations experts, will offer their advice and insights into getting media attention for your organization and solving your PR problems.
Introduction from Lynn Spivak:
For many in animal welfare, especially those in smaller rescue groups, hands-on work with animals is the primary focus. It's what people are good at, what they're comfortable with, and where they get their satisfaction. But generating media attention is almost as important as hands-on animal work, and it needs to be constantly attended to.Publicity is particularly valuable for building organizational awareness, enhancing credibility, establishing community good will, and attracting volunteers. Media attention also helps increase donations so that animal services can be expanded. And, unlike advertising, publicity is free!
Thanks to the appeal of animals, it's possible for animal welfare organizations to generate as many as 100 media mentions per month (worth thousands of dollars in advertising). Send in your questions, and we'll talk about how to spread the word about your lifesaving work.
Introduction from Barbara Williamson:
Public relations is a very inexact art. It has many components: everything from writing a public service announcement, to working with the public, to special events, to managing crisis communications.How you utilize public relations will depend largely on your mission and goals, the resources you can devote to this vital function, as well as the events and circumstances in your community. Your public relations efforts should be custom-made for your organization. Above all remain flexible -- what is important for this year's projects may be of little use in following years.
In my own experience I have seen public relations from the vantage point of a journalist, in a public affairs office at a university, and now at Best Friends I focus on media relations. I look forward to working with you on this important part of your efforts to provide the best care possible for homeless pets and getting them into good homes.
Questions
Getting newspapers to cover and print news releases
Getting the biggest bang for adertising
When no-kill shelters are media darlings and AC shelters get little coverage
Handling negative media
Getting the community excited about long-term goals
Who should be the spokesperson for a coalition?
When media coverage is not the story you wanted
Developing a unified apperance to all organizational materials
Promotion of spay/neuter in the community
Getting press for statewide coalitions
Getting national media
Training a spokesperson and developing position statements
Setting media goals for your organization
Getting media coverage for large donations you receive
Getting newspapers to cover and print news releases
Question from Matti:
Although our local newspaper is very good about doing articles on our organization, they absolutely refuse to print any type of press release pertaining to activities linking us with other organizations or corporate sponsors. We've attempted on numerous occasions to get them to put something in print about our involvement with Maddie's Fund Community Collaboration, ISAR National Homeless Animals' Day, Home 4 the Holidays...whatever! No logical reason is ever given...just that they don't/won't do it. I've noticed that most of the newspapers in the central Texas area shy away from anything referred to as a "press release". Should we be using other wording?Response from Barbara:
It sounds like you have a good ally in your local newspaper so it wouldn't hurt to have a friendly chat on this with the editor so you can understand his/her reasoning for not mentioning the other groups. Paramount is keeping that good relationship.I would suspect the editor feels mentioning the other organizations makes it look like free advertising for them. Or the reasoning might be that the newspaper wants to focus on your local group and doesn't see why they should mention other groups, or that it bogs down the flow of the story to include the other groups.
Here are a few alternatives I would suggest:
1. Write a letter to the editor thanking your partners for their assistance and make sure the other groups get a copy to use if they wish. Again, I would suggest a conversation with the editor to explain why it is so important to you the letter is published. Since they are supporters of you I suspect they would be happy to run the letter.
2. Send the news release you wish the newspaper would run to your partners, so they can use it in their own publicity efforts. At least they will know you are making the effort.
3. Design an ad mentioning your partners. Do one version that includes the newspaper as a sponsor and ask them if they would be willing to donate ad space for their sponsorship. If they are not willing, show them the other ad and ask them for the cheapest possible rate. If you can afford to run a small ad, even once a year, that only helps build your relationship with your local newspaper and acknowledge your partners. You might even have a donor who would be willing to pay for the ad.
Now, as far as wording, I am not sure why the newspapers are so picky. Honestly, much of what you see in many newspapers is pretty much a news release, often verbatim and it's just not identified as such. You might try using "news release" rather than "press release."
Here is what I suspect: many, many news releases just are not written in a newsy style. I have seen "news releases" that ramble on for four pages and you have to dig for the pertinent information. I always say journalistic writing style has all the subtlety of a semi-truck. Ideally, someone should be able to read headline and first paragraph and know all they need to know. This is not the time to show artistic writing. Just always answer the Who? What? When, Where, Why, How? and keep to one page.
Or you can use the "media advisory" format, which is a very concise series of sentences that use the Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? format.
For example:
- WHO: Friends of Anytown Humane Society
- WHAT: Super Pet Adoption Event
- WHEN: 10 am to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 3
- WHERE: Anytown Shopping Mall
- WHY: To provide good homes for adoptable animals and help the local humane society lower euthanasia rate
- HOW: (This one is not always used) All potential adopters will first fill out application. Once approved, they pay a $95 adoption fee.
Response from Lynn:
Are you expecting the newspaper to run your press release as is? In my experience, that rarely happens. A press release is successful if it generates a follow-up phone call or coverage of the event itself. It could be the press release you're using for national campaigns like Homeless Animal's Day seems "canned" to the reporter. If you re-write it emphasizing a local angle or impact, maybe that will create more interest.You mentioned that your local newspaper was good about doing articles on your organization. That's fantastic. What sorts of stories does the paper usually do? Analyze your past coverage, then gear your press releases and pitches in the same way.
Also, is there one reporter who seems to cover your organization, or animal issues in general? Make sure you send your materials to that individual. If you have a good working relationship with him (and if you don't) work on it. You can occasionally ask for advice on matters like this.
Comment from Michelle:
I'm a professional journalist by day and an animal advocate by night and day, so I have to offer my two (or three) cents in here about what captures journalists' attention as far as story pitches or press releases since I receive them daily - both verbal and written.Lynn Spivak's comment about a publication rarely running a release as is should be taken to heart. A journalist's job is to write about the news. As a result, a journalist would not last very long in his or her job if he or she simply repeats verbatim a press release that has already been sent out to everyone. Don't EVER expect a journalist to use a quote from a press release, but always include one in there anyway. A journalist will always try to get better information than their counterpart at their competing publication. As a result, expect a journalist to call you directly for more information or another quote that the whole world hasn't already seen. If you can help a journalist "scoop" his or her competition with a major news story, you'll get extra points for that.
There is a HUGE intentional wall that separates editorial and advertising. If a reporter remotely senses that you want him or her to give free advertising in one of their articles, you won't even get a call back. Ethically, reporters are supposed to be unbiased. Promoting people or companies in their writing violates the code of ethics by which journalists work. Advertising and editorial are like church and state: they are supposed to remain completely separate. Respect this.
Despite the divide between advertising and editorial, there are ways to get things like the Maddie's Fund collaboration covered. I would pitch it as a business trends piece on venture philanthropy about how the PeopleSoft founder who started Maddie's Fund is giving back to society through these community grants. Use this headline in your press release: Where Corporate Meets Community: Entrepreneur Philanthropists Hold Non-profits to Corporate Standards. The story about Maddie's, in my opinion, is that the foundation is forcing the animal protection community to act like a business would and therefore groups are achieving some wonderful successes. A story about a Maddie's Fund collaboration could also be pitched as a story about what the technology brainchildren are doing with their millions - the relevance to your local paper is that your community is collaborating and (I'm assuming) receiving funding and therefore benefiting from Maddie's.
Journalists are drawn to controversy and so are their readers. This doesn't mean that you have to do something controversial or attack someone to obtain coverage. For example, partner with your local shelter and have the executive director go on record stating that taxpayers are losing money each year because money is being funneled into euthanizing animals versus being spent on prevention programs like spay/neuter. Try to quantify how much the county is losing by being reactive versus proactive - if it's a big number, you'll get covered. Give some numbers from other communities like the ones stated in the spay/neuter section in the ICMA animal control handbook.
I have always thought a great story would be if you spent time surveying people (or asked a journalist) to go out to the public to ask them what their perceptions of the animal laws and shelter are in our community. For example, I had a neighbor in tears pull over in her car and stop me while I was walking my dogs to ask me about how long the shelter is required to keep a dog before they euthanize it and if they are allowed to euthanize by breed versus temperament. She had turned in a puppy to the shelter and assumed that the law mandated that the shelter keep the animal for 90 days. She was horrified to learn that our state law only stipulates a 5-day holding period and that her puppy was euthanized because it was a chow mix despite the fact that it was great with adults, kids, other dogs, etc. I think education is key in our movement and think an animal welfare perceptions article would be very telling and helpful for the general public in any community. If you could help link a journalist with some people like the devastated woman who stopped me because she didn't fully understand the laws that would make for great copy for a newspaper.
Statistics - Journalists love numbers. Promote the success of your programs in quantifiable terms and you'll get mentioned
I've found that animals are the best icebreakers: When I was on the flip side doing PR for our volunteer organization, I met one reporter who called me for a statement. She ended up talking to me for a half an hour about her dog and cat! Learn which reporters have animals - even learn the animals' names, keep notes about that. If you can call up a reporter and ask how Max's hip dysplasia surgery went (as an example), you'll have an in with a reporter that is priceless.
When I'm doing PR for our organization, I look at the staff list online and try to see if there are any bios for the writers. With one local paper, I made sure to send my press release to the staff something related to animals and give us a better chance at obtaining coverage. Even if that geographic area or topic weren't his beat, he'd probably think it was important enough to pass it on to the reporter who would cover it.
Stay away from fluff. Don't use flowery words or unclear terminology. Don't assume that a journalist knows what you're talking about. The animal protection community has its own nuances and complexities that often the general public does not understand (e.g. What is a rescue organization? Do all rescues have a facility? What is a foster? Are all humane societies no kill? Who runs the county shelter: the police, a civilian in the county government, a private group with which the county contracts for animal services? Do all rescues accept strays? What does open admission shelter mean? Is animal cruelty a felony or does it go unpunished?).
If you call a reporter, ALWAYS first ask if the reporter is on deadline. It is helpful to learn from the reporter when they file their stories so you don't routinely call them when they are on deadline and so you can give them enough time to add in your comments when you call. I typically have people that don't understand our publication's production schedule contact me days after I've filed a story and want to be included.
Be as accessible as possible. Give a reporter your work and home e-mail addresses/phone numbers if you have to. Many reporters work crazy hours. Understand what they are and be available.
Ask the journalist if she/he prefers to receive press releases electronically or via snail mail. If you send a press release electronically, the subject line is the most critical piece of the mail - it determines whether or not the reporter will open the e-mail or not. Don't include press releases as attachments - they won't get read. Instead, include them in the body of the e-mail.
Sorry to be long-winded, but I'm a writer, so I had to share.
Response from Lynn:
All of Michelle's comments were fantastic. She is so right about finding reporters/news producers with animals. These people are unbelievably helpful and supportive.Accessibility is another huge issue. I got more than one story as the result of a reporter not being able to reach someone else right away. Make sure reporters have your direct line, and that they don't have to go through layers of voicemail. And if you do get a message that a reporter called, call back immediately!
Getting the biggest bang for advertising
Question from Stacey:
Our group has never had an advertising budget before. We recently decided to put aside $5,000 because we felt we needed to do something for public awareness about spay/neuter. A local business said they would match the $5,000. We were ecstatic and felt like we had so much money to spend on media! But when we started looking at newsprint, radio, and TV we found that it didn't go very far and we had heard that a listener had to hear/see your message 3 times before it sunk in. Is this true? For groups with very small budgets like ours, where would you advise us to spend it to get the biggest impact and have people hear our message?Response from Barbara:
First of all, congratulations on finding a generous local business to help you.I've heard the "three times" formula and I think there is truth to it.
Before you spend any money hold a brainstorming session and think of every way to advertise your event for free or little money:
- flyers to local businesses, library, senior center, kiosks, etc.
- ask your community groups (such as Rotary) if you could send someone to their meeting to announce an upcoming event and bring the flyers
- print up posters (this may cost you some) and put them up on lampposts, telephone poles, kiosks, local businesses, etc.
- see if your local weekly shopper will provide you free space for a classified ad and inquire about their ad rates.
Investigate putting posters on public transportation or an ad mixed in with the previews at your local movie theater. In some communities this can be very reasonable.
Also talk to your local media outlets to become a sponsor by providing free or drastically reduced rates.
Remember to always ask for nonprofit rate. And try to identify the "animal people" in the media outlets who will be friendly to your cause.
I don't know what is true in your community but in most areas, radio advertising is by far the cheapest. You can buy much more radio advertising and be just as effective as TV and newspaper.
If you are planning a major spay/neuter event check into live remotes. (At a recent mobile adoption event we had two of three dogs went home as a direct result of a live remote broadcast.) Talk to your local radio stations about this as well and ask them what is the best nonprofit rate they can give you for a three-hour slot. Radio stations often "sweeten the deal" by throwing in several 30-second PSAs leading up the event because it's promoting their station as well.
Response from Lynn:
You're right. Ten thousand dollars won't buy much, especially in one of the larger media markets. Instead of using the money on advertising that will simply get lost in the shuffle, consider using it as seed money for a spay/neuter publicity campaign.You could do something like offer free spay/neuter surgery to the first 150 people who call for an appointment. Or, you could provide another kind of free offering (e.g., DVDs of Finding Nemo) to the first thousand people who spay/neuter their pet. Or you could save the money and just do something a little bit outlandish. The No More Homeless Pets in Utah coalition recently teamed up with Hooters Restaurant for a Hooters for Neuters campaign to persuade men to fix their pets. The restaurant donated $500 to the event, and waitresses posed for pictures with pets.
Once you have a hook like one of the ideas above, you can use it as the basis for your public service announcements, calendar listings, event announcements and press releases. The resulting media coverage should far surpass the value of your seed money.
Comment from a member:
Many cities have seating cubbies or benches at bus stops. I used them several years ago for advertising and they were not only reasonable, the ad was there for a year. For best results, keep the message short and simple for easier reading for passing traffic. Red lettering on yellow backgrounds are recommended as the most eye catching for signs and banners. That's something else that worked well. Large vinyl banners are fairly cheap, too, providing you have a business with a lot of passing traffic to see it. Check with local ordinances to make sure banners are permitted.When no kill shelters are media darlings and AC shelters get little coverage
Question from Ceily:
I have been the manager of a government animal control shelter in a small community of 67,000 citizens for over 15 years. When I was first hired, the shelter was literally a pound of the worst sort. Officials actually described it as "a holding facility for unclaimed pets to be humanely euthanized."Within the second year, I formed a non-profit, auxiliary group (Friends of the Shelter) to raise funds for things we considered important, but for which we had no budget. Tremendous progress has been made, thanks to our Friends and a hard working staff, but the media (and thus the public) always focus on euthanasia! Even though we have had a steady decline in incoming animals (spay/neuter programs) and adopt out, or return more pets to their owners than ever before, we are seen as an uncaring kill shelter.
In contrast, we have a local rescue group whose President was originally in the Friends' group. She broke away ten years ago when she decided to focus on individual animals rather than Friends' mission of helping all the animals, as a group, through the shelter. They foster animals until adopted, and tout themselves as "no-kill." So, naturally they are the media's darlings (and thus, the public's).
While we have always kept the lines of communication open and have helped this group whenever we could (sending them potential adopters, getting them special prices on vaccines, microchip scanners, licensing exemption, sharing donated food & other items, free transfers from our shelter to their group, etc.), we still hear of their members telling people not to bring animals to our shelter because we will only kill them.
It is equally frustrating that this group and Friends are confused in the public's mind. The rescue group isn't above taking donations "for the shelter" and won't correct the donor when they think her group is associated with the shelter. In other words, they seem to take credit for anything good coming out of our shelter or Friends, but won't help the shelter or support Friends programs that are really helping to save animals' lives.
Our shelter adopts more animals out in one year than this group has in its ten years of existence! Why can't the public see that helping the shelter (and our Friends) will stop the killing? Our shelter still has a ways to go, but we have made measurable progress. And, we will see the end of adoptable pets being euthanized because of our focus on preventing the births and our "herd mentality." Without sounding critical of the rescue group, which, believe me, I appreciate being there, how can our shelter and our Friends educate the public when the media only wants to focus on the killing?
Response from Barbara:
You are right to stay positive, even though it may be frustrating at times.Before you go to the media again I would suggest you approach the governmental officials overseeing your shelter, the mayor and/or city council, county board of trustees to ask for a day to be set aside to celebrate the shelter's successes. This would be especially meaningful if your shelter leadership and government officials could agree on a statement endorsing a "no-kill" goal or a goal of no more homeless pets. You want to start to get into the media's mind as well as the public that the shelter is dedicated to finding homes for animals and spay/neuter.
The proclamation would be read at their regular meeting, which is probably covered by your local media. Also, I would suggest creating an event to celebrate a milestone adoption and/or a "family reunion" of happy adopters and their animals. Make sure it is a very visual event so there is something fun and heartwarming for newspaper photographers and TV cameras to shoot. But before you do either of these things, I'm going to suggest some footwork.
Create a very simple chronology of the "milestones" the shelter has achieved in the last 15 years and one for the Friends. You can even turn them into timelines if you have someone with basic graphic design skills. This is going to be foundational for what comes later.
The first use of these chronologies is for your staff and volunteers. If you haven't gathered everyone recently for an "atta girl, atta boy" get-together, do so and let everyone see how much they have achieved. You want everyone who works with you to be able to share those accomplishments with both media and the general community.
Put together your statistics so you can demonstrate the drop in number of animals coming in and the increase in adoptions. You didn't mention specifically your euthanasia rates but if those have dropped, include them as well. And show this not only in actual numbers, but in percentages... I find percentages stick better in people's minds.
Then you can package the chronologies/timelines with the statistics sheet, add a one-page news release touting your successes and then add two or three very wonderful adoption stories with photos that have come out of your shelter in the last year. Put all of these together in a professional-looking folder or binder for a "media kit". Make enough copies for the local media, the governmental officials overseeing your shelter, and any other key people who you think will be in a position to help you. Hand-deliver these kits. If you are fortunate enough to have a web-savvy person at your disposal they can make an electronic version of the media kit, which could be housed on your web site.
We often tout No More Homeless Pets in Utah, because they come up with creative ideas that are very visual, fun and easy for the TV stations to use. At a kick-off for the New Year of the Utah program, they dressed up dachshunds like a stylish couple headed for the Ritz to celebrate the New Year. The TV stations have come to count on a fun piece each year.
So get a group together and brainstorm something fun. See if you can identify businesses willing to donate a gift for your milestone adoption. In your promotions say there will be a special gift for this milestone adoption... a professional photographer who will donate a studio portrait of the person and their dog or cat, a gift basket of pet goodies, a free trip to the groomer, an overnight stay at a pet-friendly resort, etc. If you decide on the reunion of adopters and pets, get them together for a "group shot" for both the TV cameras and the newspaper.
I wish you the very best with this and when you get a group together to think up ideas, don't be surprised if you come up with something totally different than what I'm suggesting that will work very well in your community.
Response from Lynn:
First of all, congratulations on your progress.Because you are a municipal agency with the unfortunate responsibility of killing the community's unwanted animals, you will probably always be criticized. That's just the way it is. But there are things you can do to improve your image and get more credit for your lifesaving work.
For starters, consider teaming up with the rescue group you refer to. There are several things to gain here. If you speak as one voice, announcing a joint project and working on a common goal, I would think the community would regard both agencies in a positive light by virtue of your coming together to solve a problem. As a team, you could save more lives. And as partners, the negativity between groups would probably lessen.
At the same time, you can work on your own organization's image.
- Write a report that demonstrates lifesaving improvement. Using graphs and other visuals, show the year-by-year reduction in intake, increase in adoptions and reduction in deaths, using actual numbers. Make this the centerpiece of the report. Include a narrative of other accomplishments: the formation of the Auxiliary, the subsequent rise in donations, the increase in volunteer support, the increase in spay/neuter numbers. Include a measurable goal and timetable. Put the information on your website and in other communications.
- Consider brainstorming with staff and community contacts to come up with a new catch phrase or tag line that describes how you see your organization today - "Saving our community's pets one life at a time" or whatever - something that is positive, upbeat, and refers to saving lives; something you might want to put on your animal control vehicles as part of a new identity. Consider a new logo, a shelter lobby remodel, or a new color scheme to give your organization a new look.
- Publicize your organization's "make-over" or "facelift," and describe how these changes reflect the lifesaving accomplishments of your organization today. Include statistics from your lifesaving report. Talk about the organization's goal, timetable and so on.
This is a quick reply, but hopefully it will give you a start towards positioning your organization as a crucial member of your community's safety net of care for companion animals.
Handling negative media
Question from Shelly:
How do you advise handling negative situations that come up in the media about your shelter? We have recently had two bad stories come out about the fact that our shelter turns away animals if we are full and doesn't take in strays. The newspaper article went on to ask how we could call ourselves humane if we are not helping all the stray animals suffering on the streets. Now two TV stations did a story on it.The problem is that if we started doing that, we would end up euthanizing hundreds if not thousands of stray cats and then our image would suffer more because we would be perceived as inhumane for killing them. We feel like we can't win here and don't know whether we should just let the stories die down and not respond because it just adds fuel to the story, or if we should go on the offensive and go directly to the media to showcase some of our programs we are doing.
Response from Barbara:
In times like these it is very tempting to turn your back on the media and that's exactly when you can't afford to do so. But I'm not much for advocating "going on the offensive." I've never found putting media people on the defensive to be a good tactic. Instead, this is one of those opportunities for education.So ask to set up a meeting with the individual reporters and their editor as well. The first thing is to politely help the media see the convoluted logic they used in their stories and that they missed the real point. Stray animals are the results of animals not being spayed or neutered, are the result of being abandoned, etc. They probably need to see in black and white the local statistics... how many spaces you have versus the estimates of number of strays. Talk to them about what happens to the health of animals when they are overcrowded in a facility and caregivers are asked to take care of more animals than they realistically can. Show them the funding you have, how much it costs to care for each animal and how much money you would need if your community really was going to take care of every stray. Even tell them how big the facility would have to be to take in every animal.
Then invite the TV stations, newspapers and radio to become part of the solution.
Ask your local newspaper to let you write a guest column on the opinion page so you can lie out the facts of the situation. This can be an excellent time to once again emphasize spay/neuter, the responsibilities of adopters and the benefits of adopting shelter animals. Invite the community as well. If you are in a position to have people foster animals encourage community members interested in fostering contact you.
Find out if your newspaper would give your shelter space for a regular column... of course that means you or someone else has to commit writing a regular column.
The media can help you publicize specific pets as well as when you are approaching the overflow situation. Some shelters have started advertising and/or put out public appeals when they are reaching capacity and will have to start euthanizing. We had a shelter featured in our "Around the Nation" section of the web site recently that had an amazing response when they put out the call for help.
Hope this was helpful.
Response from Lynn:
The first thing you might do is revisit why you do what you do. What is your organization's mission and philosophy? What are your values and principles? What are your goals? Are your policies for taking in animals in sync with these things? Next, clearly articulate all of this information on paper - you can call it a President's Letter or Policy Statement. (A paper that might help you make your arguments for taking in only the number of animals you can care for and adopt is at: www.maddiesfund.org/aboutus/knock.html.)Publish the information in your newsletter, post it on your website and yes, send it to the media. Mainly: explain your position, be true to your beliefs and values, and act in alignment with your mission. Then you have to leave it up to the community to judge what you do. If the public doesn't accept it or like it, that's the way it is. Getting critiqued and analyzed comes with the territory.
Getting the community excited about long term goals
Question from Jessica:
At our Humane Society, I'm really pushing to set some specific goals to improve our adoption rates and reduce euthanasias. We currently have a 75% adoption rate for dogs and 50% for cats. It is vital for our situation that the goals be very gradual and that we take the time to thoroughly plan each program. (In the past, we had one director who hoarded animals to the point of cruelty, and the staff and board are very wary of rushing into a situation that might remind them of that time). My question is, even though the goals are gradual, how can we publicize them? I think the community would be excited to hear that we have detailed plans for improvement, not to mention the possibility for increased donations. However, I wouldn't want to make false, or unattainable claims. I know the first step will be to get everything down in writing, but what's next?Response from Barbara:
It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into what you are doing. So I hope I don't sound too much like a wet blanket. In fact, I'm going to suggest you may need to look for publicity in a different way.All of us have too many demands on our time, too many different groups trying to attract our interest and people simply will lose interest. Remember that the general public and the media do not have the devotion to the cause we do.
My main concern is you will be trying to get people, both media and general public, to focus on what to them will look like details. The problem I can see with gradual goals is that it's not very "sexy." I think you will have a hard time sustaining the media's - or the public's - attention with gradual goals or detailed plans.
First you have to engage the media's interest. So instead talk in a "big picture" way about your humane society. What is your group doing right now on behalf of animals and what does this mean for your community? What are the successes stories... do you have an animal who made an amazing comeback? A wonderful adoption story? What is your humane society doing with schoolchildren that would make a fun story? Focus on the joy of adopting animals from your humane society.
I think this tactic right now will be more effective for you. And then, when you have reached a significant goal, which would be seen as news, you can publicize it at that time.
Response from Lynn:
First, in regards to setting goals, consider setting an overall, long-term goal that's ambitious and exciting - one that can capture people's imagination. That way, the goal itself can help generate publicity. Then set intermediate goals that require a pretty big stretch to reach. As you achieve intermediate goals, call attention to the fact and celebrate your success. The celebration becomes part of the publicity campaign and serves as a launching pad for starting on the next intermediate step.In terms of getting the word out, the obvious things come to mind. Put the goals in your newsletter and on your website; make them part of speaking engagements. Generate publicity by holding a kick-off event to embark on the goal. Come up with visuals to chart progress towards your goal - the old thermometer idea. Send progress reports to the media. Consider holding small publicity events periodically that bring attention to your progress (e.g., a celebration at the half-way point).
If you can think of ways to involve the community, it keeps public awareness and excitement growing. If the goal is a certain number of adoptions, maybe have school kids draw pictures of animals awaiting adoption. Then put the artwork in a local café with signage describing the goal, and see if you can get some publicity around the exhibit. Get ten local businesses or companies to host offsite adoptions, and generate publicity around that. I'm sure you'll come up with better ideas than mine--good luck.
When media coverage is not the story you wanted
Question from a member:
Can you give some tips on how to deal with the media to actually get them to tell the story you want them to tell? We have had three stories done on us (2 TV and 1 newsprint) recently and even though we thought we had given them our three main points and a fact sheet in advance, the stories took on completely different angles than we anticipated and didn't get across some of our key points. The story was supposed to be about our spay/neuter efforts and the collaborative efforts of multiple humane groups working together. Of course, the media wanted to find a "controversy" angle, so went for the feral cats and is putting them back out humane and the right thing to do. Feral cats are one small component of our efforts and one we barely focused on in our interviews, but that ended up being their main piece.We are becoming hesitant, and almost resistant, to having any media coverage of our efforts because it always seems to come out negative. So, my questions are: I know we can't ask to see the story before it goes to print or air, but how do we make sure that the facts are correct. How do we try to "spin" the story the way we want to? Is there any hope of doing this or are we just at their mercy?
Response from Barbara:
Boy, there is nothing more frustrating than when you trying to change a media mindset, sometimes they can be maddeningly myopic.Are feral cats a hot topic in your community? If so, that could explain how they missed the main point. Most media people are going in three directions at once, up against constant deadlines and truly have very limited time to focus on any story. So they hear "spay/neuter" connect it with feral cats and that's it as far as they are concerned. And once a story is covered they are not inclined to go back to it without a "news hook" (a new development, a statement by a government official, an event, etc.)
One tactic that often works in an interview setting is this: tell them you got a little lost and could they read back to you what they have written so far? It gives you a chance to hear it. It gives them a chance to have the facts sink in and they will probably notice before you do if there is any confusion.
Now as far as the coverage you have already received. Look on this as an opportunity for education. Try to set up a meeting with the reporters who have given you coverage and/or their editors, news directors. You are not asking for a story at this point, you simply want to begin the conversation. Whatever you do, don't put them in a defensive mode.
Media people rarely get complimented, so thank them for putting attention on the feral cat issue, which is an important one. From what you wrote, it sounds like at least they supported TNR, which is good and means they at least have some sympathy for animals.
Then politely tell them that they have missed a major part of the solution to the feral cat issue: spay/neuter of all cats. Then draw them into looking at the homeless pets issue. I'm sure you already given them tons of information but I find it always a mistake to assume they have read any of it. So before you meet go over your important points so you have them firmly in mind.
Ask them what they would need in order to write another story, which would focus on the spay/neuter of pets and collaborative efforts of the groups. Then set about meeting that need.
If you find you are hitting a brick wall with these particular media people, start looking for other folks at the same outlet who are animal people and cultivate them to be your champions. Look for ways that the media outlet can be part of the solution... maybe they will "adopt" a spay/neuter event as their special project.
Then if you really, really feel like nothing is working ask yourselves how you can get your word out with or without the media on the bandwagon. Your bottom line is spaying and neutering animals and if you get that accomplished through alternative means, so be it.
Good luck.
Response from Lynn:
Don't get discouraged about the outcome of your story. It's extremely rare for a piece to come out exactly the way you want it to. Even with its flaws, the story still got your name out to the public, and the community learned a little bit more about who you are and what you do. That's all great stuff! Also: sometimes what you perceive as negative, others see as positive. Stories that I was fearful about sometimes brought about the best response from the community.You ask about how to spin the story. Coming up with catchy sound bites (for print as well as electronic media) possible strategy since a good sound bite is almost guaranteed to stay in the story. (Good sound bites are really hard, however.) Also, be sure you get your points in, even if they aren't directly asked. In the end, you are at the media's mercy and, ultimately, you can't control how they edit or shape the piece.
Even so, don't become resistant or hesitant about media coverage, and don't worry about it if the story goes in a slightly different direction than you envisioned. Be thrilled about whatever coverage you get and pursue media attention as much as you can. As annoying as it can be, media is far too valuable and important to disregard.
Who should be the spokesperson for a coalition?
Question from Karen:
When you are part of a coalition, and you are trying to get PR for your joint efforts, how do you decide who will be the spokesperson and make sure that all the groups get equal publicity? We have 8 different groups involved and are finding that when we talk to the media, they often don't list all the groups because of time constraints. If they interview one group but not another for a story there is tension between groups.Another problem we have is that all the groups have varied opinions on issues, so how can the coalition speak for everyone. We recently got asked about how to deal with feral cats and if all cats should be indoors. Many of our groups have conflicting stances on this. It was impossible to try to answer as a coalition! Yet we tend to get a lot more PR and media when they see us working together rather than individually. Any ideas on what we can do?
Response from Lynn:
Tough questions! As for picking the spokesperson, here are two ideas. You might try someone who is not affiliated with any particular group, but who is interested in the cause, knows the coalition and can do a good job with the media. Maybe this is a professional PR person who is on something like a coalition advisory board. Alternately, maybe the spokesperson position should rotate from group to group every year.When the spokesperson speaks on behalf of the coalition, the focus should be on the coalition and not on individual organizations, thus the name that should be used is the name of the coalition. All partners should be listed on all coalition materials - press releases, website materials, posters, advertisements, brochures and so forth.
If a reporter asks about issues (like feral cats) where different groups have different policies, the spokesperson can say, "Our coalition's mission is to increase adoptions through community events (or whatever). As a coalition, we don't have a feral cat policy - each coalition partner formulates its own policies and procedures. Here is a list of coalition partners' spokespeople, along with their cell phone numbers and email addresses. Any one of these people would be delighted to discuss their organization's policy with you."
Response from Barbara:
Ah, so you are trying to "herd cats" are you? I want to wish you the best of luck with this. Seriously, it seems like in many communities people who can agree that animals deserve the best from us just can't seem to agree on anything else. So congratulations on getting a coalition started. And it really wonderful your local media is focusing on the group efforts rather than the times you don't agree.I'd suggest you identify the things all coalition members can agree on. Can you all rally behind a spay/neuter event or an adoption festival? These are the things were you present a united front and if possible an overall logo for the coalition would be great. Try rotating spokespersons for each united effort.
Honor each other and try not to worry so much if the media don't get it exactly right. Have celebratory after-event get togethers or an annual picnic. Look at posters and letters to the editors, banners at events as the places where all groups are acknowledged.
As much as possible get each group to agree that on the issues where there is difference of opinion that they emphasize they are speaking only for their group... and just be prepared for the media to get it wrong.
It would be really helpful if everyone could keep in mind that the point is to help animals in need, to find homes for homeless pets, to increase spay/neuter, etc. As long as the mutual goals are accomplished we should be able to look past who was acknowledged by the media.
It may be messy right now but it sounds like you are off to a great start.
Developing a unified appearance to all organizational materials
Question from Anna:
I am trying to get our Board and staff to understand the importance of having a unified style and appearance on everything we send out so that it looks professional and people start to recognize our organization - kind of like branding. We set up a marketing committee to approve everything before it goes out. Oftentimes we have volunteers making brochures, or staff sending out something that doesn't have our logo or contact information on it, or wasn't approved and says something contrary to our mission, etc.My background is in marketing, so I feel like I can really bring something to the organization in this area. The Board and staff seem to think I am being too anal and picky about this and that I should loosen up. I'd like your opinion on whether you think it is important for a unified message to be projected from an organization, and if you do, how can I make my board understand the importance?
Response from Barbara:
You, of course, already understand the value of a unified marketing approach... now to get your board on board! I absolutely support unified image. In my opinion, there are so many organizations and causes floating around that having consistent messages, consistent use of logo and a specific look to your brochures, newsletters, business cards, etc. are vital.Maybe if you put this in the context of fund-raising it will help them to see the importance of this.
First of all, how easy is it for your volunteers and staff to employ a consistent look? Are they provided with newsletter stock, brochures, news release templates, business cards, etc. that have the organization's style? If they are provided the materials to work with it will become more natural for them to use these instead of doing extra work to come up with their own.
And this does not necessarily mean using expensively produced materials. Very good brochures can be produced on home computers, so can business cards. Your logo can be printed on labels and nicely applied to folders. Templates can be developed electronically and only printed when needed.
In terms of a packet you would give potential donors or corporate sponsors, a consistent unified look conveys the impression that you are organized and to be taken seriously.
In the context of what you send to the media, it might help drive home the point if you could get permission to have your board observe behind the scenes at your local newspaper, TV or radio station when at deadline time They could see the controlled chaos and it might help them understand why you want your logo prominently displayed on professional looking news releases and media kits.
I'll bet in your marketing career you have done case studies of good and bad examples of marketing. Maybe if you could present a few to your board from other organizations in a "show and tell" session that would help.
Here at Best Friends we changed our overall name slightly and came up with a new logo. Employees were informed of the changes before we launched, as well as our members, and overall it has been received well.
But I have to say it concerns me when you say employees are sending out materials that are contrary to the mission. This is serious and I hope you can help board would understand how that is detrimental to your organization. If this is isolated to one or two people, I'd suggest a friendly conversation with them. It may be helpful to get everybody together and refresh people on the organization's purpose and why they are an important part of your overall public relations effort.
Hope this is helpful.
Response from Lynn:
I agree with you. As a reflection of your organization, your materials should look as professional as possible, be well written and contain a cohesive message. And yes, the ultimate goal is for the public to associate your organization with a recognizable logo and tag line that goes along with a unified color scheme and design.However, it's even more important to get the word out. For example, if your organization doesn't have the budget to accomplish this goal right now, or if it's going to take nine months to implement, don't hold material back –get whatever you can in circulation. If it's a matter of getting something timely out now or going through a lengthy review process, it's better to get it out.
I can relate to your predicament. In my case, various departments and programs all wanted their own look and identity. As a result, our materials put together looked like they came from separate organizations. What won the day was when the case for change was made by an outside graphics person who was liked and respected by the organization's leadership.
Promotion of spay/neuter resources in the community
Question from Heather:
A group of us from a Rottweiler Rescue have decided to work on spay & neutering education for our community. We noticed there are many low-cost options available for people in our community but no good advertisement for them. We are considering hosting a website with the links included, but what are some options for getting the web address out there? We were also trying to figure out a way to educate the public about the importance of spaying and neutering of their animals that would have the most impact.Response from Lynn:
You may want to start with a community assessment to see what else is being done to promote spay/neuter. What are all of the humane organizations doing? What are veterinarians, PETsMART and PETCO doing? Can you link up with them to leverage the effort? Conversely, maybe other organizations would like to get behind you to leverage your effort.One idea to build community awareness: make up flyers about spay/neuter (include your web address), then grab your Rotties and flyers and set up shop where people congregate--the local Wal-Mart, grocery story, park or whatever. Your dogs will draw the crowds so you can discuss the issues and pass out the information. You could staple the same flyers on telephone poles (if it's legal), put them on windshields, front doors, in laundromats and so on.
Or, you could place a little advertisement in the pet classified section of your local newspapers (these are usually very reasonable). It might say, "To find a low-cost spay/neuter clinic near you, go to www.rott.org."
If there is a local public access cable program in your community, perhaps you could spread the word that way.
Response from Barbara:
Putting the links on the web site is an excellent idea. If your group already has one, host the info on your site.
ere is something that will help promote your group and the spay/neuter options at the same time. Develop a PSA for radio and TV touting the low-cost options, newspaper and shopper ads, posters, all with the web site.
The PSA could read something like "The Rottweiler Rescue group invites all pet owners to become part of the solution to the homeless pets problem. Spay or neuter your pet. Visit us at www.RottweillerRescue.org for information on local spay/neuter services."
You could have other PSAs: one with the statistics on how many puppies or kittens are born to unsprayed animals; one about the health benefits of spay/neuter, etc. and send the whole package of PSAs to all of your TV and radio stations. If you live in small city where the cost of advertising on TV is not so expensive and you have someone who could develop a very simple TV ad, you might consider asking a donor to pay for ad space and see if the TV station will do provide a free spot for every spot you buy.
In your local shopper you could probably take out an ad inexpensively with your logo, group name, contact info and listing the spay/neuter options, the shopper might even run a classified for you for free. If you have the budget to pay for an ad in your local newspaper then here is an opportunity to place a similar ad to the one you place in the shopper.
Another idea is posters if you have local businesses that are willing to provide window space.
Also look at this link on the Best Friends web site for information on a spay/neuter PSA that has already been produced and is available for use.
Good for you for taking the lead on providing publicity on your local spay/neuter options.
Getting press for statewide coalitions
Question from a member:
I'm a board member of a recently formed statewide animal advocacy group. The aspect that we are covering is unlike any other. We have distributed press releases to various newspapers and none have requested to cover the group's formation or the work that we are doing to help the community. How can a new group garner media coverage and support?Response from Lynn:
It is very difficult for a new group that doesn't have name recognition or a track record to get media attention. Also, as a statewide group, you don't have the benefit of appealing to "hometown" media. All of this means your story is really going to have to be newsworthy to get reporters interested - in essence, you'll need a good hook.First though, look at what you sent out. Was the information clear, concise, well written and well formatted? Did you do a good job of framing your message and communicating your issues? Oftentimes press materials hit the circular file simply because they're poorly presented.
Getting back to hooks: You say your work is unlike any other. If in fact what you are doing is unique, considered important by the community and has never been done before, that's a great hook. Play it up.
What is your goal? Sometimes you can generate interest in a goal if it's exciting and supported by a majority of community members. Such a goal might be, "to take the state no-kill by 2007."
Is there someone affiliated with your effort, maybe a community leader on your Advisory Board or someone in high political office, who supports your work and who might be of greater interest to the media?
Is there a controversy around what you're trying to do? This is almost a sure-fire hook.
You mention you are a newly formed coalition. Are some of the partners former adversaries turned allies? This could be a story.
Any good human interest stories in the people or pets you are helping? The rescue and rehabilitation of abused and neglected dogs and cats and their happy-ever-after stories are always good.
A visual and fun kick-off event might get some press.
No doubt your biggest hook are the animals themselves. Be sure to create and alert the media to photo opportunities with the pets you are helping.
Finally, get in touch with the other animal welfare organizations around the state. Make sure they know what you're all about and that they have your contact information. That way, if media attention comes their way that's really more suited to what you're doing, they can refer the story to you.
Response from Barbara:
This one is going to require footwork on your part. I always think it is a good idea to run these things by friends who don't know anything about the subject matter of the news release... was it clearly written?Next, I would call every place you sent a release, ask to speak to the editor and tell them what is important. I would even script it out ahead of time. You want to be able to say in 30 seconds why this is important and unique and newsworthy. Offer to meet with them or bring buy a packet of information.
Not knowing any of the particulars of your advocacy group's aspect, it's hard to say what other tactics are appropriate... it could be everything from trying to enlist the governor's office support, to creating special events to writing guest editorials/columns for the local paper to trying to get on local morning TV news shows.
Persistence is important. You may not get attention right away but keep plugging away at it.
Good luck.
Getting national media
Question from Claudia:
In one month I'll be hosting the Greyhound Gathering - Kanab 2004. It's a 3-day event with rescued greyhounds. Over 300 humans and 400 hounds descend on Kanab, UT and take over the town. We've got a Parade, Greyhound Idol, Blur of Fur, Speaker, Auctions, Golf and much more. While I've been able to get local media to come, I've never been able to crack national media. This event is an excellent feature, touchy/feely, great stories, good pictures.Any tips for getting even more attention to this?
Response from Barbara:
First I would try for travel writers at newspapers and to travel magazines as a fun thing for people to do while visiting southern Utah. This will take a little research to identify which magazines you want to target and then identify the editor to pitch this to. If you have great photos you can share, offer those. But especially important is to find out lead times. Newspapers work on much tighter deadlines. Magazine lead times are often three or more months before the article is even published.For television this is a harder sell because of the remote location... it's very difficult for a TV station to justify sending a reporter and camera crew several hours away for what they consider to be a "fluff" piece. However, many TV stations do have a vacation piece they produce and it would be worthwhile to talk with the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas TV stations about this and find out if they are going to feature travel destinations in southern Utah. If they are going to do that they may be willing to include some footage from last year's event but you will have to provide it in a format they can use. Of course, the kicker is when their vacation piece would be aired...
if it won't be aired until after your event this is not going to be very helpful for this year. On the other hand you would be more prepared for next year.
If you have the budget to develop a produced piece for TV this may be worth a shot. BUT I would not put any money into this until you get "buy-in" from a TV station, because this would be much more expensive than calling an editor and sending a news release. Find out what they would want on the piece and what format they use.
On the other hand, you may be lucky enough to find a TV reporter who wants to come to Kanab and do this... the old adage "If you don't ask, you don't get" applies here. You have nothing to lose by trying.
Response from Lynn:
Getting national or even regional media is extremely tough, but your event looks like it might be visual enough to give you a shot. Of course, you do have one big problem - you're out in the middle of nowhere!You say you've gotten local media - does that include network affiliate camera crews? If not, work on them. Cute, visual stories like yours are often picked up from local network affiliates by others around the country and used to end local broadcasts.
What are you using as a hook? Is this the largest gathering of greyhounds in the nation? Are you going for an American Idol parody? You mentioned you were going to take over the town. That reminds me of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota (also very rural)--maybe that could be an angle. Or maybe hype it as a Woodstock type gathering. Do you have good photos from last year? Use them to pitch the story to magazines such as the National Enquirer, Globe, Star, Parade.
As an annual event, you can aim for coverage in regional/national travel magazines like AAA's travel magazine, a Utah version of Arizona Highways or in-flight Airline Magazines.
If you have good video from last year, you can try sending it to places like Comedy Central.
With only a month to go, you're getting very short on time. This year you might focus on getting really good photos and footage so you can promote the heck out of the event next year.
Training a spokesperson and developing position statements
Question from Jan:
We are struggling with who should be the spokesperson for our all-volunteer organization. On one hand, it seems like it should be me as the Director because I am in charge of the organization, but I am so busy handling financial and administrative tasks that I don't often have the time. So we thought we should have one person assigned to be our PR person with a back up if they are not available. But how do we train them to know every position of the organization, and how do we ourselves come up with all the position statements? Is that a Board function? What if a lot of the Board members are new to animal welfare? How will they know our position on some sensitive subjects?Response from Lynn:
In a larger organization, the spokesperson could be the Executive Director, Public Relations Director or Operations Director. For a volunteer rescue group, the choice should be a matter of who wants to handle it and who can do the best job. A great spokesperson exudes energy, compassion and enthusiasm; has a good grasp of the issues; can think quickly on their feet; formulates good sound-bites; and enjoys center stage. As you suggest, the most important criteria is knowing the organization's positions on the issues. It's also a plus, however, if the spokesperson is the same person who asks for money. That way, potential donors can associate the organization with an individual, which makes the gift more personal. I agree that it's good to have one spokesperson and a backup so that the message is unified and there is always someone on hand who can handle the duties.As far as formulating position statements, I don't think you need to have a position on all manner of things (e.g., a laundry list of "where we stand" on such things as vegetarianism, zoos, etc). If it's a matter of establishing operational policies on such things as taking in feral cats or pit bulls, then, yes, these issues should be discussed with the other volunteers and your Board. I think major organizational policy positions should be in writing, readily available for both co-workers and community members.
Response from Barbara:
It sounds like it is time to delegate. I think one of the biggest mistakes any of us can make is to think we have to do it all ourselves... or that we even can.So the first question is where are you needed most and what can you let go of? Are the financial and administrative tasks really things that the director should be doing? Identify which ones you can delegate to someone else and which ones you as director absolutely have to do.
Second question is how often is someone going to need to be spokesperson? Try to estimate how much of a time commitment this really is and I think that will help you determine if you need to train another person for this.
As the director you are the overall leader and you are the chief spokesperson, like it or not. Now that does not mean you have to respond to everything. If you are going to have someone else be a spokesperson then you are going to want to make the time commitment to develop the position statements and make sure the spokesperson is fluent.
It sounds like you have not yet developed key position statements. I'd advise you identify only key statements because you cannot plan for every contingency. If you are clear on your mission and goals you should be able to come up with the core statements you want on hand.
I also would argue that your board members need to understand and support the position statements of the organization, otherwise how can they support your organization and what would they say when somebody asks them what your organization is about or to defend your organization? At some point they may well be approached by a member of the media or the public looking for answers.
If they are new to the animal welfare movement then I'd suggest you develop a very simple education plan... this include informal meetings, giving them selected materials to read, etc.
As for spokesperson training, there is actually quite a bit of information out on the web you can use. For instance type in quotes "working with the media" and I think you'll find quite a bit of useful stuff, much of it from universities.
And if you are fortunate enough to have a university near by with a public relations and/or journalism program see if there are instructors who would be willing to share their expertise for free. Same thing with your local public relations professionals ask them what they would be willing to do for no charge to help your nonprofit organization... if you have an animal-loving PR professional in your community they could become one of your best allies.
The best of luck to you.
Setting media goals for your organization
Question from Gail:
Do you have any recommendations for how to develop a marketing plan and what it should entail? We would like to set goals for getting a certain number of media stories each quarter or year, but don't know what is a reasonable number. We also need some help on determining how often do we touch base with reporters? We don't want to overwhelm them with materials and calls so that they don't want anything to do with us, but want to keep in the forefront of their mind when they need stories.Response from Barbara:
Marketing plans and plans for media coverage or public relations are two different things in my mind. For marketing plan advice, I'd recommend doing a web search using the terms "how to write a marketing plan" and I think you are going to be surprised at how much information is out there. You'll find templates and suggestions.Now, when you are setting goals for media coverage, keep in mind that the first year will be your baseline year. Honestly, until you have at least one year of measurements under your belt it is going to be difficult to determine how much coverage you can reasonably expect. The goals you set will definitely be shaped by several things: the type of media market you find yourself in; the amount of time anyone in your group has to devote to this effort; the resources you have available to put towards this effort; the events or major developments your group anticipates in the coming year; what else is happening in your community that is competing for media interest and just plain luck.
Remember to stay flexible. Let's say you set a goal of 10 TV news stories in the year and you only get three TV stories... but you landed a spot as a weekly guest on a popular local radio show that you hadn't even counted on. I'd say that would be a successful year.
But I think it is important to set goals, even if you are "shooting from the hip" the first year. If you have had media coverage in the past I'd suggest adding up what you have received in the past for the past five years. So for instance, if you had two newspaper articles five years ago and last year you had three, I'd say it would be reasonable to set a goal of five.
Set goals for the different type of media outlets you have in your area: daily newspaper, weekly newspaper, community online news, TV and radio and if your community has a local animal publication you definitely want to include that.
For the first year that you track media coverage I would suggest starting by looking at your organization's plans for the year. What events do you have coming up that might generate coverage? You probably want to draw up a media plan for each event and that will help you determine goals for the year.
Also you really want to keep an eye out for any stories that are dramatic concerning the animals you are helping. For instance, we had a story of family with a diabetic son that was desperately looking for a diabetic dog to be his friend and they just couldn't find one. Then our Best Friends Network got involved and found a diabetic dog in another state. The dog was flown to the boy and we got great coverage from the newspaper in the boy's community. If your story involves a person or family, you want to make sure and get their permission to put media people in contact with them before sending the news release or call the outlets.
Now, as far as how often to send information or make calls, here is where you have to pay attention to the feedback you get from the individual media people. There are not hard and fast rules here.
I would suggest setting up a get-acquainted meeting face to face with the editor or news director. This can be as brief as 15 minutes. You just want to introduce yourself and hand-deliver a very concise packet of information on your organization. If your organization has people with expertise in a particular area make sure you have a biographical sketch and photo. Find out about deadlines and pet peeves (like don't call when they are deadline) and do they want information coming directly to them or do they someone assigned to cover pet stories. Find out if they have animals. As soon as you leave the meeting jot down details and keep in on an index card on in an electronic file.
If the news editor or news director has assigned a person, then you'll want to establish a relationship with that person as well.
I'd suggest the next time you contact them is when you know you have an upcoming event. Give them a heads-up and find out when they would like to have info. For instance your local radio station will want a public service announcement several weeks before the event and this changes from community to community.
As you get to know your media people you will find that some people like regular contacts and others just want to hear from you when you have an event or dramatic story. And media people who love their own pets often enjoy a chance to chat about animals even if there is no story involved.
Response from Lynn:
A good resource for developing a media plan is www.spinproject.org/resources/strategic_media_plans/steps.html. This will take you through the process step by step.I applaud your interest in setting media goals. I think it's really important and it indicates that publicity is an organizational priority. In terms of a reasonable number to shoot for, here's an example of what's possible: The Tompkins County SPCA is an animal control organization in Ithaca, New York. The town population is 30,000, the county is 96,000. There are four radio stations, one daily and one weekly newspaper and one TV station. The Tompkins County SPCA got 383 media mentions last year, an average of 32 per month! Now that's good work. (For more on this, go to www.maddiesfund.org/organizations/pr_small_town.html.)
I believe in sending materials out frequently. I think this helps keep your organization in mind of reporters. I always tried to make my stuff stand out somehow: by being funny, having a great picture, a really good headline, and of course, something to say. But it isn't a good idea to make follow-up phone calls on all of these materials or to call reporters frequently. Making yourself a nuisance will not endear you to reporters. Call when you really think you have a compelling story they're interested in. When you do call, say something like, "do you have a minute?" or "are you on deadline?" With your best selling points already carefully thought out, give your pitch, but keep it short and sweet.
Getting media coverage for large donations you receive
Question from a member:
My group is a great group, and we are getting better every day. In fact, the PetCo Manager recently told us that in the 8 years of managing stores, we were the best group she has ever worked with. We love PetCo, and after recently receiving another check from their (and our) fundraising efforts at Christmas, we decided that we should try to get some media coverage. In the past year, the donations from PetCo have topped out at around $12,000! We sent press releases to every TV station and most of the big radio stations in town... and got absolutely no coverage. We partially understand why. The current Shelter Director is a former employee of the only newspaper in town. The media loves to cover stories about the shelter, but won't do anything to support us. We're really at a loss. What can we do to improve our relations with the local media and hopefully get some well-deserved airtime for big events and checks?Response from Barbara:
Yes this is a nice donation but media people rarely enjoy covering stories about donations, especially when there is a check passing ceremony. They are called "grip-n-grins." As we've discussed on the forum before, news outlets shy away from anything that can be construed as free advertising for a commercial venture.So what will the $12,000 allow you to do? Is this something that would make a great photo or TV piece? For instance if the money allowed you to support several more foster homes, maybe you could highlight one of your foster parents and the animals they care for.
Sometimes you have to work around the media. In this case you want to thank your local PetCo store and you are not getting cooperation from the local media. So tell the store manager you want to send a nice letter to corporate headquarters in appreciation of the support you are receiving and ask for name and address of appropriate person at the headquarters. You could also ask if there is a newsletter or a company internal web site that you could submit a nice little article and a photo of store employees with some of your volunteers and animals.
You don't say so but I'm guessing you don't have a "warm and fuzzy" relationship with the local shelter. So you have several relationships you want to cultivate: the shelter manager and the local media.
As far as the media, I think you will just have to be patient and work on establishing the relationship. Try to set up little coffee klatches or lunch meetings with the editors and news directors. In these meetings you are not asking for anything... you just want to get to know them face to face and get them acquainted with your group's work. Go armed with statistics, success stories and if you have any dramatic stories about particular animals. Ask them to tell you what are the elements they are looking for in their decision to cover stories on groups such as yours.
And if they are still pills and you feel like you are beating your head against the wall, try to think creatively about how to get the word out about your group without the local media. But I'm willing to bet if you stay positive, friendly and persistent you will see some results in the next year.
Response from Lynn:
The media never wants to give free advertising to corporations, even if the company is doing great things for charities. Instead of going to the media, I would play up PetCo's donation to your supporters through your newsletter, website, etc. PetCo's donation is an indicator of your organization's success, and this can help draw more of the community to your cause - people want to support success, not failure.As far as generating media attention: It sounds like you're doing a great job in saving lives look for possible stories that focus on that. For example, have you increased your adoptions by 100% in the last year? You said you were a great group - the PetCo manager called you the best. What do you do that makes you so successful? Maybe that's a story.
Finally: You said the media loves to cover stories about the shelter. See what the shelter does to get media and copy it. And as whiny as this will sound, it almost always works. Let's say the shelter gets a regular spot on TV once a month. Call the station and say, "so and so has a spot on your show each month. We're a great organization saving lives in our community. We'd like to showcase our animals, too."
