Illinois School Board Journal
September/October 2007

David Bennett is executive director of the Illinois Press Association, a trade association that represents the nearly 600 daily and weekly newspapers in the state.

The news media intimidate most people. A number of reasons could account for that, but I have found that most people — not all, but most — who are either intimidated or dislike the media are those who do not have any type of personal relationship with individual members of the media.

If you don't invest in some relationship building along the way, the lack of personal relationship will be the kiss of death when you need good press coverage most. Remember the line from an old Carol King song: "You can't talk to a man who has a shotgun in his hand"? News people are more apt to come at you in times of crisis with both barrels blazing. And, if they don't know you, it simply makes the experience that much more challenging.

A challenge also can exist when you want to get a "good news" story printed and you don't know the local media. Reporters and editors are looking for stories. If you approach them intelligently, and get to know them, your chances of getting attention will be enhanced somewhat.

With that in mind, I have nine tips to help you enhance your chances to get your story told.

Tip #1 — Be proactive by taking your messages about the value of public education to the people you want to reach, rather than waiting to be discovered.

In order to do that, you need to take at least three steps:

Have a plan. Most of the mistakes I see made in media relations occur because the people sending the message don't have a clear plan. You need to know where you are going, what you want to say, who you are trying to reach and how you plan to get there. If you can't answer those fundamental questions, then you run the risk of sending disparate messages that could confuse the publics you are trying to reach.

Put someone in charge. Coordinating your efforts is vital. Whether you have one school or many schools in your district, someone needs to take the responsibility to develop and coordinate a media strategy. This will give you the greatest opportunity to stick with your plan … and consistency is extremely important.

Know what your message is. What are you trying to say? Are you trying to change the community's perception about the schools? Are you trying to encourage more volunteer involvement? Are you trying to create a favorable atmosphere for a referendum? Whatever your message, define it clearly and then choose the media strategy that will best achieve your mission.

Tip #2 — Be persistent and consistent.

Whatever your public information strategy, keep at it, over and over and over and over and … well, you get the idea. One of the biggest mistakes advertisers and public information specialists make is that they use the quick fix and then stop. Whatever your resources, plan your information activity accordingly so that the message is spread over the course of an entire school year and beyond. And then stick to it.

Tip #3 — Get to know your local media representatives and their rules.

What do they expect? What are their deadlines? What are their policies on dealing with material submitted from other sources? Do they have biases about your interest? Better find out about them now. Your goal should be to create an atmosphere in which you can get positive information out. That will be much more difficult if you do not have a personal relationship at some level.

I'm not suggesting that it will be easy to create this relationship. There are no guarantees with the working press. Reporters and editors are very leery about being manipulated. They have a healthy distrust of PR specialists and spin doctors — as they should have. After all, serious news people take their roles of being the "watchdog" of government and society very seriously.

Tip #4 — Know how to prepare copy.

Editors can be irritable people when they are under deadline pressure. If your copy is poorly prepared, sloppy or does not conform to standard style and grammar rules, you will simply throw up another barrier to getting your information published. Look at your local newspaper, watch the television news or listen to the radio to see how they handle different types of stories. Notice how they try to get the important information into the top paragraphs. That's known as the "inverted pyramid" of a news story. A newspaper article can often be much longer and include much more information than the two or three "sound bites" on TV or radio.

Tip #5 — Use photographs and graphics whenever possible.

We live in a visual age, so including photos or graphics with your submitted materials enhances your chance of getting your information published. Most newspapers these days are more graphically appealing that they used to be, so look for opportunities to fit into that emphasis. If you have the budget for publishing a colorful brochure, do it.

Tip #6 — Look for the link between your goals and their relationship to the lives of the people in your community.

There is one real obvious way: News organizations love people stories. So, tell real stories of real people making a difference in local schools. How does this contribute to community well-being overall? Even though the number of households with children in school may be smaller than previously, some of those newspaper readers may have grandchildren in schools, or have friends who have grandchildren in school, or have neighbors with children in school.

Look for the natural emotional links that can be tapped. When it comes to your annual budget story, put a face with some of the figures or at least put the numbers in human terms. Talking about the total cost of a reading program is not as reader friendly as talking about providing new books for 400 third-graders.

In short, the goal in carrying out a media plan should be to look for every opportunity where your goals may be demonstrated in human terms that make sense to the gatekeepers — i.e. media outlets — and that form a link with the audience you are trying to influence.

Tip #7 — Sell the sizzle, not the steak.

This means emphasize the visceral element in your news stories that potential readers will relate to most. Basic elements of home, family, warmth, comfort, security in the future and having a feeling of self-worth are parts of the human equation to which we all relate. Instead of trying to sell readers your district directly, sell them on the value of a better life, better health, a better community and a better business climate … and, oh, by the way, the path to achieving those goals leads through the local public schools. It isn't an afterthought, but it will connect better if you sell the emotion first.

Tip #8 — Don't discount the use of advertising.

Advertising is a great way to get your message out. Most businesses and interest groups use newspapers and other media to promote targeted messages about products, services and issues.

Advertising makes practical sense because all media are businesses and are trying to make a profit through advertising dollars. Common sense should tell you that if you are an advertiser, you already have established a relationship with the newspaper or whatever medium you choose that could serve your interests well in other areas.

News coverage is not for sale, of course, but as a governmental entity, you already have your toe in the door. Advertising could also increase your chances to have other conversations.

Can't afford advertising? Some newspapers and broadcasters are willing to run public service announcements (PSAs), and information of a general nature about public education might qualify. However, remember that every charitable organization on the planet is asking for that same space. The more compelling you make your case, the better it will help your cause.

Tip #9 — Lastly, develop a Web site that is focused on your mission.

More and more people are using the Internet to obtain specific information about services and products that are important to their lives. You should be part of that mix, and your Web site should help identify and brand your district.

A Web site should not be a substitute for the other avenues you use to get your information out, but it should complement those efforts. It is another way for you to tell your story … your way.

Make your site easy to navigate for parents and the public … and the media. Have up-to-date information readily available so that they can make informed decisions, learn what's going on and give them a number of different ways to contact you for more information.

And if you only take one thing away from these tips, keep this one truth in mind: Get to know your local media representatives as well as you can.

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