Publicising your Results to a Wider Audience

!Effective Classical Media Engagement !

!John Holland!

Prague 15. April 2015

!ABC(S) OF GOOD WRITING:

(IT’S THE MESSAGE BEFORE THE MESSENGER)

Accuracy

Brevity!

Clarity

Simplicity

Next: The Message House

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FEW PAN EUROPEAN OUTLETS: TARGETING ONE REGIONAL AUDIENCE AT A TIME

EMPHASISING EUROPE’S DIVERSITY: IT’S IMPROVING…A BIT

…THIS DOESN’T MUCH HELP THE CAUSE…

CLEAR, STRONG MESSAGES

Few, clear and simple

Strong and distinctive

Relevant Consistent

and repeated

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FOCUS ON RESULTS, NOT PROCESS

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JARGON BUSTING

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STORY ANALYSIS

• Be original. What’s your unique angle? !

• Pose a critical question you expect many readers to pose !

• Explain relevance. Why does this matter? !

• Get your experts into the text quickly to help explain things…clearly and succinctly

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HERE’S WHY: Journalists get bored very quickly

Tell them a good honest short story, then back it up!!!!!

• !

!!

• Talk about their story, but in your context!• Tell what it means and why it matters to their audience!•Get to the point. Use straightforward and evocative messages*!

!!

• *Most journalists spend no more than 6 hours total on an average story, even in specialised fields. !• Source: Apco Brussels survey, 2008. (Recent experience suggests the total time spent researching and writing up a story has dropped even further)

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DO YOU KNOW WHAT JOURNALISTS NEED?

Source: Media relations and Europe – from the journalist’s perspective, APCO, 2008

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RESPECT DEADLINES

Source: Media relations and Europe – from the journalist’s perspective, APCO, 2008 13

And Finally… WHETHER FOR INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL CONSUMPTION:

!!!

❖Get to the point. Tell your audience:!!

❖*WHAT IT MEANS!!

❖*WHY IT MATTERS TO THEM!!

❖*WHAT THEY NEED TO DO NEXT!!

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