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City & Guilds media relations toolkit
1. 1
Everything you need to know to deliver
successful media relations campaigns
MEDIA
RELATIONS
TOOLKIT
2. 2
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4
What is media relations? 4
Why media relations is important to City & Guilds 4
The International Media Relations Toolkit 4
Four steps to success 5
Chapter One: FIND YOUR STORY 6
1.1 Making sense of the media 7
Overview 7
Types of news media 7
Activity: Knowing your key media 8
Important media roles 8
The news cycle 9
How reporters and editors decide which stories to cover 9
Key points: Understanding the media 10
1.2 Turning ideas into news stories 11
Overview 11
What is a news story? 11
What makes a winning news story? 12
Checklist: How to tell if your story idea is a winning news story 13
1.3 How to turn your story idea into a press release 15
What is a press release? 15
Press release template 15
Key points: Press releases
16
Example press release
17
3. 3
Chapter Two: Know your target media 20
2.1 Overview 21
Identifying media to target your story 21
Key points: Targeting media 21
2.2 Targeted press lists 22
Where to get the information to create a targeted press list 22
Example targeted press list log 23
2.3 Tips to move beyond press lists towards relationships 24
Chapter Three: SELL IN YOUR STORY 25
3.1 Overview 26
Warm-up 27
Dissemination 28
Follow-up 29
3.2 Interviews 30
Chapter Four: MONITORING AND EVALUATION 32
4.1 Evaluation tools 33
Qualitative Evaluation Criteria Scorecard 34
APPENDIX 35
Media Relations Glossary 35
CONTENTS
4. 4
INTRODUCTION
What is media relations?
Media relations is a specialist area of Public
Relations (PR) that focuses on promoting key
messages about an organisation through
coverage in the media. Media relations
involves identifying media-appropriate news
and announcements about City & Guilds,
and using special techniques to encourage
journalists to write about them.
Why media relations is important
to City & Guilds
Well-managed media relations activity can help to:
• Raise media awareness of our organisation, products and services,
which in turn raises awareness among our target audiences.
• Maintain and strengthen City Guilds’ public profile and reputation,
through generating positive media coverage about our news,
developments and achievements.
The Media Relations Toolkit
This toolkit will help you plan and deliver effective media relations
to support your business objectives. However, if you do not have
adequate resource or expertise within your team, we recommend
utilising agency support. Please note we have a Group PR team that
handle corporate profile raising and Group PR campaigns from the UK.
Our preferred agency and also the world’s largest PR firm is Edelman.
Please contact our Account Director, Stephanie Bailey, at Edelman
directly via email: Stephanie.Bailey@edelman.com or telephone:
+44 (0)20 3047 2317 or speak to Corporate Communications
(email: commssupport@cityandguilds.com) if you wish to
discuss further.
Let’s get started
CONTENTS PAGE
5. 5
The toolkit contains ‘how to’ guides, checklists, templates, and
examples to help you manage regional or business unit specific
media relations.
In the appendix you will find a glossary of PR terms, and on the staff
intranet you will find our style guide and position statements, as well
as other useful tools / reference documents.
This toolkit is structured into four chapters to reflect the four main
steps in the media relations process (see figure one). In order to find
a media-appropriate story, you first need to make sense of the media
– so that is the starting point of this toolkit.
FOUR STEPS TO SUCCESS:
PROACTIVE media relations
Set your SMART objectives before you start any PR activities.
Be clear on how the PR will support your broader business unit
and organisational objectives.
(Figure one)
Sell in your
story
Find your
story
Monitor
evaluate
Know your
target media
CONTENTS PAGE
7. 7
Making sense
of the media
Overview
This section covers background information on
how the media works including how to distinguish
between media outlets, understanding how the
newsroom works and how journalists decide which
stories to cover. The purpose of this section is to
help you improve your understanding of the media
in order to effectively plan your media relations
activities.
Types of news media
The news media focus on delivering news to the general public or
a target audience. They can be broken down into three types:
1.1
• Local and nationals such as The Times,
The Washington Post, The New Zealand Herald.
• Trade media publications that are specific to
different industry sectors such as education.
For example FE News, Times Educational Supplement.
• Includes radio and television – for example
the BBC World Service,ABC, NBC and local
and national stations.
• Ranging from online versions of newspapers
to influential blogs – for example the
NYTimes.com, The Huffington Post.
Print
media
Broadcast
media
NEW
media
Not all media publications or outlets are credible. It’s important
to focus your efforts on building relationships with credible,
influential media outlets.
CONTENTS PAGE
8. 8
ACTIVITY: Knowing your key media
Take five minutes to write a list of the titles of credible
national and local print media in your region. Now do the
same for the broadcast media. Finally, do the same for either
trade media or new media covering further education.
If this is difficult, take some time to research the
publications beforehand.
1.1
Important media roles
Below is a description of the roles of three types of journalist who
you may cross paths with in your media relations activities.
REPORTER
• A type of journalist
who researches issues,
conducts interviews,
and writes articles for
publication.
• May have responsibility
for a specific ‘beat’ – for
example education,
technology, or economics.
• Also known as ‘journalist’
or ‘correspondent’.
EDITOR
• Responsible for making
decisions on the news
content of the publication.
• Smaller publications
usually have one chief
editor. Large organisations
like the BBC have editors
for different ‘beats’ too.
• Differs from the sub-
editor who is responsible
for improving style and
accuracy of text before it
goes to print.
FREELANCER
• Self-employed journalist.
• They are either
commissioned by editors
to research and write
specific stories, or they
pitch their own story ideas
to editors.
• May work across national,
local or trade publications.
Have a go at
this activity
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9. 9
1.1
The news cycle
Stories that are less or more time-critical usually have corresponding
deadlines. For instance a breaking news story will have an immediate
deadline, whereas an article for a monthly magazine may have a
deadline of a few weeks. Seasonal stories may be written several
months ahead.
How reporters and editors
decide which stories to cover
When a reporter or editor makes a decision about whether to cover
a story, he or she considers the relevance, timing and whether it
comes from a trusted source:
Relevance
• The story must be relevant
to the publication’s target
audience.
• For example a women’s
magazine is interested in
stories tailored to women;
a regional TV news
programme is interested
in local issues, or national
issues with local impact.
Timing
• The story must be ‘new’
or give a fresh angle to an
existing story.
• If the story has been done
before, then a reporter is
unlikely to cover it unless
there is something new
to add. This is the case
even if the story is about
a ‘hot topic’.
• A story that misses the
journalist’s deadline is
unlikely to be published.
Trust
• A journalist stakes his or her
reputation on stories being
accurate and truthful.
• Journalists only accept
stories from individuals
or organisations that
they trust.
• It’s essential to get facts
in order before presenting
them to a journalist.
• Consider everything you
say to be ‘on-the-record’.
We use the three principles of relevance, timing and trust to help us
have greater success in placing our stories in the media.
CONTENTS PAGE
10. 10
Key points: Understanding the media
• Relevance: Only target media outlets that will be interested
in your story. You must be familiar with the publication,
the types of stories they cover, and their target readership.
Don’t approach a publication until you know these things.
• Timing: Is the time right for the media to cover your story?
Is it a ‘fresh’ story, or does it add something new to a running
story? Do you know what deadlines the publications work to?
• Trust: Never offer journalists ‘half-baked’ stories based on
conjecture, assumption or prejudice. Make sure statistics
or facts are 100% correct. Never offer money or gifts to
encourage coverage. A credible journalist will cover a good story
based on the strength of the story. Consider everything you
say to be ‘on-the-record’.
1.1
You can discuss
these key points
with others
CONTENTS PAGE
11. 11CONTENTS PAGE
Turning ideas
into news
stories
1.2
Overview
This section covers how to turn ideas into news stories
that the media wants to publish. This is harder than
you might think as journalists are rarely interested in
providing free advertising for products or services.
Instead, they want inspiring stories or unusual facts
that will interest their readers. This section will help
you identify what makes a news story, and how to test
if your idea is a winning story.
What is a news story?
A news story is a narrative on a topical issue of interest. Here is a
selection of City Guilds related news stories that ran in the UK media:
City Guilds survey of 1000 young people shows UK
teens are more inspired by entrepreneurs than celebrities
Making skills history in India – City Guilds becomes the
first British company to be approved by the NSDC
Exceptional students honoured at City Guilds Lion Awards
12. 12
1.2
What makes a winning news story?
The reason a story runs in the media is because it has news values
- certain characteristics that makes it likely to chime with the media
agenda. Using the City Guilds examples in the previous section,
below are some of the news values that can be identified
in these stories:
There is no exhaustive list of news values to determine what makes
a good story. However there are certain pointers that make it much
more likely that your idea will end up being a winning media story. To
help you, you can run your story idea through our Story Checklist.
Newness
new at the time
of reporting
Unique
offers different
insights into
topical issues
Human
Interest
affects real
people’s lives
Simplicity
clear and
uncomplicated
story
Brand
Key messages align
with City Guilds’
purpose
Impact
relevant to
many people
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13. 13
1.2
Checklist: How to tell if your idea
is a winning news story
1) Use the checklist when you have an idea for a media story, and you want to check
if it has news value.
2) Write your story idea into no more than two sentences. This should be the essence
of your story – in PR terms we call it your news angle:
3) Using the news angle for reference, go through the checklist marking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ next
to each question. You can use the right-hand column to make any notes.
4) Tally up the number of ‘yes’ answers. If you have less than 5 ‘yes’ answers, then you will need to
rethink your idea to come up with a more effective media story. Once you have a news angle that
passes the story checklist, you can turn it into a press release. (See Section 1.3)
Did you summarise the essence of your
story idea in one or two sentences to
articulate the news angle?
It should be possible to summarise your
story in 1 or 2 sentences. If you need multiple
sentences to tell your story then you may
have several stories at once or none at all.
Is the news angle about something
recent?
Journalists are interested in fresh, current
news. Something that happened months
ago is unlikely to interest them unless
the news is that an exciting or unusual
development has occurred.
Is the news angle relevant and
interesting to lots of people?
Stories that can be tailored to many
audiences are likely to have broader
appeal across publications.
Mark
yes or no
Add your notes on
your story idea hereQuestions to ask yourself
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14. 14
1.2
Does the story involve ‘human interest’?
Journalists know that their readers care
about how an issue affects real people.
Case studies can be useful for this.
Would you be interested in reading
about the story?
If you don’t find the story interesting,
it’s unlikely other people will!
Is the news angle unique, dramatic,
bizarre, amusing or quirky?
Journalists are often interested in quirky
stories that will take readers by surprise or
challenge preconceptions. Trainee journalists
are often told: ‘If a dog bites a man it isn’t
news, but if a man bites a dog – bingo,
you have news!’
Do you have good quality pictures
available to support your story idea?
Journalists don’t always have resources
to send photographers. It’s helpful if you
have quality photos that can accompany
your story. (Speak to your local marketing
representative or the Corporate
Communications team in London –
commssupport@cityandguilds.com
if necessary).
Do you have a spokesperson, or
could you arrange quotes from a
spokesperson?
Journalists may want to interview a City
Guilds spokesperson about the news. If no
one is available, it is helpful to agree some
quotes that you can give to the journalist.
Mark
yes or no
Add your notes on
your story idea hereQuestions to ask yourself
Use a separate piece
of paper if necessary
CONTENTS PAGE
15. 15
how to turn
your story
idea into a
press release
What is a press release?
A press release is a brief statement prepared for the media which
outlines the major facts of a news story. Press releases are an
important tool in gaining media coverage. They are written in the
same style as a news story, so that journalists can easily identify
the key facts.
1.3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – State this unless ‘under embargo’
DATE
HEADLINE OF STORY
Sub heading – Optional but can be used to elaborate the main point
First two sentences – Summarises the main points of the press release.
Main body – The main section of the press release includes information,
facts or statistics. It is good to follow the structure of why, who, where, what,
when and how but don’t overload the press release with information that isn’t
needed.
Spokespeople or case-study quotes – Quotes provide additional information,
as well as adding a voice. If the spokesperson is from City Guilds, the
quote should reflect City Guilds’ messaging. Make sure quotes follow on
from the previous paragraph and therefore help the flow of the press release.
E.g. Following the previous paragraph, the spokesperson said:
“Quotes should be italicised and separated as a separate paragraph”
End paragraphs – End the press release by rounding off the points in the
press release and where possible, include a call to action, such as a website.
-Ends-
For more information, images or interviews, please contact:
Full name
T: Office telephone number
M: Mobile telephone number
E: email address
Notes to Editor
Here you can include more information on City Guilds and any
supplementary information on the subject of the press release.
Include full contact
details and what
you can help with
(Font: Arial 11
left justified)
Headline
(Arial 14, bold, caps,
centred on page)
LOGO right justified
within the header
section
Instructions
Arial 11, caps, left
justified
Date
Arial 11, bold, caps,
left justified. Written
as day, month, year
-Ends-
(Font: Arial 11
centred)
Sub heading
Arial 11, bold, left
justified
First two
sentences
(Font: Arial 11
Line spacing:
1.5 left justified)
press release template
CONTENTS PAGE
16. 16
Key points: Press releases
• Make sure the story behind the press release has
passed the Story Checklist. (See section 1.2).
• We only prepare press releases for us, about us.
• The tone should be factual and professional.
All factual content including statistics must be
accurate and from a trusted and verified source.
The information source must also be referenced in
full in the Notes to Editors.
• Please share your press release with the
Corporate Communications team –
commssupport@cityandguilds.com
as a final check point.
1.3
Write them down
here or use a separate
piece of paperNotes on section one:
CONTENTS PAGE
17. 17
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6 JUNE 2013
OUTSTANDING LEARNER HONOURED
AT EDUCATION OSCARS
Last night, learners, teachers and experts from the education industry came
together to honour the outstanding achievements of the most exceptional
vocational achievers at City Guilds’ prestigious Lion Awards. Lydia
Richardson, 35, from Trinidad Tobago, won the International Learner of the
Year award, making her one of just 14 lucky recipients to win a City Guilds
Lion Award.
Lydia was recognised for her passion for learning and commitment to
developing herself. She has left a lasting impression on her lecturers through
her dedication, originality and professionalism. She received her first degree
in Management and Finance, followed by a Master’s degree in Project
Management. Soon afterwards, she realised that engineering credentials would
make her more competitive and decided to enrol on a City Guilds course at
the Automation Technology College.
Even though Lydia has encountered numerous obstacles during her schooling,
she has persevered and hopes her journey will inspire others. Through the
support of tutors, peers and family members, she was able to complete her
course and now is a tutor. She is committed to motivating other young people
in Trinidad Tobago, as well as her own daughter, to gain as much education
as possible.
City Guilds, a global leader in skills education, held the glamorous Lion
Awards ceremony at London’s iconic Roundhouse on Wednesday 5 June.
The ceremony celebrates the world’s most inspiring achievers who have
accomplished extraordinary results through skills-based learning. The
ceremony is the culmination of the coveted Medals for Excellence regional
awards programme, which has run every year since 1879. This year an
impressive 114 learners and tutors won medals.
Example press release (below)
This is covered over three pages
Page one
1.3
CONTENTS PAGE
18. 18
Lydia was presented with his award by TV personality and renowned musician
Myleene Klass. Speaking about her win, Lydia said:
‘It feels great to win a Lion Award. I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet. I’m so happy
to have this recognition and to represent my country on an international stage.’
Additionally, Sandra West, a principal at Automation Technology College, said:
‘Lydia is very deserving of this award. She is outstanding and a wonderful
example to others. It was great when she won the Medal for Excellence, and
now this is the icing on the cake!’
Meanwhile, Chris Jones, Chief Executive of City Guilds said:
‘At City Guilds, we’re all about helping people get into a job, progress on a
job and move onto the next job. Winning a Lion Award is a sign of exceptional
talent and dedication, and Lydia should be very proud of this remarkable
accomplishment. I’m sure she will continue to be an inspiration to others.’
For more information, images or interviews, please contact:
Christine Richardson
T: 020 7294 8054
M: 07717 779781
E: Christine.richardson@cityandguilds.com
Wendy Anstead
T: 020 7294 8076
M: 07920 548183
E: Wendy.anstead@cityandguilds.com
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
• City Guilds (www.cityandguilds.com) is the UK’s leading vocational
education organisation. Approximately 2 million people are currently working
towards a City Guilds qualification.
• The City Guilds Group operates internationally with regional offices in
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Ireland, Hungary, Barbados, Sri Lanka, Dubai,
South Africa and New Zealand.
Page two
1.3
CONTENTS PAGE
19. 19
• The City Guilds Group comprises:
- The Institute of Leadership Management (management and
leadership qualifications)
- The Centre for Skills Development (a not for profit research and
development body that works to improve the policy and practice
of vocational education and training worldwide)
- Kineo: a City Guilds Business (the leading workplace learning
company which helps employers drive business performance
through learning and technology)
• City Guilds is a Royal Chartered Institute and a not-for-profit organisation.
• City Guilds is the premier sponsor of The Skills Show. The Skills Show
is an annual celebration which showcases a range of skills, and inspires
visitors to consider the training available and the career opportunities that
this can lead to.
• This year’s Lion Awards took place on Vocational Qualification Day, which is
run by the Edge Foundation, to truly celebrate the opportunities vocational
education can offer.
-Ends-
Page three
1.3
CONTENTS PAGE
21. 21
KNOW YOUR
TARGET MEDIA
Overview
This section helps you to identify appropriate media
at which to target your story, and suggests how to
gather and log media contacts and notes. It also
introduces some techniques for establishing
relationships with the media.
Identifying media to target
your story
By this point in the toolkit it’s important that you have a good
awareness of who the key print and broadcast media are who cover
topics like vocational education, skills development and training
in your region. It’s also important to have a good grasp of how
reporters decide which stories to cover so that you can tailor stories
to relevant media publications. If you need a refresher on these
topics, please complete Activity: knowing your key media, and
re-read section one.
2.1
Key points: Targeting media
1. We recommend that you start thinking about your target media
outlets at the same time as you start planning the news angle of
your story. This will help you shape your story effectively.
2. Remember that you should only plan to target media outlets that
will be really interested in your story.
3. Sometimes you may decide to target one specific publication,
in which case you will need to shape the news angle around their
interests – and offer it to them as an exclusive.
4. Once you have decided which media to target your story to,
you need to create a targeted press list.
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22. 22
Targeted press lists
A targeted press list is a database containing the details of the media
publications you want to contact to cover a specific City Guilds
story. Targeted press lists come in different shapes and sizes, and
with practice you will find a style of list that suits you best. However,
press lists always contain certain specific details such as: publication
titles, journalist names, telephone numbers, and email addresses.
The most important thing is that the press list should contain all the
information you need to successfully send your press release to the
journalists you are targeting.
Where to get the information to
create a targeted press list
There are two options for gathering the information to create a
targeted press list:
1) PR database. Specialised global databases for the PR industry
create system-generated Excel spreadsheets of relevant
media publications, including all the journalists’ contact
details. These platforms have the added benefit of providing
an automated system that can send your press release to the
targeted press list. Please contact Corporate Communications,
commssupport@cityandguilds.com – if you would like to
discuss this option in detail.
2) Manual collection. An alternative way of creating a targeted
press list is to contact the media outlets directly to find out the
relevant reporter covering the topic of your story (eg VET).
Some media outlets may provide this information on their
websites, otherwise you will need to phone to request it.
You can then record all the contact details in a press
list log (see example on page 23).
2.2
CONTENTS PAGE
23. 23
Whether the first or second option is best for you will depend
on how much media relations activity you are planning to do,
and how extensive the media sector is in your market:
2.2
Pros: An essential tool if you’re planning a
significant amount of media relations activities,
and if the media sector is very large and diverse in
your market. Data is very accurate, due to a team
of researchers who keep details updated.
Cons: Expensive and requires service contracts
to be set up. Also requires some degree of training
and PR knowledge.
Pros: Inexpensive and straightforward.
Cons: Time consuming if you have lots of media
contacts to target or you frequently run media
relations activities and of course if PR is only one
aspect of your role.
PR
DATABASE
manual
Collection
Name: John Smith
Title: Education correspondent
Publication: The Times
Medium: National newspaper
Email: John.smith@thetimes.co.uk
Tel: 0207 294 1111
Focus: HE, FE
Relationship: Key contact
Comments: Worked with us on an
exclusive on youth unemployment.
Example targeted press list log*
Name: Joe Jones
Title: Education reporter
Publication: FE Week
Medium: Trade press
Email: joejones@feweek.com
Tel: 0207 294 5211
Focus: FE
Relationship: Key contact
Comments: Special interest
in apprenticeships.
Name: Sarah Cook
Title: Producer, Education Today
programme
Publication: BBC Radio 4
Medium: Radio
Email: Sara.cook@bbc.co.uk
Tel: 0208 222 1111
Focus: Education at all levels
Relationship: No previous contact
Comments: Special interest in
adult education and second chance
programmes.* These contacts are not real but fictitious
CONTENTS PAGE
24. 24
2.3
Offering quality stories is the fastest
way to build positive relationships.
Responding promptly to enquiries
develops your reputation as a
valuable source.
Following the work of key media
contacts helps you know what stories
interest them. You will also uncover
their stance on various issues, and have
something to talk to them about.
Tips on how to move beyond press
lists towards relationships:
Write them down
here or use a separate
piece of paperNotes on section two:
Be contactable, including outside
of business hours if possible.
Adhere to journalists’ deadlines,
and their preferred methods and
times of contact.
Give and take! By going the extra
mile to track down a statistic or second
source to help out a journalist, you are
treating the relationship as mutually
beneficial.
Stick to what you know! Offering
other ways of finding information
builds your reputation as a valuable
source – even if you can’t provide
the information directly.
CONTENTS PAGE
26. 26
Selling in
process
Overview
There is no set process for selling in your story as
each approach depends on variables such as how
big your targeted media list is and how much
preparation you need to do. With experience you
will learn what process works best for you and your
individual media contacts.
On the next three pages, we give one example of a basic process for
selling in your story that you may like to use. The process happens in
three stages – warm-up, dissemination, and follow-up.
3.1
1.
warm-up
2.dissemination
3.follow-up
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27. 27
3.1
Warm-up
What is it?
Warm-up is the process of pitching your story to and ‘warming-up’
your media contacts.
What is the specific purpose?
It depends on your campaign. It can be used to generate interest
in your story for example, or to offer exclusive coverage to a key
publication. By gauging interest levels it can also help you to tweak
your pitch angle for other publications.
When does it happen?
It always happens in advance of releasing your story. How far in
advance depends on what you are trying to achieve. It could range
from a few hours to several weeks, or even months in some cases.
Typical warm-up
activities
Using warm-up to generate early interest
in a story with key contacts:
• Before the story is released, telephone or email
your key contacts to discuss the story.
• Offer support materials that can be made available,
(eg learner case studies, an interview, photos).
• Ask if there is anything else they will need to
cover the story.
• Agree deadlines and outcomes.
CONTENTS PAGE
28. 28
3.1
Dissemination
What is it?
The process of sharing your story with your targeted press list by
sending them a press release.
What is the specific purpose?
To make sure that the contacts on your targeted press list have access
to all the information they need to cover your story.
When does it happen?
It happens on a specific day and time that you have agreed in advance.
How do I plan my dissemination activities?
• Make sure you have completed all follow-up activities and
dependencies from warm-up (if applicable). For example, perhaps
you agreed to send a video or image to a key media contact before
the press release is distributed to everyone. Make sure you have
fulfilled your promises.
• Plan and agree in advance when you will send the press release
so you can complete all your preparation work such as writing the
release and sourcing quotes.
• It’s best to send your press release first thing in the morning, the
day before you want the story to appear, or at the earliest possible
time to meet your target media’s deadlines.
• Check what stories are running in the media to assess the likely
impact of your story. If there is a risk of your story being eclipsed by
someone else’s, then you may decide to hold back on dissemination
for a while.
Typical dissemination
activities
If you don’t have access to a PR database service, you will
most likely disseminate your press release by email.
Email contacts separately so your approach can be
personalised. If you don’t have time, use Bcc to prevent
everyone from seeing your distribution list.
If you attach anything to the press release (like photos),
make sure the file size isn’t too big or embed them in the
body of the email.
If the information is ‘embargoed’ until a certain time,
make sure you state this.
CONTENTS PAGE
29. 29
3.1
Follow-up
What is it?
This is the process of drawing attention to your press release,
and / or responding to any enquiries arising from the press release.
What is the specific purpose?
To encourage wider coverage of your press release.
When does it happen?
It happens on the dissemination day, and sometimes in the
days and weeks after it.
Is it always an essential component of a campaign?
Yes, responding to any queries and following up is essential for
a successful campaign.
How do I plan my follow-up activities?
• Ensure you post your release on the website and launch it internally as
appropriate. If relevant, drive traffic using official social media channels
(Corporate Communications can help with this).
• Schedule time in your diary to follow up directly with key target media
and deal with any enquiries.
• Plan for any likely questions and prepare responses in advance.
• Enquiries should be dealt with as they come up.
• Consider your approach carefully. The aim is to be helpful, not to
pester people to cover your story!
Typical follow-up
activities
• Arrange for your press release to be posted to the
City Guilds website
• Arrange for the story to be mentioned on our official
social media channels where relevant, (Twitter, Facebook
and LinkedIn).
• Follow-up directly with key media contacts by checking
they have everything they need to cover the story /gauge
interest levels.
• Deal promptly with requests for interviews or clarification
of information.
• Monitor the media regularly to keep a check on who is
running your story and how they are reporting it.
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30. 30
Interviews
Journalists often like to request interviews with City
Guilds’ spokespeople so they can delve deeper into a
story and get a ‘sound-bite’ that they can quote.
Interview requests
When a journalist requests an interview it’s important to find out
what the line of questioning will be, and what topics will be discussed.
You also want to gauge what tone the piece is likely to be written in.
Other essential information includes which publication the story is for,
and what kind of story it will be, (e.g. a news piece, a profile article,
an investigative story).
If the interview request is for a City Guilds board member,
the details should also be directed to Corporate Communications –
commssupport@cityandguilds.com – in the first instance.
Preparing for interviews
• Only employees who have been media trained should act
as spokespeople for City Guilds. Please contact Corporate
Communications – commssupport@cityandguilds.com
– if you would like to discuss media training.
• Preparation is key for effective interviews. Give yourself time to
anticipate likely questions and plan answers. Prepare some notes
if you will need to refer to complex information like statistics or
research findings.
• Prepare three key messages you want to get across in the interview
(ensuring these align to corporate messaging) and plan how you will
weave them into your answers.
• If the journalist strays onto a topic that you didn’t expect to talk
about or are not prepared to discuss, feel free to bring them back
on-topic.
• If you don’t know the answer to a question, tell the journalist you
will find out and get back to them.
• Be enthusiastic and pleasant. This will project favourably to
the interviewer.
• Avoid jargon. Be ‘quotable’!
3.2
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31. 31
Write them down
here or use a separate
piece of paperNotes on section three:
3.2
We hope you are finding
this Media Toolkit useful.
Please feel free to give us
some feedback. We are
always trying to improve
our communications.
CONTENTS PAGE
33. 33CONTENTS PAGE
MONITORING
AND EVALUATION
Overview
There are many methods of evaluating the success
of media relations activities. This toolkit focuses on
two basic areas of evaluation: media monitoring
and media analysis. Beyond these core disciplines
you will find methods that are the right fit for your
communications goals and objectives.
Evaluation tools
1. Media monitoring
One of the most important monitoring and evaluation tasks
is following media coverage in your market. It enables you to
understand what your stakeholders are saying and hearing about
you, and what issues and trends are emerging in the sector.
The Corporate Communications team uses a media monitoring
agency to provide analysis for the UK office. You can contact the
team for further details.
2. Media analysis
A more in-depth look at media coverage will enable you to track
shifts in opinion about City Guilds, our industry and competitors
in your region. Typical quantitative and qualitative metrics include:
• Volume (number of articles) of media coverage about
your organisation.
• Tone of media coverage – is the coverage positive,
negative or neutral?
• Prominence of media coverage – is it a small mention in an
article, a small article specifically about your organisation,
a lead article in a relevant section or page, etc.
• Target publication tracking – is there coverage in the target
publications?
• Presence of desired messages in media coverage.
• Impressions / impact – the number of times a message is seen,
multiplied by the number of people who see it.
• Competitor analysis for comparison.
4.1
34. 34
You can use these metrics to develop scorecards that measure media
relations activities. Over time you can use the results to compare the
success of different media relations campaigns.
Here is a sample scorecard:
4.1
Qualitative Evaluation Criteria Scorecard Score
• Target media 1
(Top tier media e.g. national and regional newspapers, broadcast
and trade – including online versions – would score 1 point. Others 0.5).
• Tone of coverage: positive (1), neutral (0) or negative (-1) 1
• Includes statement or quote from City Guilds spokesperson 1
• Reference to a City Guilds report/research statistics mentioned
in the press release 1
• In line with the key messages of the campaign
(e.g. depending on quantity, this could be worth 0.5 points
per message included) 2
Maximum total score (per piece of coverage) e.g. 6
Write them down
here or use a separate
piece of paper
Notes on section four:
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35. 35
APPENDIX
Media Relations Glossary
Audience: The people that read a particular newspaper, watch a TV
programme or listen to a specific radio station and will see or hear your
message if you achieve coverage.
Blog: Short for weblog, a blog is a frequently updated online journal.
They are a useful and informal method of informing the public about
what is happening within your organisation. Blogs, however, are not
only written by journalists.
Boilerplate: A paragraph or two that describes a company/organisation
and its products/services, which is included in a news/press release under
‘notes to editors’.
(Spokesperson) briefing document: A document that gives your media
spokesperson details about an upcoming interview such as key messages,
possible questions and any further information such as key statistics.
Broadcast: Radio, television and online media.
Circulation: The average number of copies distributed by a publication.
Copy: The text produced for a press release or article. Journalists also
refer to their news stories or features as copy.
Coverage: When City Guilds is referenced and key messages are picked
up by the media.
Cuttings/clipping: Extracts from a newspaper or magazine that contains
information about City Guilds.
Editorial: An article or opinion piece written to communicate key
messages to identified audiences. This is different from an advertorial
which is paid for copy in a newspaper or magazine.
Embargo: A heading on a news release that means no one is allowed
to publish or report the story before the stated time and date. Where an
embargo isn’t in place a press release may state ‘For immediate release’.
Exclusive: A news story offered to a specific newspaper title, radio,
website, or TV station.
Feature: An article that gives a detailed report on a particular subject,
issue, situation, industry or organisation. It is designed to enlighten,
entertain, and educate readers.
Hard news: A story that is truly newsworthy, presented factually
and objectively.
Media monitoring: The surveillance of media sources to track your
coverage or that of a competitor.
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36. 36
APPENDIX
Media relations: Communicating with the media by pro-actively speaking to
journalists, sending out relevant articles to the respective publications and
responding to media enquiries.
Media training: Training that is given to your media spokespeople in how to
respond to questions effectively, present arguments, understand what will
interest a journalist and speak to the media during interviews.
Messages/key messages: The main points that you would like to get across
to the media.
News angle: New, important, different, or unusual information about a specific
event, situation, or person that will be of interest to the media.
News release (also press release): A news story written for and released to the
news media, and sent to newspapers, broadcast and online media. It is sent
to relevant media with the aim of gaining media coverage.
News values: Certain characteristics that makes a news story relevant and of
interest to the media agenda.
Newswire: An electronic service providing late-breaking news stories or other up-to-
the-minute information.
News/press conference: The live distribution of news information by an
organisation to invited media. The format is usually a presentation of information by
the organisation followed by a question and answer session.
Notes to Editors: Found at the end of a press release and includes boilerplate and
other relevant corporate information, research reference sources and supplementary
information on the subject of the press release.
Piggy-backing: Hooking your news or feature onto a topical story in the media.
Press pack/kit: A branded pack given to the media containing background material,
photographs, illustrations and news releases.
Press office: A press office handles all media enquiries and sends out all company
messages or press releases to the media.
Readership: The number of people who read a publication. As a rough guide, this can
be approximated by multiplying a publication’s circulation by three.
Sound-bite: A quote of quotable reference that can be included in a media story.
Spokesperson: An expert from your organisation who can comment on issues as
they arise in the media.
Target audience: The group(s) of people you are trying to reach with your message.
Target media: All the relevant publications and programmes read and watched/
listened to by your target audience.
Transcript: The written outline of a radio or TV broadcast article.
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