Media Skills

Media skills : getting in touch with the media

- use the phone book or local directory to list possible contacts - you may not be aware of all the local newspapers and radio stations.
- unless you, or a member of your church, has a good contact with someone, your first point of call is likely to be the newsdesk.
- give them a call - journalists will welcome possible news stories, and the human touch over the phone is better than simply sending in a press release.

Media Skills : writing a press release?

- Press releases should be typed, double spaced with wide margins and on one side of the paper only. They should be headed "PRESS RELEASE" and it should be clear who they are from.
- Make it easy for the journalist to just lift your story be setting it out so that he or she can select one or more of your paragraphs.
- Your first paragraph should be a short summary of the overall story, with subsequent paragraphs each expanding on one of the key points.
- Try to make it as interesting as possible to your target audience - including one or two quotes will make it more personal. Avoid jargon, especially "churchy" jargon. 
- The Press Release should end with the names and telephone numbers of one or two people the journalist can contact for further information.

Media Skills : running a news conference?

- News conferences should one be used for major news events which will attract a range of reporters from press, radio or tv.
- You will need to have a couple of speakers and a chairperson. All should be clear communicators, well prepared on the subject of the news conference, but who can think on their feet.
- The initial briefings can be prepared in advance, although it's best if the speakers can use notes rather than simply reading out a statement. 
- The whole point of the news conference is that it gives reporters the chance to ask questions. These questions may seem confrontational, or put across a different argument. This is simply good journalism - trying to build interest into a story.    However, good speakers can avoid any difficult questions, turning them into opportunities to get across the points they want to make.

 
Media Skills : the radio interview

- Again, prepare in advance, and aim to use a couple of jotted notes. Reading a statement live on air will sound false. However, you should be clear on the one or two key messages you want to communicate.
- talk with the editor and interviewer beforehand to agree a rough shape to the interview.
- ignore the microphone, and concentrate on talking with the interviewer - this will help it sound more natural
- You should expect the questions to put across an alternative point of view, but again, these can be used as further opportunities to reinforce the messages you want to communicate.

Media Skills : Local Newspapers

- a local newspaper offers several opprtunities - news, letters, adverts, diary page and so on.
- We've already covered the news release which is the main way of getting good free publicity for your story.
- The letters page can also give free space - but is restricted to simple messages such as expressing a Christian viewpoint on a topical local issue, or thanking people after an event.
- If  your local paper has a diary page this can be another source of free publicity. Make sure they get plenty of notice of your event. If you can try and include something visual such as photo or logo - this will help it stand out from the page.
- If you are prepared to pay, then advertisement within the paper, or inserting a leaflet within the paper allow you to keep control over your message and the way it is presented.

Media Skills : direct mail

- Most of us receive a large amount of junk mail, and most of it will head straight for the bin.
- If you go for a simple mass mailing, you can probably expect to get a very poor response.
- The opportunity for churches is to personalise it, possibly even by sending handwritten notes.  Names and addresses can be sourced from a number of places - phone directories, electoral registers etc.  You don't have to cover everyone, and if several church members are willing to take part, this need not be time consuming.

Media Skills : The Internet

- The internet can be a great addition to your publicity - it allows you to offer lots of background information that people can access whenever they want to, and in the privacy of their own home.
- The best first step is to find an enthusiastic church member who is willing to develop the site - whilst it need only be a single page, it could run to several pages.
- Many people are given free web-space with their e-mail accounts, and it may be possible to find someone willing to host the site for free.
- Once you have the site, make sure you include the web address on all your publicity.