Seeking MEDIA PUBLICITY

There will be times when you may need publicity for your cause or to refute a misunderstanding in a press story.

          To get the publicity you must understand the role of the media and the needs of reporters. Both the print and the broadcast media are in the business of making profits for their shareholders and meeting deadlines.

          You will have no chance of publicizing your causes in a newspaper unless it sells newspapers. You must also appreciate you can never win an argument in a newspaper with a newspaper editor.

          When seeking publicity make sure your message is news, not propaganda or free advertising.     

Five of the best tips to get media publicity

* Be prepared

          Being unprepared is a sure way to a bad press.

          Clarify your thoughts. Why do you want to be interviewed?     

* Make your message newsworthy

          See what makes the news. News includes such things as accidents and stories of conflicts. Unusual events, human-interest stories, local events and animal stories are popular.

          Write down the reason that your story is newsworthy.

* To stop criticism

          You can stop criticism with a timely, honest factual story. Hard facts stop speculation!

* Never say “No comment”

          Not unless you want a full, investigation carried out.

* Meeting the journalist

          The first impressions you make are important and may determine how the entire interview proceeds.

          Listen VERY carefully before you answer a reporter’s question. Don’t make wild statements you cannot substantiate.

          Most interviewers will ask some questions you would rather avoid. Prepare for these possible questions just in case you are asked.

          At the finish take care! When asked if you have any ‘final thoughts’ use this time to briefly summarise your main message. Be confident and sincere and aim for a strong conclusion.

          After the interview is over take care not to make an informal comment, observation or criticism. A casual comment after an interview could end up tomorrow’s headlines.       

–Geoffrey Moss

“A controversy with the press, in the press, is the controversy of a fly with a spider.”

Sir Henry Taylor

SOURCE: “Persuasive Ways” published by Moss Associates Ltd, New Zealand and in Chinese by Shanghai People’s Publishing House as “Secrets of Persuasion”; by Cengage Learning Asia, as “Getting Your Ideas Across”; by Kogan Page, United Kingdom and Kommunikacio, Budapest. Also available as an e-book from Amazon.com.