GivingTuesday Media and PR Strategies: Get press for your organization!

October 21, 2014

Who we are

Paradigm Public Relations is a consumer public relations and social media agency based in Toronto. We

are storytellers. We specialize in brand marketing communications, social media communications and

corporate communications.

We find creative ways to tell your story that generate results.

Sheri Papps, Account Manager

Anna Weigt-Bienzle, Consultant

What is GivingTuesday?

• GivingTuesday is a day dedicated to giving back! • Just as Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season,

GivingTuesday is the opening day of the giving season• Charities, like yourselves, will be reaching out to the

public with fun and creative ways to give back• National and local media will be looking for stories to tell

as we get closer to the big day• Organizations that make the most of this chance will

have a big opportunity to get media coverage

What are we going to talk about?

• This webinar will take you through the steps of how to pitch your news about GivingTuesday to the media

• We will cover:• What makes a good news story• How to write compelling media materials• Picking a great media spokesperson• Pitching your story to media• How to prepare for a media interview

Why media relations?

• Increase awareness of your organization and GivingTuesday activities

• Encourage participation by members of your community

• Raise your organization’s profile • Media can help you tell your story

What makes news?

• Controversy• New• Community impact• Celebrities, puppies,

cute kids!

Start planning now!

• While connecting with media and getting coverage for your GivingTuesday activities can be straightforward and fun, it does take time to do it right

• Start your media outreach early to give media enough time to write about your organization prior to GivingTuesday

Know the story you want to tell

Key messages are the most important points that you want to share with media.

• Developing key messages: – Think about the ideal story you want a journalist to

write about your organization and what it is doing for GivingTuesday

– Work backwards to craft simple key messages to help you tell that story

– Focus on 2 or 3 main key messages• Include key messages about what GivingTuesday is

at the national/global level to connect your local story to the overall movement

Develop Proof Points

• Support with secondary messages or ‘proof points’ that reinforce your key messages

• Secondary messages can be: – Facts, figures, statistics (if they are easy to understand)

• 3 out of 5 families have used a food bank in the last year

– Analogies or comparisons• If we lined up all the food we collected it would

reach from Windsor to London– Anecdotes or personal experiences

• Here’s what the Smith family had to say about receiving their donation at Thanksgiving

Developing media materials

Compelling and well-written media materials will help pique media’s interest in your story!

• Information for media can be in the form of a news release, an advisory or invitation to an event, or even just a paragraph of information in an email– focus on the most important or interesting details first– always include your key messages– include the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘why’ of your story– add in contact information at the bottom so media can easily

reach out for more details or to set up an interview

Example of a media advisory

Island View School to unveil new $20,000 outdoor classroom - Saint John school winner of the 2013 MAJESTA Trees of Knowledge Competition -

WHAT: On October 25th, staff and students from Island View School will celebrate the

unveiling of their new $20,000 outdoor classroom, the first prize in the 2013 MAJESTA Trees of Knowledge Competition. Providing a unique learning environment, the outdoor classroom features a covered amphitheater-like classroom with stepped seating, learning pods to facilitate smaller group learning and a water garden. The school rallied community support to garner the most online votes and beat out nine other finalist schools from across Canada during the competition.

During the event media will see students and teachers interacting in the new outdoor classroom and taking part in tree plantings. Media will also have the opportunity to speak with teachers, students and parents, as well as representatives from MAJESTA and program partners, Tree Canada and Focus on Forests.

WHERE: Island View School 496 Ridge Row Saint John, New Brunswick E2M 4A1 WHEN: Friday, October 25, 2013

8:50a.m.-9:20a.m. Speeches & ceremonial tree planting Speakers include:

Mark Blucher, Principal, Island View School Jim Schedler, Vice-President, MAJESTA

9:20a.m.-10:30 a.m. Children participating in activities in the new classroom

Example of a news release

ISLAND VIEW SCHOOL WINS $20,000 OUTDOOR CLASSROOM AS PART OF THE THIRD ANNUAL MAJESTA TREES OF KNOWLEDGE COMPETITION

(Saint John, NB) May 10, 2013 – After six weeks of voting by Canadians from coast to coast, Island View School’s dream of teaching and learning outdoors has come true as the winner of the 2013 MAJESTA Trees of Knowledge competition. As the winning school, Island View takes home the grand prize of a $20,000 outdoor classroom from MAJESTA, expert consultation from Tree Canada to help bring their classroom to life and outdoor learning curriculum support from Focus on Forests. “Congratulations to Island View School for being chosen by Canadians as the winner of the MAJESTA Trees of Knowledge competition,” says Jim Schedler, Vice President of Marketing for MAJESTA. “We want to thank every finalist school for their hard work and participation, as well as every community and Canadian who came together to show their support and help these schools realize their dream of taking learning outdoors.” Island View School’s new outdoor learning space will open in October 2013 and will feature a covered amphitheatre-like classroom with stepped seating, learning pods to facilitate smaller group learning and a new structure to help direct rain into the school’s water garden. The school rallied support across their community through door-to-door campaigning, setting up voting booths at local sporting events and creating a “human” MAJESTA logo. To create the logo, all the kids donned red t-shirts and formed an apple shape in the school yard. A photo was then taken from the roof of the school. The image became the face of Island View’s campaign, appearing in all their social media channels. “We are absolutely thrilled with the win. Our success in this competition was the result of the hard work put in by students, parents, staff members and the community, as ultimately they made this happen,” says Mark Blucher, Principal, Island View School. “We are excited to get moving with the construction and begin learning in the classroom. I’m grateful to MAJESTA for offering us this opportunity, as they made it possible to make our vision for an outdoor space a reality.” Other top finalists include Our Lady of Sorrows School in Petawawa, ON ($5,000), École Vision St-Jean in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC ($3,000) and École St. Thomas in Lloydminster, AB ($2,000). The winner of the $3,000 Most Creative Idea Award will be announced the week of May 13, 2013. School submissions for the next MAJESTA Trees of Knowledge competition will open in early September. More information can be found at www.majestatreesofknowledge.ca.

A picture tells 1,000 words

Having a great photo or video is a compelling way to tell your story!

• Think of visuals that showcase your organization in action

• If your GivingTuesday activities include an event, make sure to create a great visual moment for media to get their own photos or videos if they attend

Picking a great media spokesperson

Your media spokesperson will be the face (and voice) of your campaign!

• A media spokesperson should:– have experience interviewing with media or be comfortable

speaking publicly and on camera– be a good communicator who can confidently speak to media

about your organization and your GivingTuesday activities– be organized, flexible and readily available for interviews – if possible, be a leader within your organization

• Consider having a second spokesperson who has had a positive experience as a result of your organization

Find the right media contacts

Having the right media contacts can increase the success of your outreach and save time in the long-run!

• To determine the best media contacts:– Follow the news to become familiar with reporters who

may cover your story – Look at media’s editorial ‘contact us’ section online – Common contacts include:

• Radio: producer and news director • TV: producer and news director • Print/Online: editor (assignment and for specific

sections)– Ask colleagues, friends or even

family if they have a personal media contact they can share

Pitching media your story

Once your media materials, contact list and spokespeople are ready, it’s time to reach out!

• Start by sending your media materials to media by email • Add a personalized message that highlights what you think

will be of most interest and mention if you have a spokesperson available for interviews

• Then, follow up with media by phone – Have your 60-second ‘elevator pitch’ ready to go – Reach out to media in the morning, before they

are on deadline– If you are inviting them to an event, give the

journalists several days notice

Inviting media to your GivingTuesday Event

Your GivingTuesday event may be the perfect opportunity to share your story with the media!

• Media like events that provide great visuals (video/photo) and interview opportunities

• If timing for your event is flexible, hosting an event in the morning (e.g. 10 a.m.) makes it easier for media to attend

• Share details with media through an event advisory• Have your spokesperson available for on site interviews • Take photos/videos to share through social media and with media

who were unable to attend

How to conduct a media interview

Media interviews are a great way to bring your story to life!

• Think of the interview as a business meeting or conversation where you want to get a few key points across

• Be confident: If media are asking you for an interview, they already think you have an interesting story to tell

The Media Interview

• Media interviews: – tend to be quite brief (5 minutes)– can be live, taped, in person or by phone– can be for print, television or radio

• Before the interview: – Know your key messages– Think about what questions might be asked and how you

want to answer• Why are you here today?• Tell me about your organization. • What is your organization doing for GivingTuesday? • Why is your organization involved in GivingTuesday?• What impact does your organization have on the local

community? • Why/how can the community get involved?

• Practice what you want to say and take part in ‘mock’ interviews

The Media Interview

• During the interview: – Remember that everything is ‘on the record’– Don’t be afraid to say ‘I don’t know that off hand’ or ‘I’ll

get back to you with that information’– Avoid jargon and talk in terms the audience will

understand– Don’t be afraid to pause and think about your response– TV interviews: look at the interviewer and not directly at

the camera, and be aware of your body language– Radio interviews: speak at your normal voice level and

use descriptive examples to illustrate your key messages– Phone interviews: You can have key

messages in front of you, but don’t read off the page

The Media Interview

• During the interview: – If the interview goes off course, use bridging statements

to keep the interview on topic: • That’s an interesting/good point, but I’m here today

to talk about…• What I really want to talk to you about is…

– If media ask if there is anything else you want to share, reiterate your most important key message and how people can learn more

• After the interview:– Follow up with media to see if they need anything else – Don’t ask to review the story but feel free to

ask to fact check key points – Ask when the story will run

Next steps

Remember that it’s never too early to start planning! Once you’ve developed compelling media materials and picked your spokesperson, you’ll be ready to go!

Have fun!

Questions?