Using the media

Here we explore how to make the best of use of news and other associated outlets to advance your campaigning. This means you need to think about newspapers, television, radio, and maybe alternative media outlets such as the Independent Media Centre and Schnews. Also, don’t forget to consider freesheets that are circulated in many areas as they can often be read more widely than a bigger newspaper. You will also need to consider new media, or social media campaigning or e campaigning as it is also known. This means using the internet (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc) as a campaign platform. We will develop a separate information sheet on social media in due course.

In terms of conventional media though, firstly, you need to get to know your local media and key contacts. Are there any particular columnists or shows that are relevant to your issue? If you don’t know, then try to find out what interests particular journalists or editors. And if you have no idea where to start, then try the newsdesk - all news organisations will have a newsdesk where all incoming news is processed. However, it will probably be more fruitful in the long term to try to cultivate personal contacts with journalists and media professionals. They are busy people who are often responding to tight deadlines - if you can make yourself useful to them, you are more likely to get your story covered. Also, be sure to find out about important things like deadlines for copy - they will be different for each media outlet.

Media planning is a key component of any campaign planning and your media strategy should be governed by the purpose of your campaign, your target audience(s), why you want to receive coverage on particular issues, and whether the media are likely to be interested. Just because you think your issue is important, it doesn’t mean that the media will and you need to be objective about your assessment of whether the media will be interested. If not, it could be counter-productive to keep sending out press releases and get a reputation for time-wasting - your big story could end up being ignored because of previous tactics you’ve used.

When you’re working with the media, you’re only likely to interest them if what you’ve got to say is short and easily explained. This means keeping to no more than 3 key points in any media release or interview and each point should only need a sentence or two to explain it. Keep practicing until you can get this right - think about being stuck in a lift with the journalist and having only until the lift reaches the top floor to explain your story. Find ways to reinforce your message with a combination of soundbites, statistics, and stories about local people and try to repeat your message to get it across.

You also need to find the right angle for your message. Does it have strong local interest? Does it have drama or controversy? Does it have a strong story? Is it simple to understand? Does it relate to something else that is currently in the news? Is there a whiff of scandal? Is there an element of human interest? Can good pictures be generated?

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