CMI Media Guidelines

A quick guide to communicating
with the media about CMI

Contents
1. Introduction
2. What does your local media want?
3. Building relationships with your local media
4. How to talk (and write) about CMI
a. Key messages
b. Describing CMI and its work
c. Press release boilerplate
d. CMI facts and figures
5. Template press releases
a. Pre-event press release
b. Post-event press release
c. Chartered Manager
d. Employer successes
6. Examples of success
7. Media interview hints and tips
8. Getting started with social media
9. Working with your local MP
10. Contact details

1. Introduction

Working with the media is a vital part of getting the message out
there about the benefits of being part of CMI. In the last 12 months
alone, the organisation generated 2,810 items of coverage –
127 national, 1,016 regional and 336 in the business and trade titles.
This growing level of media awareness about CMI and the benefits
of its membership helped increase membership by 5% over the
last year.

At a local and regional level, media relations (and social media) can
help you with everything from attracting new members to encouraging
attendance at events and celebrating the achievements of local
individual or member businesses. But it can often be time consuming,
especially when balanced with other commitments, and it can be
difficult to know where to start.

That’s why this media toolkit has been developed. Based on feedback
from the Branch Networks, and discussed at the Branch Conference
2011, it aims to provide you with helpful advice and a suite of tools
to help make media relations easier, and hopefully more effective.
Not all elements of it might be useful to all people, but we’re hoping
that everyone will take something from it that will help with their
communications plans. We’d also welcome your feedback on anything
else that might be of use to you, for future editions.

Best of luck with your media relations activity going forwards!

Mike Petrook CMgr
Head of Communications

2. What does your local media want?

a. What makes a good local story and how to boost story if appropriate (some example press releases can be
your chance of securing coverage found in section 3)
A good local story is one that features an individual, group or • a digital photograph of an individual or small group
event that is directly relevant to the area that the paper covers. involved in the story
Having a truly local story is vital to securing media coverage
• a spokesperson who is briefed on the story and willing
– for example, a Newcastle newspaper will not cover an event
and available to talk to the media about the story
in Gateshead unless there is a clear link to Newcastle, such
as a well-known speaker from Newcastle speaking at the Once you are armed with the relevant information, contact the
event. Ideally, it should include some kind of personal story news desk of your local newspapers to inform them of your
or feature an event celebrating achievement in the local area story. Contact details can usually be found in the newspaper.
or available to local residents. Examples of types of stories You may also want to target local websites and radio stations.
involving your work with CMI that would work well are: If you need help with a list of your local media, please contact
Mike Petrook or CMI’s PR agency, Kindred (contact details
• CMI-related events in your local area
are at the end of the document).
• hitting a milestone in local members – for example 50 new
members, or reaching 500 members in your area
b. Case studies / personal stories
• local managers who have been awarded Chartered
Manager status The media has a tremendous appetite for ‘real life’ and
human interest stories, often called case studies. Featuring
Once you have a story idea in mind, please check that it links
an individual’s personal story, linked to your main story,
in with the approach to media work that CMI’s central press
often helps illustrate and bring to life the issue you want to
office is taking – it needs to fit with CMI’s stance to ensure we
communicate. A case study may not be relevant to every story,
are being consistent. You can discuss this with Mike Petrook
for example a group event. However, if there is an individual
(contact details on page 26) and get a copy of CMI’s areas
who has an interesting story to tell, such as a Chartered
for comment document – which details CMI’s views on key
Manager, more detail on this is an excellent addition to your
management issues – from him.
media package. For example, if you are holding an event
In order to boost your chances of securing coverage, before looking at the gender pay gap or getting more local women
contacting your local media you should ensure you have the into management positions, a case study of a local business
following: which is working hard to stamp out gender inequality in the
workplace – and is having success with this – would work
• details about your story that answers the “what, when,
well. The case study should take the form of a paragraph
where, why and how” criteria
or two in the press release, which explains more about the
• a drafted press release, including a quote from a local individual.
representative or a case study of a person involved in the
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When you write up a case study, try to include the following, d. Photography
which will add a personal touch:
A good photograph can often be a key factor in deciding
• age whether or not a story gets published, so it’s important to
get photography right.
• name of the area they live in (but please don’t give out
their full address) For events, you can consider inviting the local paper’s
photographer along. They may wish to send a photographer
• their current job role and where this is based
or to take a picture of an individual involved in your story. For
• what they have achieved that is being celebrated example, if an award is being presented they may want a
good shot of it being presented to the winner or if you have
If you are using a case study in your press release, always
a high-profile speaker at an event the media are likely to
check that the individual is happy to be featured in their local
want a picture of them.
media before including their story and details. Also, make sure
they agree to the information in their case study, including If a photographer from a media outlet cannot attend, you
any quotes from them, being shared with local media. To do may wish to take your own pictures or hire a photographer
so you should ask them to check the information written and to take pictures that you can send to the media yourself.
confirm they are happy with it, preferably in an email. They
Some hints and tips for taking photographs yourself are:
may also need to check with their employer that their job role
and company can be mentioned within the release. • local newspapers do not favour pictures of big groups.
They want their readers to be able to see everyone in the
images clearly. Pictures featuring more than 15 people will
c. Quotes stand less of a chance of being published than a smaller
group
A quote from the case study or a local representative is a good
addition to any media information. People with a high local • action shots are preferable to people standing in a line up
profile and/or influencers often make strong spokespeople. – try to introduce some movement/action into the image
These quotes should try and capture something of the
• if you are taking pictures yourself, zoom in to the subject
character of the person being quoted. Two or three sentences
matter and have as little background as possible (unless
is a good length for this. As highlighted above, it is important
it is key to the story)
you get permission from the person being quoted before
sending it to the media. • try and make your pictures look as natural as possible.
Avoid obviously posed shots where possible
• photos for local newspapers must be accompanied by
captions giving the names of everyone in the picture, or
they may be rejected. Job titles are helpful too

05

• make it clear to people at any event where photos are If you are hiring your own photographer, you will need to
being taken that they may be sent to the media or used brief them about exactly what types of images and shots
on social media. This could be done by putting up notices you require. The best way to do this is by writing a brief for
at the event or mentioning it in the event confirmation. the photographer prior to the photography session so they
Give people the opportunity to mention if they don’t want know what is required and come prepared with the relevant
photos of themselves to be used equipment. Please note, central office does not have a budget
for hiring photographers so the cost of hiring an external
• if you are using under 16s in your photography, or even
photographer will need to be covered in your event costs.
some vulnerable adult groups, you may need to obtain
signed parental /guardian consent for using the images.
If this might be the case, do contact CMI press office or
Kindred for advice
Some technical information:
• local media usually prefer digital images rather than prints
• If you are taking the pictures yourself on a digital camera,
set it to the highest resolution setting
• for newspapers and magazines, photos need to be at
least 1800 x 1200 pixels, however 2400 x 1600 pixels is
preferred. You will need to use at least a three megapixel
camera. However, images for websites will not need to
be high definition
• save your pictures as jpeg (filename.jpg) or tif files
(filename.tif). These are the two main types of images
used by newspapers and magazines

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An example photographer’s brief is below:

Date INSERT DATE OF EVENT
Time INSERT PHOTOGRAPHERS START AND FINISH TIME
Event/Place INSERT FULL ADDRESS
Image resolution INSERT RESOLUTION OF IMAGES REQUIRED
(HIGH OR LOW RES)
Agreed fee incl. VAT INSERT AGREED FEE
Images on CD to be delivered by INSERT HOW THE PHOTOGRAPHER IS GOING
first class registered post/ emailed TO DELIVER THE IMAGES
Date images to be received INSERT DATE IMAGES TO BE RECEIVED
Shots required INSERT THE SPECIFIC OR TYPE OF SHOTS YOU REQUIRE
ie: picture of celebrity guest smiling with crowd.

e. Comment and background
As well as wanting details of your stories, local journalists
may also want your comments or CMI’s views on local
business issues. You don’t always have to provide these,
especially if it’s a negative story or something you feel
uncomfortable commenting on. Further tips on how to
handle these types of media enquires / opportunities are
given later in section 7 of the document. If you are asked for
comment, get in touch with Mike Petrook (contact details at
the end of the document) to ensure your comments are in
line with what central office and the other CMI branches are
saying about the issue in question.

07

3. Building relationships with your local media

a. Identifying your target media photographs you have (ensuring they are not more than 1MB
in size) as soon as possible after your conversation. You should
The first step to developing a relationship with your local
then follow up with them a few days after you’ve sent the
media is to identify who the best contacts are. Some larger
release to see if they’ve had a chance to look at it and whether
regional papers will have a specific business correspondent,
they would like any further information. Please note that a
but smaller papers will have a correspondent that covers the
big journalist bugbear is people phoning to ask if they have
specific area where your event is taking place or case study
received a press release so be careful about how you word
lives. If you are unsure who your most appropriate local
your follow-up call – offering additional information such as an
contacts would be, please contact CMI’s press office or
interview or photographs from an event are good reasons to
PR agency, Kindred, who would be happy to help:
follow up. If the journalist says they are hoping to feature the
mike.petrook@managers.org.uk,
story in the paper, it is wise to check which date they hope it
harriet.fitzgerald@kindredagency.com
will appear, so you are able to look out for the coverage.
or lucy.dormandy@kindredagency.com.
One of the frustrating things about working with the media is
that stories sometimes don’t appear when you are expecting
b. Contacting local journalists and developing them too. For this reason, it is best not to tell people coverage
relationships is definitely going to be appear on a certain date, in case last
Ideally, you will already have a story developed that you can minute changes mean it gets dropped for another story. If this
talk about when you first speak to your local media contact, happens, it is worth contacting the journalist again to see if the
so you have a starting point for the conversation. story is likely to feature in a future edition instead. As above, it is
useful at this stage to be offer updated information, anything
If the journalist is not interested in the story then feel free to that will give a new angle to the story so the journalist doesn’t
use this as an opportunity to ask why, but without appearing consider it ‘old news’.
defensive or pushy – you should try and build relationships
with journalists in the same way you would with other
business relationships. You could also outline some of the c. Journalist meetings
other things that your Branch Network has coming up in the
If during telephone conversations you build up a good
next few months and ask their opinion on these stories and
rapport with a journalist, feel free to invite them to meet up
whether they might like to cover them or get involved. It may
for a coffee to discuss other activities that your branch
also help to emphasise the fact that you are a volunteer,
network has coming up, or invite them to events that you are
rather than calling from a local commercial organisation.
holding. They are likely to be short on time, but if they are
If they are interested in the story, you should offer to email able to meet with you face-to-face, this could provide a
them over the press release or media materials and any significant boost to your relationship with them.

08

4. How to talk (and write) about CMI

It is important that everyone talking about CMI and its work • CMI membership and resources makes you a better
does so in the same way, using consistent messages. This manager and leader, improving your career prospects
is vital to ensuring employers, individuals and influencers and getting you to the top of your profession
understand who we are, what we do and our points of view.
CMI and UK management
• improving the quality of managers and leaders has a
a. Key messages positive impact on business/organisational performance
through increased performance levels, efficiency and
The following groups of key messages summarise succinctly
productivity
what CMI is, what it does and what it is trying to achieve.
These are the key things we want people to know about • bad management is harmful to UK plc
CMI. They should be used as a guide when talking to the
media about CMI and writing media materials, including
press releases. Not all the messages will be relevant to every b. Describing CMI and member benefits
media opportunity, but you should aim to include the relevant
The paragraphs below describe CMI and the benefits
ones each time you are doing any media relations work.
membership brings to individuals and corporate members. They
About CMI can be used as a guide when talking and writing about CMI.
• CMI provides information, training, qualifications and CMI is a chartered membership body dedicated to
advice to support you professional managers and leaders. 90,000 managers and
leaders are currently CMI members.
• CMI is the only chartered organisation committed to
improving the performance and impact of the UK’s Key benefits of CMI membership include: networking
managers and leaders opportunities; ManagementDirect (an online portal packed
full of management advice and resources); the CMI
• CMI is the voice of 90,000 professional managers, from
Management Library (25,000+ books are available to
students through to chief executives, and 450 employers,
borrow); professional recognition in the form of letters after
that make up its growing membership base
your name; the ‘Ask a Researcher’ service; a legal helpline;
CMI’s impact career and CPD support; and, a subscription to Professional
Manager magazine.
• CMI qualified managers and leaders make an impact on
businesses, organisations and the bottom line – helping As the voice of managers and leaders, CMI speaks up for
them to survive and thrive them and airs their concerns to those with the power to

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influence the workplace. This happens through CMI’s policy individuals and businesses, for more than 50 years. As
and research team which works with bodies across the only organisation to offer qualifications from Level 2
Government. This team also helps CMI understand the (GCSE) to Level 8 (PhD), CMI is committed to equipping
demands of the marketplace so that it can better serve individuals with the skills and knowledge to be
members and clients. exceptional managers and leaders
CMI helps managers get qualified through the 96 different • qualifications and accreditations such as Chartered
qualifications it offers. It also works with employers to deliver Manager, combined with products such as CMI’s
in-company courses leading to CMI qualifications. Continuous Professional Development scheme and the
online support resource, ManagementKnow, support the
development of management and leadership excellence
c. Boilerplate across the UK
All press releases should have a boilerplate (sometimes • through in-depth research and policy surveys of its
called the ‘notes to editors’) – some brief points which 90,000 individual and 450 corporate members, CMI
describe the company – at the end. CMI’s standard maintains its position as the premier authority on key
boilerplate is below and should be included at the bottom of management and leadership issues
all press releases, below the ‘contacts’ section.
• all CMI members are required to comply with its Code of
Practice for Professional Managers. This ensures they are
accountable, professional and competent in their work
Notes to editors
and are committed to keeping up to date with current
• CMI is the only chartered professional body dedicated to management thinking and practice. For more information
raising standards of management and leadership across visit www.managers.org.uk/code
all sectors of UK commerce and industry. CMI is the
• CMI is the only body that can award Chartered Manager
founder of the National Occupational Standards for
status to professional managers and leaders who make
Management and Leadership and sets the standards that
a significant, tangible and consistent difference to their
others follow
organisation’s bottom line. Chartered Manager gives
• by setting minimum professional standards – built into our individuals official, independent recognition for the job
qualifications, membership criteria and learning resources they do and assures employers that their managers are
– we recognise individual capability and give employers top flight. For more information visit
confidence in their managers’ performance www.managers.org.uk/cmgr
• as a membership organisation, CMI has also been
providing forward-thinking advice and support to

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d. CMI facts and figures • CMI is increasingly working in partnership with other
professional bodies, including the ACCA, School Governors
The following facts and figures may be useful when giving
One-Stop-Shop and the Facilities Management Association,
interviews about CMI and drafting media materials:
to up-skill managers as management is relevant to every
• CMI currently has 90,000 members, 33% of whom are industry sector
women
• more than 35,500 people registered to do a CMI
• there are 1,444 members in Northern Ireland, 6,021 in qualification last year alone
Scotland, 7,390 in the North West, 2,962 in the North
• CMI currently offers 96 different qualifications in
East, 5,311 in Yorkshire and the Humber, 2,591 in Wales,
management and leadership-related areas, ranging
6,217 in the West Midlands, 3,757 in the East Midlands,
from Level 2 (comparable to GCSE) through to Level 8
5,317 in the South West, 12,986 in the South East,
(equivalent to PhD)
6,721 in the East of England and 12,399 in London.
The remainder are located overseas • CMI is the only organisation which can award Chartered
Manager status to individual managers. There are currently
• CMI’s network of 80 local and regional branches organises
1,600 managers with ‘CMgr’ status after their name
over 650 member events each year. These offer members
the opportunity to network with their peers, hear from • Chartered Manager is the highest status that can be
keynote speakers and develop their managerial expertise. achieved in the managerial profession. It is an independent
There are also annual regional conventions and a national endorsement of an individual’s ability to deliver business
conference impact for their organisation
• CMI has 450 corporate members, including Coca-Cola, • CMI qualifications are delivered through a network of over
Serco, OfCom, Hays and a variety of NHS health trusts 680 Approved Centres – these range from HE/FE colleges
and police forces to private providers (which may include employers). We
also partner with StudyFlex to deliver management and
• the average cost of CMI membership is £103 per year,
leadership qualifications to pupils in over 100 schools
although it varies for different levels of management and
around the UK
CMI regularly runs management offers
• CMI offers e-membership which enables to people to
• all members (including studying members) sign up to a
access some of its online resources for free. There are
Code of Professional Conduct and Practice when they
currently more than 6,000 e-members
join CMI. This Code is what we stand for, as professional
managers buying into and personifying the CMI vision.
The Code refers to competence, professionalism, honesty
and integrity and the duty to keep up to date with current
good practice

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5. Template press releases
Below is a selection of press releases that you can When structuring press releases, it is important to capture
tailor and use as a guide when publicising events, the essence of the story in the first two sentences (some
journalists won’t read any more than this before they decide
announcing that local managers have been awarded
whether or not the story is for them) and that the headline
Chartered Manager status, and when local employers succinctly summaries what is coming next. Press releases
have put employees through CMI qualifications. should be engaging but neutral in tone – if they come across
as too pushy in selling a service or work of an organisation
they are less likely to be used. You should use clear, simple
There is space within each release to insert quotes and talk
language and avoid jargon and acronyms. Common practice
more about the individual/employer/event in order to make it
is to paste press releases into the body of emails, rather than
as specific as possible to the topic in question and your local
attaching them, and to use 1.5 line spacing.
media. We strongly recommend tailoring press releases as
closely as possible to the media outlets you are sending
them to as it increases the chances of them getting published.
Areas for tailoring are in square brackets and in bold font.

12

a. Pre-event press release News Release
Events provide a great hook for [Insert headline, eg ‘Management
securing media coverage about advice event to help city businesses’
your work and publicising your or ‘Top Manchester entrepreneur to
events through the media will let speak at business event’]
people know they are happening
and encourage them to attend. [Insert Date]
Here is a template release you can [Insert audience for event, eg ‘women managers’, ‘businesspeople’,
tailor and use as a guide for ‘aspiring entrepreneurs’, ‘SMEs’] across [insert town/city/area name] are
promoting an upcoming event. being given the opportunity to [insert details about what people will get out of
the event, eg ‘hear from successful local business leaders about how they
got to where they are’, ‘investigate management training courses on offer
to them’, ‘network with hundreds of peers’] at a Chartered Management
Institute (CMI) [insert name of branch] event.
At the [insert name of event] on [insert date] at [insert details on where
event is taking place], [insert one or two paragraphs with further details
on what will happen at the event and what attendees will get out of it. This
could include details on event speakers, businesses attending, partners/
sponsors, why the area needs such an event].
The event aims to help [insert how the event will help the audiences in
question] following news from CMI that [insert links to CMI research/stats
relevant to the event, eg for a women’s networking event you could link to
CMI’s gender salary survey results by saying ‘The event aims to help
female managers in the area connect, discuss workplace issues and find
mentors, following CMI’s findings that, on average, male managers
continue to be paid £10,000 more than female managers doing the same job.’]
[Insert spokesperson name], [insert job title] of [insert branch network/
company name], said: “We’re delighted to be able to host this event for [insert
audience] in [insert town/city/area]. [Insert details on why the event is
important and what the highlights will be]. We are looking forward to
welcoming as many [insert audience] as possible to the event, but places are
limited so get in touch now if you want to attend.”
The [insert name of event] is part of a programme of events run by the [insert
branch] CMI to help the area’s managers, and future managers, develop their skills
and expertise, network with their peers, and keep up-to-date with current
management thinking and practice. Improving the quality of managers and leaders
in [insert area/town/city] will positively impact the performance of local
businesses and other organisations, benefiting the whole area.
To attend and find out more [insert contact details, event registration/rsvp
details and any relevant website links].
- ends -
Further information:
[Insert your contact details including email and phone number. If there are
photographs available of the person quoted or you can offer interviews
with them, this is a good place to mention it].
[Insert boilerplate from section 4 c]

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b. Post-event press release News Release
Depending on the sort of event you [Insert headline, eg ‘Local
are holding, you may also want to businesswomen united in fight for
send out a press release describing equal pay’ or ‘Top Manchester
what happened at the event and entrepreneur shares success story
how successful it was. This template with local SMEs’]
can help here. [Insert Date]
[Insert audience for event, eg ‘women managers’, ‘businesspeople’,
‘aspiring entrepreneurs’, ‘SMEs’] from across [insert town/city/area name]
[insert details on what the event enabled them to do, eg ‘met with
business leaders to discuss ways of helping local young people to learn
management skills whilst still at school that will help them get an all-
important first foot on the career ladder’, ‘got some top tips on being a
successful manager from XXX, who runs a top XXX business’] at an event
on [insert when event took place] hosted by the Chartered Management
Institute’s [insert branch].
The [insert name of event] was held to [insert aims of event, linking to CMI
initiatives and research where possible] and involved [insert details on
notable groups and individual attendees and number of attendees if
relevant]. [Insert details on outcomes of the event and what will now
happen as a result. Anything important decided at the event or any
strong/topical calls for people to act would also be of interest, eg ‘Local
headteacher, XXX, called for all local businesses to think about how they
can help the area’s young people learn workplace skills by signing up to
CMI’s Campus CMI initiative’].
[Insert spokesperson name – this could be someone from the branch or
a high-profile speaker at the event or an attendee], [insert job title] of
[insert branch network/company name], said: “The [insert name of event]
was a fantastic opportunity for [insert details on what happened at the
event].”
branch] CMI to help the area’s managers, and future managers, develop their
skills and expertise, network with their peers and keep up-to-date with current
The next event [insert details on future events and how to get involved].
- ends -
[Insert your contact details including email and phone number. If there
are photographs available of the event and person quoted in the release,
this is a good place to mention it].

13
14

c. hartered Manager
C News Release
press release Top business accolade for [insert
Achievements and good area/town/city] business leader
news stories also attract [Insert Date]
the media’s attention. Here
is a template release you [Insert name], from [insert city/town, region] has just been named as the latest
can use as a guide for person to achieve coveted Chartered Manager status. [Name], who is [insert job title
announcing Chartered and employer], joins an elite group of just 1,600 [always check with central office to
Manager success. ensure you are using the most up to date figure] managers UK-wide who have been
able to demonstrate that their excellent management and leadership skills are among the
best in the country.
[Insert name] was awarded the top business accolade for [insert details of the
Chartered Manager’s workplace achievements and how it has benefited their
employer].
[Insert he/she] said of [insert his/her] achievement: “[Insert quote from the
Chartered Manager].”
The Chartered Manager title is awarded by the UK’s expert body on management and
leadership, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), to managers and leaders who are
able to demonstrate how they have made a significant impact and lasting difference to the
success of the organisation they work for.
To become a Chartered Manager, hopefuls undergo vigorous assessment in areas of
practice including ability to lead people, meeting customer needs and managing change.
The scheme – the gold standard for managers in the UK – also enables employers to
benchmark the quality of their management teams against nationally accredited standards.
Currently, Government figures show that only one in five managers is professionally
qualified to perform the role they are in, something which inhibits the ability of the UK as a
whole, and its businesses, to recover and be competitive on a global scale. CMI research
shows that 48 per cent of workers have left a job because of a bad manager and almost
half (49 per cent) of employees say they would be prepared to leave a job to work with a
better manager. CMI is, therefore, committed to driving up the quality of managers and
leaders to enable UK businesses to perform better. Recognising impact and developing the
skills that help managers perform better on a practical level, through programmes such as
Chartered Manager, is key to this.
[Insert name of regional CMI business development manager], [insert name],
[insert region] business development manager says: “Our Chartered Managers perform
at the standard of management and leadership excellence that all managers should aspire
towards. Gaining Chartered Manager status is a very impressive achievement, requiring
time, dedication and commitment to raising your game and improving your career
prospects. Particularly in the current economic climate, organisations need people who can
lead, be innovative and inspire if they are to be competitive and profitable. Getting involved
in Chartered Manager brings significant benefits to both the individual and their employer
and we’d like to see more managers put themselves up for the challenge. I wholehearted
congratulate [insert name of Charted Manager] on this fantastic achievement.”
For more information on the Chartered Manager scheme visit www.managers.org.uk/cmgr
or call 01536 207429.
- ends -
[Insert your contact details including email and phone number. If there are
photographs available of the Chartered Manager in question or you can offer
interviews with them or their employer, this is a good place to mention it].

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d. mployer success
E
press release
News Release
[Company] managers celebrate new
You may also want to celebrate skills with CMI qualifications
the successes of some of the
employers you work with on a [Insert Date]
local level – for example in gaining [Insert audience for event, eg ‘women managers’, ‘businesspeople’,
qualifications. A template is ‘aspiring entrepreneurs’, ‘SMEs’] from across [insert town/city/area name]
supplied to help with this. [insert details on what the event enabled them to do, eg ‘met with
business leaders to discuss ways of helping local young people to learn
management skills whilst still at school that will help them get an all-
important first foot on the career ladder’, ‘got some top tips on being a
successful manager from XXX, who runs a top XXX business’] at an event
on [insert when event took place] hosted by the Chartered Management
Institute’s [insert branch].
The [insert name of event] was held to [insert aims of event, linking to CMI
initiatives and research where possible] and involved [insert details on
notable groups and individual attendees and number of attendees if
relevant]. [Insert details on outcomes of the event and what will now
happen as a result. Anything important decided at the event or any
strong/topical calls for people to act would also be of interest, eg ‘Local
headteacher, XXX, called for all local businesses to think about how they
can help the area’s young people learn workplace skills by signing up to
CMI’s Campus CMI initiative’].
[Insert spokesperson name – this could be someone from the branch or
a high-profile speaker at the event or an attendee], [insert job title] of
[insert branch network/company name], said: “The [insert name of event]
was a fantastic opportunity for [insert details on what happened at the
event].”
branch] CMI to help the area’s managers, and future managers, develop their
skills and expertise, network with their peers and keep up-to-date with current
The next event [insert details on future events and how to get involved].
- ends -
[Insert your contact details including email and phone number. If there
are photographs available of the event and person quoted in the release,
this is a good place to mention it].

16

6. Examples of media successes

Below are some examples of great media coverage secured
in regional titles recently:

17

7. Media interview hints and tips

If you’re not used to dealing with the media, giving b. Where should I start?
interviews can seem a bit daunting at first. However, If you receive a call from the media asking for an interview,
the vast majority of journalists will be looking simply remember the following points:
for additional information, or to give you the chance • never use the phrase ‘no comment’ – hear them out and
to put positive messages across. Preparation for any work out how you can respond first
media interview is key to helping you make the most • don’t get accidentally drawn into the interview – even if
of it – and the following hints and tips should help you’re the spokesperson, you can ask to call back later
you make the best of your media relationships.
• check the facts the journalist has – if they’re wrong, you
might not want to respond
a. Who should give the interview? • find out what questions the journalist is looking for
If a journalist approaches you with an interview request, be answers to so you can ensure your response covers all
flexible in thinking who would be best to give it. An ideal the key points
spokesperson would be: • inform others in your team, and CMI central press office if
• comfortable with talking to the media – perhaps they have you’re concerned about any issues
been media trained, or do this as part of their job? • keep the reporter informed, and be helpful and positive!
• familiar with the CMI and its aims and objectives, both on Once you’ve had the initial conversation, and have decided
a national and local level to respond with an interview, you may well need to gather
• be based in the relevant area for the journalist some additional information. Ask as many of the following
questions as you can of the journalist, then share the
• available in the time scale the journalist needs! answers with your spokesperson:
• know about the subject matter the journalist wants to • who are they and what title or media outlet are they
discuss – e.g. the details of an event you’re promoting, or calling from? Don’t be afraid to ask for a bit more detail if
which CMI qualifications are on offer at your local college you’re not familiar with it
Ideally, you will have a small team of people who are happy • what’s the story that they’re wanting to discuss? Is there
to do media interviews, and pick the best person for each a particular angle or aspect that they’re interested in?
opportunity.
• do they have a particular person or type of person in
mind they would like to speak to?

18

• what exactly do they want – is it a quote (in which case, talking about professional development, or providing them
you might be able to do it over email) or would they like a with a competitive edge. For example:
wider ranging discussion? Do they need pictures?
• a recent campaign to help promote CMI’s new
• what questions do they have? (please note – journalists ManagementKnow tool called for managers in the UK to
might not be able to give you exact questions, but should ensure they are competent as well as confident by
be able to give you an idea of the sorts of questions they highlighting that poorly trained managers are leading to
have in mind) stressed employees: http://www.peoplemanagement.co.
uk/pm/articles/2011/06/incompetent-bosses-making-
• where did they hear about the issue they are interested in
staff-stressed.htm
(and CMI) from?
• the CMI tone of voice is passionate, challenging,
• are they talking to anyone else about this?
progressive and savvy. This means spokespeople should
• what’s their deadline? aim to be confident, bold and problem-solving in any
• when are they available to do the interview? interviews
They can do this by:
• if it’s a request for a broadcast interview, check – is it live
or recorded? Can it be done over the phone or will the • being direct – making the point as succinctly as possible
spokesperson need to go to the studio? but being careful not to come across as arrogant
Journalists are used to these types of questions, so should • avoiding jargon – don’t use language that is exclusive or
be helpful in giving you what you need to come back with a elitist
response. However, always be polite and accept that not all
• not being aloof – say ‘we/our’ in quotes and remember
of this information will always be available.
bad management is everyone’s problem
• speaking like a business, with business issues at its heart,
c. The CMI approach but avoiding jargon
When communicating on behalf of CMI, you are a
representative of the national organisation, as well as on a
local level. First and foremost, CMI media coverage needs to
communicate the impact the organisation has for business,
member and stakeholder audiences, so think about how to
mould your message for these audiences.
Coverage should position the CMI as the authoritative voice
for managers and leaders across the UK – whether that’s

19

d. Hints and tips how an individual has found CMI membership beneficial
to their career
When undertaking an interview, remember that time is
limited. You will only have a limited opportunity to get yours • be as open as you can, but stick to the areas you know
and CMI’s messages across, so make sure you prepare all – speculation can inadvertently get you into trouble!
the information you need in advance. Other hints and tips to
• always be polite, and be as natural as you can be – it will
get the most out of an interview include:
help build relationships with both the journalist, and the
• research the title and if possible the journalist before the public
interview – it’s good to see what types of things they
• if you have time, practice beforehand – get a friend or
might be interested in
colleague to take the journalist role and feed back
• if you try and communicate a lot of different things, honestly on your performance
people are unlikely to remember them. Choose the three
• remember – it’s always on the record! Never say anything
most important points you want to get across and stick to
in an interview you wouldn’t be happy to have reported
them – repeating them more than once is fine!
• make sure these points are easy to digest and
understand – the impact will be lost if you have to explain e. Broadcast interviews
them. Keep them short and to the point
If you are invited to do a broadcast interview, it is a good
• a good way of structuring how to get your points over idea to let Mike Petrook in central press office (see contact
in an interview situation is the PEP model: details at end of document) know so he can provide support.
On the whole, the rules for broadcast interviews are the
- point – make your point clearly
same as for print interviews – but there are a few extra tips
- example or evidence. Back up and justify your point which might also be of use!
- point. Make your point again – say the same thing but • arrive in good time – you don’t want to be flustered
in a slightly different way
• if it’s radio, you can take notes into the studio as long as
• don’t assume prior knowledge – either on behalf you don’t rustle them, which can be helpful if you’re
of the reader or the journalist. Always offer to explain discussing statistics or other complex issues
background and avoid jargon
• no-one likes silence – if there’s a pause, it could be an
• examples and analogies can be a really great way of opportunity to get one of your messages across
bringing a dry subject to life – for example, how a local
business has used CMI training to improve its results, or

20

• radio or TV studio staff should tell you where to sit, how g. When to involve head office
things work, and when to leave – if you get up of your
The aim of this toolkit is to enable you to do as much of your
own accord, they might still be filming!
own PR as possible, so there’s no need to inform CMI head
• in a TV interview, most of the impact of what you do will office of everything you do. However, you might want to get
be visual or vocal. Wear plain, sober clothes (not black in touch with CMI press office if the following types of
or stripes, as this can show up badly on camera) and situation arise:
remove any distractions like name tags. Make sure you
• you become aware of a story which could have potential
have a good posture, are making eye contact with the
for negative CMI coverage
presenter, and using gestures where appropriate (but not
all the time!) • you are approached by a national or trade journalist
• you are approached for a quote or information about
something that is a national or central CMI issue
f. Dealing with tricky areas
• you are concerned about the approach of a general
Although most journalists are very open and friendly,
journalist or would like advice on how to handle a
sometimes tricky issues may come up in interview that
particular issue
you’re not comfortable in discussing. The key to handling
these is not to panic! Be open if it’s an area you don’t know As a general rule, if in doubt, do call Mike Petrook (see
about or feel comfortable discussing – and alert the central contact details in section 9).
CMI press office if you think it’s something they need to
know about or follow up.
Another technique to use is to take the ‘ABC’ approach to
bring the interview back to your three key messages:
• acknowledge “That’s not really my area....”
• bridge “But what I can say is that.....
• communicate “CMI members throughout the region are
seeing real benefits to their career from the services we
offer”

21

8. Getting started with social media

a. Why social media? These should be your first port of call as we cannot
endorse or allow our branding to be used elsewhere.
Social media is one of the easiest ways of creating a
community for your existing members and communicating Monitoring
with audiences you want to engage about your work
Things move very fast in the online world and people are
and events. Social media channels such as Facebook
active on social media 24 hours a day. One of the golden
and Twitter are now used by millions of people in the UK
rules, therefore, is to monitor your social media channels
and are increasingly being utilised by businesses and other
regularly – we would recommend at least three checks a
organisations as a means of letting key audiences know
day. This means you can reply to posts in a timely fashion,
what they are up to and encouraging people to join them.
keep up to date with what’s being discussed and, crucially,
Social media policy if someone posts something negative, you can address their
concerns quickly.
It is helpful to set up a social media policy (you can use
CMI’s existing policy) so everyone who has access to the As with any online communication channel, the openness
social media platforms you are active on is adhering to the and immediacy of social media channels mean that, however
same ‘rules’ when engaging with social media. This is an rarely, from time to time people can express negative
internal document that sets out guidelines or principles of viewpoints or level criticism at other individuals or organisations.
communicating in the online world. It should cover all social Although the risk is minimal, you should agree a process for
media and content platforms – the places online where you escalating any issues that may arise and require addressing
and those helping you manage social media channels can before you set up a profile. This process should cover what
have a dialogue or contribute content. types of criticism require a response (not all will) and who
should respond. It may be tempting to just delete negative
A social media policy is an important way of getting your
comments but we would recommend against this, except in
team aligned on how and when to contribute to social
the case of offensive language or viewpoints, as it tends to
media forums (both for work and for personal purposes).
exacerbate the problem, rather than resolving it. By engaging
In essence, it protects people from themselves and helps
with a disgruntled individual and alleviating their concerns,
preserve reputations.
you can often turn a negative post into something positive.
CMI’s social media policy is available for you to view at
It is helpful to set up Google alerts (see how here:
http://www.managers.org.uk/forum/cmi-community-
http://www.google.com/support/alerts/bin/static.
champions/social-media-policy
py?hl=en&page=guide.cs&guide=28413&rd=1)
Of course if you are unsure how to handle something get in so you get an email when you or your organisation is
touch with Mike Petrook or Adi Gaskell (details at the end of mentioned online.
this document). You should also be aware that CMI has
officially branded Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter sites.

22

b. Twitter – www.twitter.com Ideas for ways to use your branch Twitter include:
Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows you to • share news on what your branch is up to
establish a profile and post, or ‘tweet’, short messages of
• point people in the direction of useful resources
140 characters or fewer to people who have signed up to
and events
see your tweets (your followers). Setting up a Twitter profile
for your branch to help communicate with members and • raise the profile of your organisation
attract new ones is something you may want to consider.
• create a dialogue with audiences – for example by
CMI Wales has started a Twitter feed which is having great
posting news articles relating to management issues
success. Visit @cmicymru at www.twitter.com/cmicymru
and asking people for their views
for ideas.
• link up with other local organisations and partners you
You can also follow CMI (@cmi_managers) on Twitter
work with so you can keep up to date with what they are
www.twitter.com/cmi_managers, as well as the CMI press
doing
office (@cmi_press) www.twitter.com/cmi_press and the
policy team (@cmi_policy) www.twitter.com/cmi_policy. • engage in conversations with CMI colleagues and other
branches
Once you have set up a profile (there is a good ‘how to’ guide
here: http://business.twitter.com/basics/what-is-twitter). You • build a relationship with key contacts you haven’t met
can start following people on Twitter whose views you find face-to-face with in an informal way
interesting or who share similar interests to you. You then • get a feel for what local media contacts and publications
receive a steady stream of the updates the people who you are interested in writing about – by following them you
are following tweet. Once you are established on Twitter and can not only hear what they are working on but also be
start tweeting yourself, people will begin to follow you so they the first to pitch them stories or invite them to events
can keep up to date with what you are tweeting. By tweeting
regular, relevant, engaging content, you will be able to grow • blow your own trumpet by tweeting about successes,
a network of faithful followers. Updates should be a mixture eg new members, or tweeting links to media coverage
of proactive CMI Branch news, authoritative views on topical you have secured
management issues and bit.ly links to helpful, external tools • bring events to people who can’t attend in person,
and information on improving management and leadership eg through live tweets and photographs. However,
skills. All updates should relate to current happenings. do be aware that it is usual event etiquette to only tweet
comments from the main speakers, and check they are
comfortable with this first!

23

c. Facebook and LinkedIn – www.facebook.com and we encourage branches to utilise the existing CMI Facebook
www.linkedin.com and LinkedIn networks, rather than creating branch-specific
ones. If you have any questions, please contact Adrian
In the UK alone there are over 32 million users on Facebook,
Gaskell (contact details at end of document).
each of whom spends an average of six hours on the site
every month sharing information, giving peer-to-peer
recommendations and generally looking for things to enrich
d. Regional and local CMI member forums
their lives. Recent data from Hitwise UK shows that one in
every seven page views on the internet in the UK comes Branches can set up their own communities on the CMI
from Facebook. website (www.managers.org.uk/practical-support/
management-community/cmi-in-your-area) where they can
LinkedIn is a great way of targeting professionals. Similar
interact with other managers using the dedicated discussion
to Facebook, but used almost exclusively for professional
forums, and find out about local events and news. Please
purposes, users go there for very specific reasons – namely
contact Adrian Gaskell (see contact details at the end of the
building business connections, keeping up with what’s going
document) for more information.
on in their profession, professional development and hunting
out opportunities for business growth. Branches already have a dedicated local community on the
CMI website at http://www.managers.org.uk/regions where
CMI has a well-established presence on both LinkedIn and
they can engage with members at a local level. To make best
Facebook (www.facebook.com/bettermanagers and http://
use of this facility, consider some of the following points:
www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=22310&trk=anet_
ug_grppro), both of which you can help grow by getting • who are you looking to attract?
involved yourself and encouraging your local members and
• what benefits will they get from engaging with
contacts to join up.
the branch online?
The Facebook page is a useful forum for branch members
• who will staff the facility?
to ask and answer questions, for example on a management
issue they might be having, it’s also a great source of • how can you promote this online networking area
management news. The LinkedIn group enables your Branch to members?
members to interact with a ready-made group of like-minded A social media plan document is available to guide you at
individuals, sharing expertise and inviting other members to http://www.slideshare.net/cmi_managers/cmi-branch-
your events. community-plan. If you would like to discuss your plans and
Keeping LinkedIn and Facebook pages and groups updated get help from CMI in implementing them, please contact
and engaging – something which is vital to their success – is Adrian Gaskell.
a challenging and very time-consuming task. For this reason,

24

9. Working with your local MP

PR activities with a strong local focus are not only attractive If you’re considering inviting your local MP to an event,
to local media, but can also provide a good platform for CMI’s policy team can help by offering advice about how
getting your local MP involved. Doing so can help to build best to contact the MP, or by using existing links with them
CMI’s profile with politicians and policy-makers nationally, as if we’ve previously worked with them. We can also provide
well as boosting your branch’s visibility locally – and in turn, background information on the MP’s political interests and
helps to make your work more interesting to the media. activity in Parliament. In addition, keeping the CMI team
informed will also help us to coordinate our public affairs
A typical platform for inviting the local MP might be a debate
engagement programme and maximise the benefits of our
on the future of business in the region, discussing the
relationships with different MPs.
challenges faced by managers locally and helping to showcase
CMI’s role in supporting members. An alternative might be So if you are planning to invite an MP to a branch event,
celebrations for branch members who have achieved their or would like to seek advice, please contact the CMI policy
CMI qualifications, where the MP might be asked to present and public affairs team on 020 7421 2704 or via
a particular award. policy.development@managers.org.uk.
Bear in mind that all MPs have huge strains on their diaries
and have to be selective about the commitments they agree
to, so there are no guarantees that they will accept an
invitation. It’s therefore best for you to be selective too: keep
your powder dry for the event in your annual programme
which is most relevant to them and their interests.

25

10.Contact details

If you have received an urgent request from a Queries about social media and setting up
journalist that you would like CMI’s press team to communities on the CMI website should be
deal with, or have an issue you would like advice directed to:
on, please contact: Adrian Gaskell, CMI Web Content and
Communities Manager
Mike Petrook CMgr, Email adrian.gaskell@managers.org.uk
Head of Communications, CMI Telephone 020 7421 2734
Email mike.petrook@managers.org.uk
Telephone 020 7421 2714 or 07931 302 877

If you have any questions about the contents of
this toolkit or creating regional and local media
stories, please contact Mike Petrook in the first
instance, or:
Lucy Dormandy or Katie Peden at Kindred
Email lucy.dormandy@kindredagency.com or
katie.peden@kindredagency.com
Telephone 020 7010 0800
Lucy and Katie are also able to help with sourcing
contact details for local and regional media
contacts.

26

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