NGOs and other nonprofit organizations dealing in sometimes complex and
controversial issues need to use a wide range of materials and activities to
get their message across to the media and target publics. News releases and
news conferences are not enough! Diversify your efforts and reap the rewards.
Many of the following pieces could be transmitted by e-mail, as well as by fax,
mail or hand delivery, according to the accepted practices of your local media.
Posting them on your website is another way to extend their use among your
other publics and coalition groups:
1. News Kits: Supply all the basic information a reporter needs to write a
story - and no more than that. It should look professional, showing that the
organization knows what it is doing.
News kits can
be used in conjunction with a news briefing/conference or sent around to media
outlets with a cover letter ‘pitching’ a story on your issue/organization. The
parts of the kit, usually assembled in a pocket
folder, should be well organized and easy to read but do not need
complicated designs/printing. Any
interesting graphs or figures should be put on a separate sheet, with the
source clearly visible. Charts are only
useful if they prove one’s case. It is important to explain what tables
and graphs indicate in words, remembering that in many cases, the people
addressed may not be able to make use of them. You could also provide an
‘electronic news kit’ on computer diskette. Translate your own kit parts, which
may include some or all of the following: news
releases, backgrounders, fact sheets, case studies, photos with captions or a
videotape, statements, brochures and
other publications. You should make sure that every piece in the kit has
an identifier - ‘News Release’, ‘Background Information’, etc, - and always use
your letterhead for the first page of every paper and number the pages.
2. News Releases: Provide timely information about events or issues the
public would want to know about. The news release should be the most condensed
and most important bit of the news kit. Concentrate the main news (who, what,
where, when, why, how and so what?) in the first sentence/paragraph, allowing
the editor to decide whether to print part or all of the release or to assign a
reporter to the story. Use your letterhead, write ‘News Release’ and the
release date, and give the name of a ‘contact’ with day and evening phone
numbers for the reporter to follow up. Bear in mind that the longer the
release goes on, the less interesting it looks to the reader.
3. Backgrounders: Explain your issues or program goals in more detail so that
the reporter can place the news item within the context of the ongoing
discussion of the topic. Think of it as the written equivalent of a ‘briefing.’
Assume no prior knowledge on the part of the writer: quickly map out the
development of your issue and highlight areas of controversy, importance or
urgency. You may need more than one backgrounder if you have a highly
complicated issue/event that should be broken down into parts. You may need to
include a ‘timeline’ of important dates/events, for example, or may reprint
letters or statements from some of your program beneficiaries (with their
permission).
4. Fact Sheets: Help reporters skim useful and relevant data. Use a ‘bullets’
format and give the facts in numbers, figures and human terms; try to show the evolution of a problem/achievement.
("During the past seven years, the number of displaced families
seeking shelter more than doubled, from
100,000 in 1990 to 230,000 in 1997." "Three out of four children
(74 percent) admitted required medical attention for malnutrition or chronic
illness.") Timelines can be very
useful so if working in human rights, for example, one may include a chronology
of critical events in human rights in Palestine, putting all the important
dates and events. You may include several fact sheets covering different aspects, in the same
kit.
5. Case
Studies/Short Features: Give examples
of how the big issues/ problems play out at a more micro-level: a single
person, a family, an institution, a
community, country, etc. This might involve
some interviewing, whereby
‘yes and no’ questions should be avoided if one wants to get some good quotes. Select
illuminating stories that put a human face on the problem or clearly
demonstrate the beneficial results achieved through your programs/approach.
Write them in the style of a feature story. Let program beneficiaries speak for
themselves, in their own words, wherever possible. Be prepared to give
reporters access to the people featured; they may want to do their own take on
the case study.
6. Statements: Respond to breaking news or provide reporters with a
‘canned’ quote they can insert into a broader story. Should be released quickly
(within an hour or so after the news event). Not more than one or two pages
long, they should be attributed to a named spokes-person for your organization
(or, even better, for the constituency as a whole), and should be highly
quotable. Take a clear position, spell out the consequences of the event for
your constituencies/clients, and propose the next course of action. (Including them in news kits provides quotes for insertion
in a news story.) Anticipate things: if you know that some big decision
is about to be made, prepare your position in advance, and, having drafted it,
sit down with your superior/s in order to tie up any loose ends.
7. Photos with
Captions: Encourage the press
to use your story; on a busy news day, could win you a photo story with a deep
caption instead of having the whole kit end up in the trash. May be tied to
case studies (see above). Provide sharp black and white photos or color with
strong contrast. Clearly label original photos on the back or print them on
glossy paper with captions/credits on wide white margins. Identify all persons,
places, activities in the photos, with dates. Photos often end up in photo
files and may show up months or years later… to illustrate an entirely
different story!
8. Video News
Release: A new phenomenon
that provides footage for TV broadcasts, which makes it more likely that your
event/issue will be covered now or later. You hire a company to produce the
master video for you and provide broadcast format cassettes for the use of TV
stations/satellite channels. (Issues-oriented videotapes also can be effective
fundraising tools with individual, corporate and community group donor
prospects, for coalition-building meetings, and for general PR purposes.)
9. Brochures/Other Organizational Publications: Provide a more glossy presentation of your organization, program or
issues. Considered as background by reporters, not news, but may give them
ideas for future stories. Don't expect to see your promotional brochure quoted
in the paper. It is not always good to spend a lot of money on a brochure when
you ask people for money, but it should always look professional. Sometimes it
is better to send a simple newsletter four times a year, rather than a glossy
annual report.
10. Calendar Announcements: Alert the general public, through the media, about an
event in which you want their participation. May be directed to a special
section of the paper. Usually half-page in length and written so they can be
used exactly as sent. Give a catchy or provocative slant to the announcement
heading, followed by text on who, what, why, where and how much (if a
ticket/fee). In a cover letter/fax, tell the editor from what date you would
like them to start running your announcement and when they can stop. Radio/TV
also may use calendar announcements if you adapt them for the spoken word - see
‘public service announcements’ below.
11. Public Service Announcements: ‘Free
advertising’ for nonprofits and charitable groups who are ‘serving the public
good.’ Used, for example, for the release of
a new publication. Check the regulations/guidelines with your local radio and TV stations. Usually are
sandwiched between regular
programming and paid ads on a space-available basis. They should be
provided as three little versions of the same announcement timed to fill 20,
30 and 60 seconds (labeled that way). You must condense your information and
start with a catchy line, maybe ask a question. ("Would you like to give
your youngest children a better chance to succeed in school - and life? Join
the NGO X for a demonstration of how parents can be their babies' first
teachers (on date, at time, at place). Call (telephone) for more
information.") Read the draft announcement aloud for timing and to make
sure there are no awkward phrases. PSAs not only draw an audience for your
programs but create a better image and higher profile for your organization in
the community.
12. Publication
Announcements: Notify the media
(and other organizations that can help disseminate the news to important
target publics) that you are releasing a new publication that is relevant to
their interests. Usually about one page long, they should be written for
printing verbatim. Provide a synopsis of the publication, who should read
it/who needs it, and details of how to order it. If you have a quote or two
from very well-known experts or respected community leaders commending the
publication, use them in the text. (If you are releasing a major study, poll or
report, you should use a news release format, not a publication announcement,
and should hold a launch or news briefing event.)
13. Media
Advisories: Alert the media that
you have an important event or potential story coming up so that they can
prepare to cover it properly. E-mail, fax or deliver them to news editors and key
reporters three to ten days before your event, depending upon how complex it
is. (If you want extensive TV coverage of a multi-faceted event, you need to
allow more advance time.) Keep the advisory to one page. Stress the most provocative, controversial or glamorous aspects of
your event, along with the basics: who, what, when, where, why. Note any
special photo or video opportunities, mention VIPs or experts who will speak
and be available for interviews. Don't give away the ‘news’ ahead of time
(e.g., poll results) but do convince the editor it's worth covering. ("X,
the oldest and largest NGO in Palestine working on issue Z, will release results
of its November 1998 survey of Palestinians’ attitudes towards…, the first
survey on this subject since…, conducted in cooperation with YYY
University.") You must name a contact editors can call for more
information.
14. Letters to the
Editor: Respond immediately - preferably within 24
hours - to an event, statement, op-ed or letter, which has been printed/aired
by the media outlet. Letters should be brief, logical and quotable. Attach a
one-paragraph biography of the person signing the letter (your boss) to give
editors background and enhance the writer's credibility as a commentator on
the issue. Target one outlet only - do NOT send exactly the same letter to
more than one newspaper at the same time.
Do not write to The Jordan Times
about something that you have read in The
New York Times.
15. Op-Eds (which does not mean
opinion editorial, but opposite the editorial page): Traditionally
appear opposite the editorial page under the byline of the person submitting
the piece. Should provide original commentary on a current issue of public interest,
preferably something already being covered in the news. (Can also be used to
draw attention to a problem/issue that has been ignored but needs to be very
compelling.) Most papers prefer about 650-word-long articles; some will accept
more. This is not a news article; it should take a position and support it with
facts/experience. Attach a short biography of the person submitting the op-ed
and give his/her title and affiliation with your organization. You could send
these to more than one outlet at a time but not to more than one in a certain
category/market. For example, you could send the same op-ed to a major American
daily, a major UK daily, a major Israeli daily and to a Palestinian paper,
depending on the target audiences you want to reach. Often it is more effective
to select only one outlet, informing them that this is offered ‘exclusively’
and following up within a few days to know if it will be used. If declined, you
can offer it elsewhere.
16. Editorial
Memos/Meetings: Request in writing
that the newspaper/station itself comment on an issue of importance to the
public in an editorial capacity. Provides background on why the issue commands
such attention and asks for a meeting with the editorial board to provide them
with a more complete briefing. The meeting is a lobbying visit to convince the
media outlet to take a position (hopefully, in line with yours), and provide
them with needed information/contacts. Good editors will also seek out your
opposition for balance before committing to a position.