Whom to send and inform about your event:

Each event / PC has its own importance. Some events are of local importance while the others are in business interest. Please make sure you are contacting the right person for your event.

Print Media:

If the event is of local importance: Contact the city desk in charge / City Editor / City Bureau Chief and keep the beat Journalist in the Loop. (Beats….i.e. life style, Realty, Education, Health etc.)

If the event is of Business importance: Contact Business Editor / COB and keep the beat Business Correspondent in loop.

TV Channels:

If the event is of local importance: For PC / Events news Coverage please be in touch with City Editor / City News Desk In charge/ News Coordinator / News / Events assignment editor / COB and keep the Beat Journalist in the loop

If the event is of Business importance: Contact Business Editor / COB and keep the beat Business Correspondent in loop.

For talk Shows / Debates / Discussion: Please be in touch with Show’s Producer / Input / out put Editor.

Beat Journalists: Please don’t forget to keep in loop the beat Journalist who writes for Supplements ….i.e Realty, Health, Education, Personal Finance etc. if your event falls in those categories.

Mutually Beneficial joint Publicity Plans:

A plan that enhances the brand image of both the organizations.Generally combined publicity plans happens with mutual understanding and tie-ups with Media organizations. Media plays publicity role while the organization works as a advisor / Guide / Counsellor to their readers / Target audiences.
Eg.Education fairs: Where in media amasses students to the fair and its partner organization takes the role of advisor / Guide / Counsellor to their readers / Target audiences.
More Examples:
Media Organization – Hospital: can take up many awareness’ programmes combinely i.e. No Smoking, Cardiac problems, Obesity,
Ø Mock drills on Emergency services
Ø World Aids day
Ø World No Smoking day etc.
Ø Health awareness Camps
Media Organization – Educational Institute:
Ø Education Fairs
Ø Campus Programmes
Ø Student orientation / Work shops on various topics
Ø Celebrities / VIPs old students meets
Ø Career Counseling
Ø Award functions / Quiz / Elocution / Creativity programmes
More Examples:
Ø Tourism show
Ø Auto Show
Ø Real Estate Show
Ø Charity Show
Ø Food Festivals
Ø Jewellery Show
Ø Trade Shows

Create a photo opportunity:
Invite a celebrity / VVIP to your facility. Media will rush to the place to take a click.
Conduct a Programme / debate / Seminar on Current Issue: Debates / Seminars / Programmes on current topics generally draw the attention of media.
Ø Eg. Global Warming --- A debate / Seminar can be worked out for good media publicity. It can also be a part of CSR activity.
Ø Eg.Swineflu Pandemic: Awareness Programmes can be a good idea. Reach out railway stations, Bus Stations, Airports, arterial roads offer them hand outs of swineflu.It can be a good media Photo Opportunity. Media will pick up the news immediately.
Ø In the same way we can do various other programmes i.e World No Smoking day etc.
Ø Eg. Keep your city clean & Green: Elocution / Essay Writing / Painting Competitions fetch maximum mileage out of it. Don’t forget to rope in kids, College going girls in the event for good media Photo Opportunity.

Tips to identify the news peg:

A perfect PR person is the one who does clever promotions with the ideas that work out best to draw media attention. It is not a rocket science as all the ideas coming his way simply going unnoticeable. If he / She pays little attention on their clients / companies key messages….it won’t be a big deal to find one.

News pegs are generated through:

Ø Sharing ideas with media
Ø Current topics / Issues
Ø Breaking news
Ø Features / Media stories
Ø Events
Ø Incidents
Ø Important Days of the year
Ø Global trends on Local markets
Ø Regular TV / Print / Online News Watch
Ø Programmes that media show interest
Ø Series / Regular events / incidents
Ø Government announcements / Policy Decisions
Ø Industry issues
Ø Old stories generates new ideas
Ø In depth study / research on previous / old stories
Ø Community programmes / Festivals
Ø National / International issues with Local angle

Press Conference Arrangements

Arrangements at the Press Conference Venue are very important to catch the attention of media personnel as they may asses the professionalism of the Corporate Communication Team / PR Professionals of the company and gauge their attitude towards media. Corporate Communication Team / PR Professionals must ensure Journos feel comfortable and meet their Professional requirements.

About the Venue:

Selection of Venue is equally important to draw the attention of the Journalists to get good media turnout. Venue should be ideally suitable and convenient for journos to meet their transportation requirements as many media personnel miss out the PC on the pretext of remote venue or traffic hurdles, hectic schedules, out number of events etc.Venue selection must be done with in a radius of 8-10km distance from media offices.

Seating Style:

Generally media people prefer Theatre style seating arrangements.Theatre style is convenient for both Print / Electronic Media. Round table / “U” Style arrangements can be done in some cases where electronic media presence is not required. Round table / “U” Style seating arrangements are a bit inconvenient to electronic media in particular as hardly they find space to take the shots of speakers / Guests on the stage.

Number of Seats:

Depending upon the importance of PC, number may go up from 10 - 15 to 30 – 40.Please do adequate media seating arrangements depending on the confirmations you received from the media during the follow up process.

Ideal Day & Time for a PC / Event:

Monday:

Some what ok but media follow up is a bit difficult.i.e Saturday media naturally will be in party mood as it is a weekend. Sunday of course majority media people will be on weekly off. So we have chance to do media follow up on Friday which 2days before the PC.There are chances that media people may forget about our PC with hectic schedule.

Tuesday:

More ok .We will have a day’s time to do little follow up with media to get good turn out.

Wednesday:

Absolutely ok.It is the more preferable day for media events i.e PC / Events. We will have ample time for media follow ups.

Thursday:

Absolutely ok.It is one more preferable day for media events i.e PC / Events. We will have ample time for media follow ups.

Friday:

More ok .We will have a enough time to do little follow up with media to get good turn out.

Saturday:

Absolutely not O.K . No media person shows much importance to attend a P.C / event as they will be in party mood.Media coverage will be a tough task as it has to be published on Sunday issue and Sunday issues are flooded with ads and hardly find space for news articles. Ultimately we are losing a good media opportunity

Sunday:

Absolutely not O.K. Majority media people will be on weekly off. Media turnout will be a problem.

Ideal Time:

Ideal time for conducting a PC would be 11am till 3pm any day. Media will have ample time to go to their office to file the news. Time is an excuse for those events which have to happen in the evening / Night time for sure.

Stage:

Generally there should be a raised platform / Stage for media briefing which gives media a chance to have a look at the speakers / guests and click the photographs for publication.

Stage backdrop:

Prefer a good stage backdrop rather keeping standees. Backdrop flexi must be covered with company logo which gives a good photo opportunity for media publication.

Media Photo opportunities.

A single picture talks more than thousand words. When an announcement is being made and the same is not much newsworthy, Photo opportunity is the best option to convey the right message to your target audience. For example your organization has decided to offer its recourse to the flood / cyclone victims, let your senior management including CEO,Chairman etc come out donning jacket / shirt with your company logo and Flood relief being written on it. Media has little to write about the event but enough scope for Photo publication of the event. Electronic media may also have pick the news and air it.

In fact photo journalists are always in search of catchy images to attract its readers. They love to click the images of celebrities, and their emotions, gestures.At the same time the like to flash the images of beautiful nature, animals,kids,School going children, college going attractive girls, rare pictures, unusual images, natural calamities and relief and rescue operations etc.

Name Plates:

We do excellent arrangements on the stage but remain oblivious to display name plates on the stage Table. It may be a minute thing but crucial one for media to write down the names of the guests on the stage and can’t be ignored. Media may not know all the guests who sit on the stage. Name plates with their designation help media write and cover the same in their news.

Start Media Briefing on time:

With out number of events in hand media people are a bit busy to attend the all the PCs.They are in hurry to move out. So don’t keep them in waiting and ensure the PC start on time. Being behave like professional and sticking to time will fetch you honour from Journalist community.

Podium /Audio / Visual arrangements:

Check electrical outlets in the Press Conference hall and ensure enough outlets are available to plug in audiovisual equipment and media cameras. Test check the wireless mike and podium mike are working properly.

Invitation to media:
PC information should reach media offices well in advance and prevent instant messaging the media personnel. Media Invitation should reach all media offices a week before or at least 2-3 days well in advance. Media invite must brief the gist of the Press Conference. Venue, day, time and guests of the PC must be mentioned without fail. Do media follow up a day before to get the confirmations which enable you assess the total media turn out. Calling the media people will enhance the chances of getting good turn out which ultimately increase the interest in the event also.

How to sell a story peg

In Public Relations all of us are well known professionals who have excellent rapport with media top brass to influence them with our story pegs. But very few of us know how to grasp the attention of the Journo with the story hook. Quite often story hooks lose the attention of the journos if the stories are misinterpreted due to lack of knowledge on the story peg or pitch note is imperfect or untimely pitch

PR is all about exchange of information and the process involve no money matters like advertisements. Media can’t publish anything / everything unless story / news is informative to its readers. Media picks up only those story pegs which are newsworthy. Journalists use their discretion while writing any article and use only those quotes of the company which the story demands. Think well, draft a pitch note to draw the attention of the journalist. Pay a personal visit to media offices to discuss more on the story. Please don’t rush to media offices for regular media releases unless it is very important.

Best story pegs to sell:
Ø Human Interest Stories
Ø Business deals of national importance
Ø Partnership deals
Ø Mergers
Ø New Acquisitions
Ø Budget quotes / Stories (Pre and Post Budget)
Ø Business Expansions
Ø Mou Signing with foreign Companies
Ø MoU Signing with Governments
Ø CSR Activities
Ø New Inventions
Ø Research announcements
Ø Surveys
Ø Mile stones crossed
Ø Celebrities visits / events
Ø Current hot topics & Company participation (Eg.Floods CSR activity)
Ø Important days of the year (Eg.Internationa Women’s Day,World Aids Day,No Smoking day etc)
Ø Prestigious Awards (Eg.Nobel Prize)
Ø Entrepreneurial ship
Ø Big Donations / Charities

Media Junket

Media Junket and Media tour…..Do you see any difference in these two terms. Many of us feel a media tour is the one where in media people are invited to our facility to have a look at the happenings i.e event etc.But we are wrong. Media tour is the one which is meant to reach out the media offices to greet and meet the Journalists to address / sell our story version.Media Junket is the one where in we invite the media to our facility bearing all expenses of logistics incurred to rush them to the venue. In simple words say it is a paid trip arranged to media personnel. A media junket may not be an attempt to offer paid trip highlight the event in the publications. Some times it may be knowledge sharing event or an orientation / lecture on a specific topic to create awareness among the Journalists. Generally certain beat journalists i.e health care, Life style, infra,realty are offered these types of media Junkets. We need to keep the content matter ready with us to share it with media. A media kit containing publicity literature, Brochures, Profiles of the CEO/MD, Profile of the company, Fact sheet, Photos will be given to media

Media Tour

Media tour is one of the important PR tools to sell the story. Each story has its own importance to sell. One speaks the volumes of the organizational deeds while the other tells milestones it surpassed. Generally we use various PR tools to communicate the same to media People i.e Phone, Email etc. While in some crucial stories we use media tour as an alternate option to reach out media which can’t be disseminated via Phone or Email. The gist of successful PR is to use the right method of communication to convey the massage to target media.

Media tour is an attempt to meet the target media professional to discuss story topic / Organizational issues if any to clear the air. Media tours not only help us build relations with the media but also for good story pitching. Media tour is an effect PR tool during crisis management. Media may go on many speculative stories on the organization during crisis. We can’t stop media write negative news but yes…we can mitigate it not to escalate further. Media tours arranged during / after crisis will help patch up the damage done and rebuild the image.

Responsibility of the PR person during Media Tour:

Spokesperson / Executive of the Company must undergo media orientation while going out for a media tour. Especially during crisis spokesperson should be very alert with each question Journalist may ask. He should be prepared for the same. Media observes each gesture of the spokesperson during crisis. Media tours carried out during tough situations will definitely help us influence media top brass for balanced view / opinion on the story / news they publish. Media is one of the important key audiences of any organization and familiarization / bridge building meetings with editorial board will help us build relations with the Press People. Companies which are mired in controversies or under attack often by media may utilize this opportunity to clear the air.

Take prior appointment:

Simply don’t rush to media offices with spokesperson. Please follow protocol to meet them up. They may not sit free for us unless we inform them well in advance to discuss the topic. Prior appointment with key media people like COB, Editors help us utilize their time to brief the topic.

The more you spend the time in PR the better will be the outreach of the media. The more active / aggressive tours are carried out the better will be the media acceptance on the news story.