MEDIA WORK


~ Guidelines ~

The Lincolnshire media [TV, radio and the press] are a very helpful lot. They are always on the lookout for a good story and will almost always respond to a press release given in good time. But staff are hard pressed, so listen to what they say. They are reasonably good at taking on board what you are trying to get across and will help you if you ask them how best to make your point! They may prefer to receive your press releases and photos by e-mail these days and will often use press releases unaltered. Whether this makes for better reporting is debatable.

However, the first step is to decide the What, Where and When?


What makes a good story?

Remember - the best stories can be spoiled by something dramatic happening elsewhere at the last minute - you just have to do your best to put across as good a story as possible.


Things to remember:


Check List

  1. What is the basic story? What is special?
    The what, where, and when?
     
  2. What other things need to be put across?
    The background. Who YOU are - your organisation - the key points.
     
  3. What do you want the story to achieve?
    The response. Who are your contact people?
    How can they be contacted?
    Contingency planning for big turn outs.
    Be prepared for success!
     
  4. When would you like the coverage to take place?
    This determines when you do the press release, and set any press call.
    Fridays or Mondays are generally good for weekly papers.
     
  5. Who is taking part?
    Journalists need the correct names of key people and partners.
    Put these in the press release - correctly!
    Have an up to date media handout on the day.
     
  6. A press call needs planning and management like any event.
    Who will be there for the media to talk to?
    Does everyone know where to go, park, meet up, what to wear?
     

Have you considered:


Timing is the key!


Example Press Release.


And finally:

» Endangered Punctuation - The Apostrophe [']
» The Apostrophe probably causes the commonest punctuation
» problems in current English usage! If you can never remember
» when to use it, here's a useful webpage with the rules:
» "Omissions, ownership, but not for plain plurals!"

The Apostrophe Protection Society, based in Boston, Lincolnshire.

 

This information sheet is available on webpage http://rogerparsons.info/pressrels.html

[Please respect copyright and do not plagiarise this information. You are welcome to use this material for your own purposes, or to put in a hotlink to this webpage, but please do not copy and alter it and pass it off as your own; it is not.]

© 2007 Roger Parsons