4.03

Publicity

How Media Relations Work

Term

media relations: cultivating positive relationships with media personalities that facilitate an organization in getting favorable and widespread news coverage

Importance of Media Relations in SEM

Maximize favorable publicity Encourage media to cover team More media coverage = greater brand

equity

Media Relations Approaches

Reactive: when responding to events Proactive: planning ahead of events Interactive: ongoing and mutually

favorable communications with media

Always be honest and professional

Cultivating Relationship with Media

Make media’s job easier Provide information Provide resources (space, WiFi) Feed them Allow them to cover preparations of

event

Techniques to Work With Media

Get to know the media Write clear, concise press

releases Be prepared when talking to

media Be honest and professional Don't antagonize

Media Representatives in SEM

beat writers: cover team on daily basis Columnists: write opinions on variety of

subjects wire service reporters: write stories that

are shared nationally television news crews television game broadcasters Radio/game broadcasters Photographers

Tools to Communicate WithMedia

Face-to-faceE-mailFaxPhoneSocial media

Media Relations Challenges in SEM

Media has increased options in what to cover

Increased number of media outlets

Terms: hard news: stories that deal with formal,

serious information soft news: stories that are informal,

lighthearted press releases: factual information

provided to news media captioned photograph: information

below a photo that describes action, identifies people

Purposes of Press Releases To introduce new products To keep the business in the public eye To position the business’s image To support good employee relations To create good community relations

Press Releases Used in SEM

game advance: preview of upcoming game

hometown release: highlight of player that is sent to his/her local media outlets

news release: information about team (scores, schedule, ticket information)

Guidelines for Writing a Press Release Post contact information Keep it short Be attenion-getting Avoid giving opinions Meet media deadlines Call media if mistakes are sent in release Remember, the editor decides to publish

the story

Getting a News Editor's Attention

Include a captioned photograph.Meet media deadlines.Write an appropriate number of

releases.Direct the release to a specific

person.Avoid pressuring the editor.Avoid playing favorites.

Newsletters

Provide information to public/fans

Develop an Effective Newsletter

Written for the audience Provides relevant information Visually appealing Regularly published

Media Guide

publication that provides information and statistics to media covering the team

Encourages media coverage

Components of Media Guide

Information about organization Information about coaches Information about players Photos Statistics