1. news

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How to…
Get Your Business In The Local
Media
By David Saunderson
Part of the PR and Marketing How To Guide Series
42 Alexandra Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6DA
T: 01252 408820 F: 01252 375027 E: [email protected]
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HOW TO GET YOUR BUSINESS IN THE LOCAL MEDIA
Page
Contents
Introduction
3
Objectives
3
Scope of This Guide
3
Why Bother With The Local Media
4
Identify The Sort Of News Stories The Local Media Will Be
Interested In Relating To Your Business
• Identify Your Titles And Broadcast Media
• Identify Your Story - What Is News?
• A Warning
• When Is It News?
5
Write A Professional Looking News Release
8
Submit Your Story
12
Build Your Relationships Further
12
Conclusion
13
Checklist – Your contract with yourself
13
Appendix - News Release Information Gathering Form
14
About the Author
15
Copyright & Disclaimer
15
About Win New Customers and How to Get more Guides
15
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Introduction
We live in a 24 hour a day media world. It’s difficult to escape it and it impacts on our lives more
than we probably like to admit. Many see the media as ‘the enemy’ ready to report, or misreport, at the drop of a hat.
It really isn’t like that and you can use the media to your advantage – so long as you are useful
to them. Getting media coverage consistently does not happen by accident and you can learn
what it takes to give the media what they need so that your business is presented fairly and to
your advantage.
Objectives
•
Submit a story to your local media for the benefit of your business that stands a
good chance of getting published.
•
Be more effective in your use of local media and your interaction with journalists and
editors.
Scope
Having read through this How To Guide you will be able to:
•
Identify the sort of stories the local media will be interested in relating to your
business
•
Write a professional looking news release
•
Know how to submit your story
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Why Bother With The Local Media?
Having a news article published in your local media can increase your visibility to local
customers leading to more contacts and sales. A news item or article in a trade publication can
increase your profile in your industry and can be used in a number of ways to attract new
customers and we will deal with that in another How To Guide. It’s all part of establishing and
promoting your reputation.
Consider the following statistics from The Newspaper Society Survey 2009 (source:
www.newspapersoc.org.uk), unless otherwise shown:
•
There are 1,195 core UK regional and local newspaper titles plus 600 ultra niche/local
titles.
•
They operate more than 1,500 websites.
•
In 2009 their print titles reached more than 40m adult readers per week.
•
74.6 per cent per cent of people aged between and 15 and 24 read a local newspaper
(BMRB/TGI 2008).
•
More than 6,000 local newspapers are sold or distributed in the UK every minute.
•
More than 37m users accessed their websites per month in 2009, an increase of 1m
over 2008.
•
Their combined advertising/sponsorship revenue was around £1.7bn.
So don’t believe those who say no-one reads the local press, because it simply isn’t true. After
all, they wouldn’t still be in business if no one read them or visited their websites, as businesses
wouldn’t advertise.
Having said that, local papers are finding it hard to generate advertising and circulation revenue
and their income has reduced significantly since 2008. With the fragmentation of media and
with the proliferation of on-line media consumption, local papers are losing revenue within their
traditional advertising platforms (cars, jobs, property etc).
However, titles are not closing. Between 2008 and 2009 (the last year for which statistics are
readily available, the number of titles reduced by only 5. They are therefore reducing costs,
including editorial - and therein lays opportunity! Well written editorial, which is of interest to
readers, will be well received!
Also your editorial will be even more powerful if you are able to help the publication in
generating further reader interest.
As to its value, true editorial is worth between twice and ten times as much as the equivalent
advertising space. Editorial are other people talking about you, not you telling them how great
your product or service is through an advert. It is a form of third party endorsement and
therefore valuable.
The local media also comprises local radio and television and they could also pick up your
story. Commercial radio stations tend to use fewer news items than local BBC stations because
they are largely music based and so have less airtime to fill up with speech. Television stations
are regionally based and therefore cover a much wider area. It therefore stands to reason that
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-5there are more news stories competing for the time available, so news has to be very strong,
especially in business terms to make it on air.
We are therefore going to focus more on local press than radio or television, as this is your
most likely area of early success. All of these media will also have on-line news stories on their
websites and they don’t always carry exactly the same stories. So even if you don’t make it onair, you might make it on to the news section of their website.
Identify The Sort Of News Stories The Local Media Will Be Interested In Relating
To Your Business
There are 4 parts to this section:
•
Identifying your titles and broadcast media
•
Identifying your story – what is news?
•
A warning
•
Timing
Identify Your Titles and Broadcast Media
Let’s start with some basic research. Get a copy of your target publication(s) so you know the
sort of stories they publish. In particular, if there is a business section, look through that as well.
For radio and television, listen to and watch the news programmes so you get a feel for the
type of stories they use.
If you don’t know what newspaper titles or other media there is in your area, go to
(www.wrx.zen.co.uk/britnews.htm) and take a look. Alternatively the Newspaper society
database allows you to search for local papers by title, location (e.g town, county). This site
gives you contact phone numbers as well as circulation details. Go to www.nsdatabase.co.uk).
Alternatively, go to your local library and ask for a copy of Willings Press Guide where you can
search by town for local press. It contains the contact details of more than 18,250 national,
regional and local media) and its been our PR contact ‘bible’ for decades. It covers:
•
Regional daily and weekly newspapers by county, city and town
•
Internet media and relevant websites hosted in the UK
•
Special interest titles, journals and directories
•
National daily and Sunday newspapers
•
Broadcast media
•
Advertising rates and information
•
Sections for newspapers, business and consumer titles
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-6Identify Your Story - What is News?
Remember that (in the UK at least) we still have a free press and that means you cannot tell
them to use your story. If you want total control of your exposure in the press, consider
advertising.
You need to give the local media what they want – and what they want has to be of interest to
THEIR audiences. We call it WIIFM (what’s in it for me). That’s why the research mentioned
earlier is important as you don’t want to waste your time.
So we start by making sure you know what news actually is – in local media terms. It’s about
local people doing unusual things.
For example ‘dog bites man’ is not news, but ‘man bites dog’ really was news and still is when it
happens! There are several references to true life examples in recent years – just Google “man
bites dog” and you’ll see what I mean. I’m not suggesting you go out and bite a dog though!
Just telling the media about your business is not news – because your day-to-day activity is the
norm. You need something new or unusual to interest them – a news hook or news angle.
You also need to note the difference between the sort of stories used in, for example, the main
part of the newspaper (what we might call the public news section) and compare this to the
stories in the business section. There might also be other sections too, especially if you have a
daily local newspaper title in your area, such as gardening, health, women’s section, etc. These
sections might run on different days of the week. So you need to focus on the type of stories
and articles they carry in different sections.
Let’s start with the general news section of a local newspaper, as this is the area that most
readers will look at first. You need a hook, or an angle.
Here are some examples:
•
You have a new product or service that is of real benefit to the local
population (make sure it is new or has a new benefit/feature that will
appeal to the readers). Lead with the problem it solves or benefit it
confers. For example, “A new oven cleaning service developed by local
firm XYZ, is set to save homeowners hours of work and prolong the life of
our ovens.”
•
You or your staff are taking part in a charity event to raise money. For
example, “Staff from local company XYZ are looking to raise over £1,000
for ABC charity in a skydive this weekend…..”
•
Your business has won an award. For example, “Staff at XYZ company are
jubilant after being voted the best …… when they won the top award at
…..”
•
You have completed a customer survey (why not do one) and it shows
that people think…….. Note: the result you headline with needs to be of
interest to the reader, not just about you. An example could be, “Home
delivery in the evening between 6 and 8pm is preferred by 75% of local
customers, says ABC company following research it has carried out in
XYZ town. The implications are……”
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•
You can use a national story or statistic to piggy back your take
on the news as an expert in that field. For example, “Over 50,000
people in Anytown risk having no say on what happens to their
money warns ABC will-writers, after it emerged that 3 in 4 people
have no will.” Then go on to show how to make a will, etc. Make
sure you reference any statistic you use, as journalists will want
to be sure of the source of any figures quoted.
Brainstorm your news angles - write a list of 10 and then pick out the best.
A Warning
You might think that your story is the best story ever but the journalist who receives it might not.
You don’t know what other stories are competing for the limited editorial space (whether it be
pages or broadcast time). It is for this reason, among others, that you cannot guarantee that
any particular story you submit will be used.
If it is, great. If not, see how your story stacked up in news value terms against the stories in the
published/broadcast edition. Learn from this and try again. If you have built up a relationship
with the journalist, perhaps call them and ask openly what you can learn. Never, ever try to
bully them in to using it, or whine. It will get you nowhere and worse, can alienate the very
person whose help you need.
When is it News?
News is something that has just happened or is happening now. This can depend on the
media. For example, TV carries live images of news happening now and interviews with the
people making the news; radio carries interviews and comment during or very shortly after a
news event has taken place. Daily newspapers report on what happened yesterday and carry
news of what is happening today. Weekly titles or programmes don’t tend to dwell on what
happened 2 weeks ago.
So your news needs to be current in terms of the timescale that the programme or publication
works to. Old news is not news. This also has a very important implication for when to submit
your news story. All media work to deadlines, whether it be hourly, daily or weekly. You need to
know the deadline for your media – ask them, it’s as simple as that. Miss the deadline for your
news story and it can end up in the bin (or the deleted items box) very quickly.
Here are a few guidelines on deadlines, but do not take these as gospel, as each publication or
programme will have its own routine and this can only be a simple overview:
•
Broadcast media that have news bulletins on the hour will have hourly deadlines – but
don’t leave it until 10 minutes before the hour to contact them. It’s a good idea to note
them up a few days in advance if you can, so that news staff can place it in their
schedule if they are interested. Don’t, for example, ring a local radio station news desk
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-8between 45 and 15 minutes past the hour – the staff will either be finalising the hourly
bulletin, be on air, or on their way back to their desk.
•
Daily newspapers will have different deadlines depending on the page. The front page
will have a different deadline to page 10. Don’t assume you will be making front page
news as you do not know what other stories the editorial staff have to choose from.
•
Weekly titles will have a deadline a couple of days before publication. It can be as short
as 24 hours before the edition hits the streets, but don’t imagine that applies to all of the
pages, some of which will be set days in advance.
Many local publications come out on a Friday and this means that journalists and editors are
frantically putting the publication to bed at their deadline – so it’s best not to contact them then.
For many Friday publications, the deadline is Wednesday, so ring Monday or Tuesday. Also
don’t submit your story on Thursday, expecting to see it on Friday!
The main point is to make contact with the news desk to find out their preferred deadline for
receiving your story, so they have time to consider it for inclusion. It also helps by introducing
yourself and you can make sure you are sending it to the right place and person.
So now we’ve got a potential story and we know when we’ve got to get it to the journalist by,
we’re ready to write it.
Write A Professional Looking News Release
There’s an old story that describes journalists as falling in to one of two camps – at the
extreme.
The first is the journalist who is ultra busy, worked off his/her feet and always up against
deadlines. It will encourage them to select your story (assuming it IS news) if you can give them
everything they need, set out in the right way so they need to do very little work on it to make it
fit their needs. They can edit quickly and submit your story and move on to the next one.
The second is the journalist who is disinterested and just want to get the job done so they can
leave the premises. Guess what? It will encourage them to select your story (again assuming it
IS news, after all their still savvy) if you can give them everything they need, set out in the right
way so they need to do very little work on it to make it fit their needs. They can edit quickly and
submit your story and move on. So it’s very important to present your news story contains the
right information in the right way.
Every news story, for whatever media, needs to answer the following six questions (known as
the 6 wise men of journalism):
Example of charity skydive story
Who?
Fred Bloggs of Bloggs Car Cleaning
What?
Charity sky dive from 10,000 feet
When?
Sunday, 21st July 2009
Where?
Anytown aerodrome
Why?
To raise money for ABC charity because Fred’s sister
Freda has been helped by the charity
How?
Sponsorship from friends, relatives and
customers.
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Gather your information together under these headings and make sure it is relevant to the
readership. I’ve included a handy form at the end of this Guide, which we have used with
clients over many years. It has helped them to gather together the basic and essential
information required.
The most important parts of your news release are the headline and the first paragraph.
Most news releases don’t get used simply because the journalist is not attracted by the story
quickly enough and so they don’t read past the first paragraph in many cases.
Your headline should grab their attention and the first paragraph must encapsulate the story. In
our example
Possible Headline
Car cleaner falls 10,000 feet to wash up
£1,000 for charity.
First paragraph
Over £1,000 will be raised for ABC
charity when Fred Bloggs of Anytown
swaps his jet washer for a parachute.
This coming Sunday (21st July 2009) 45
year old Fred, who owns Bloggs Car
Cleaning, will fall 10,000 feet in a
tandem skydive at Anytown aerodrome.
He is being sponsored by friends,
relatives and customers in his bid to
raise funds for the charity that helped
his sister Freda…..
The headline is intended to hook the recipient in to reading on. Here’s just three other
examples and you will soon see how interesting (or not) each one is in terms of making you
want to read the rest of the story.
Fred won’t wash on Sunday
Tandem sky dive for car cleaning boss
Fred’s customers make him jump
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- 10 You do not need to try to write their actual headline. They will rarely use your headline anyway.
Make it interesting – perhaps try it out on people you know (who will give you a true opinion).
Ask yourself, “If I read this and didn’t know anything more, would I read on?” If the answer is
yes you could be there. If the answer is no, keep working on it.
In the example you can also see that the whole story is encapsulated in the first paragraph and
I have mentioned the business and what it does. Note that I’ve not started with the company
name as the purpose of the story from the journalist’s point of view is not to give you a free
advert. It’s news that counts. Also the first sentence is kept deliberately short – only 22 words in
this example.
If space is tight, the first paragraph is all that might be used, on the page or as a news filler on
air – but it gets the message across. People reading it will be alerted to Fred’s business and his
willingness to do good work will help readers form a good opinion of him – all in 67 words.
Subsequent paragraphs can expand on the story and even include a quote from Fred or
perhaps a named customer who says, “I was very happy to support Fred as he’s always
helping others and it’s such a worthy charity.”
Always remember that the purpose of the story is news. In that way you will create awareness
of your business.
There are some other rules to follow to get your story across:
•
Use short paragraphs and keep sentences simple.
•
Only capitalise proper nouns. As a guide, local newspapers do not use capital letters for job
titles, so Managing Director is written, managing director. You can always check your target
publication for the style they use.
•
The whole story should not be too long – around 250 words is ideal. After all, unless the
story is complex you don’t need more than this and it won’t command more space in the
publication just because you ramble on about your company. If for radio or TV, this gives
them what they need to know if they want to follow it up for an interview.
•
Make sure you include all of the relevant information – the 6 wise men of journalism. In
addition, if there is a price that is relevant to the story, include it.
•
Keep it real and avoid self praise and over elaboration. Journalists will see straight through
this. In our example, the testimonial has come from a named customer, not Fred, showing
Fred to be someone who is helpful and thereby likely to give good service in his business.
For radio or TV, bear in mind that they might want to interview the person giving the
testimonial rather than you.
•
At the end of the story, make sure there is a named person to contact and clear and correct
contact details for further information. Any telephone number given should be manned, so
for a small business a mobile number might be best.
•
If the business has a website, quote it so the journalist can go there for further information
on the company.
Here’s a template to follow:
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Your logo
Date
Headline – make it brief and grab the reader’s attention. Use title case (initial
capitals).
Sub-headline (optional and often used to show the date and location of an event or
to expand on a headline).
First paragraph – summarise the story and answer the 6 wise men questions.
Second paragraph – expand on the details and show that it is of interest to the
readers. Use any relevant back up facts (remember to include sources if quoting
statistics, etc.)
Include a quote, using this style. “This is my quote,” said XYZ.
You can use bullet points to highlight what is:
• New
• Unique
• Special
• Timely
Ends – this denotes the end of the item and separates it from the notes below
Photo: If you are sending a photo (see the How To Guide on this subject) reference
it here, with the caption and details of who is in it.
Notes to editors:
• Contact information - include mobile, landline and email if possible.
• Short background information on your company.
• Keep it brief and include an interesting highlight, such as an award.
• Company name, fax number, email and website.
If relevant include opening hours, prices, venues, dates as appropriate to your
story.
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- 12 A Word on Embargoes
An embargo is used to indicate to the media that a story should not be published before a
certain date and or time.
It should very rarely apply and never used unless you really need to advise the media of your
story in advance of general knowledge. This might be about financial results or a product
launch.
Most local media will respect a reasonable embargo but if you do issue your story to national
media, do not assume it will be respected. If the release of the information must be embargoed,
state this clearly at the top of the page. Better still, seek guidance from a professional public
relations agency about how best to handle this issue.
Submit Your Story
Having written your story you now want to make sure you get it in front of the right person. You
might already have found that out in your earlier research. If not, here is some more guidance.
Local media can include daily and weekly regional and local press, local radio stations, county
magazines (business section) and business magazines, chambers of commerce and other
business groups you belong to. There could also be websites associated with any of those
media where they display local news.
Your contact point for any of these local media is very often the news desk. There might be
information within the publication itself that shows you who to send it to.
If not, they will have a website which should tell you who to send it to – look for the news desk
contact. If all else fails, phone them up and ask for the news desk and then tell the person who
answers that you have a news story you wish to submit. You might get a chance to tell them
about it.
You can submit your story in the post, by fax or by email. There are differing views on the best
methods. Emails mean the journalist can copy and paste your words to work on, whereas a
posted item needs to be re-typed, as does a fax. Conversely, emails are numerous and can be
deleted at the touch of a button, never to be seen again!
Ask the journalist how they would like to receive it – again it’s a point of contact and a chance
to build your relationship with them.
Once you have submitted your story, resist the temptation to keep phoning the journalist to see
when it will be published. If the story has interested them it will be put forward to the sub editors
and editor and if the story is strong enough in news terms it should be used.
Build Your Relationship Further
Over time, as you submit interesting and relevant news and articles, you will build your
reputation with the journalists who will come to regard you as trustworthy and reliable. In this
way, they might well come to you when they have a story on which they would like your
professional comment as the specialist they know on the subject.
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Conclusion
You can never guarantee publication of a news story concerning you or your business, but
following this guide will help you to maximise your chances. Like all skills, the more you
practise, the better you will get and over time you will develop relationships with your local
media.
Checklist
Brainstorm your news angles - write a list of 10 and then pick out the best.
Make sure you have a news angle that is relevant to the publication
Gather your news information:
Who
What
Where
When
Why
How
Write your headline
Write your first paragraph and check you have encapsulated the story.
Write the rest of your story, developing your theme and keep to around 250 words overall.
Include a quote.
Reference any statistics used or outside information.
Make sure you include contact details.
Submit your story
Learn and develop your skill with the next story
Success breeds success!
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Appendix - News Release Information Gathering Form
The following can be used to gather your thoughts and information so you can write your news
release
WHO (is involved – names, titles, organisation):
WHAT (are they doing – the basis of the story – remember WIIFM):
WHERE (exact location – imagine someone trying to find them):
WHEN (date and time):
HOW (are they doing it?):
WHY (are they doing it):
HOW MUCH (price or money raised, if fundraising):
IS A PHOTOGRAPH REQUIRED?
DATE:
TIME:
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PURPOSE:
Copyright DSH Public Relations Limited 2011
- 15 About the Author: This How To Guide was written by David Saunderson of DSH Public
Relations Ltd
David is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and has been marketing
businesses through public relations for more than 15 years, both his own and those of clients,
ranging from small owner managed businesses to large companies. With a degree in
accountancy and management experience in both the public and private sectors, his
knowledge spans many areas of business and marketing. His strategic and entrepreneurial
experience has been utilised to achieve growth in a wide range of companies.
David is a director of DSH Public Relations Limited, which he co-founded in 1994.
Copyright Information: This How To Guide book and its contents are copyright and provided
to you by DSH Public Relations Limited for your personal use only. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted by any other means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright holders.
Disclaimer: Whilst the authors and publisher of this book have made their best efforts to
ensure it is useful, informative and valuable, they make no representation or warranties with
regard to accuracy, applicability or completeness of the book. The material does not constitute
professional advice as it presents the view of the authors and contributors as of the date of
publication. Due to the fact that conditions can change, the authors and contributors reserve
the right to alter and update their opinion. Furthermore they do not accept any liability for any
direct or indirect losses or damages arising directly or indirectly through the use of information
contained within this guide. If legal advice or other professional assistance is required, the
services of a competent professional should be sought. The reader is advised to consult with
an appropriately qualified professional before making any business decision.
DSH Public Relations Limited is not responsible for, nor do they give any warranty as to the
performance of any websites linked to or from or recommended in this guide. Furthermore the
owners of those websites have not necessarily authorised, sponsored or endorsed or approved
this publication.
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