Media Coverage is Key

Much of the information found in Chapter 7 is reminiscent of that found in Chapter 5. Forming relationships with those individuals who make up the media is a crucial step in promoting any organization to the public. By having familiarity with local reporters, one has a multitude of promotional opportunities at their fingertips. For the Homecoming project, my group had a very short window of time in which to accomplish our tasks, including getting our press release sent out to the media in time for it to be featured in various publications. Because of my internship from the previous summer, I already  had a pretty solid media list and was acquainted with many of the reporters on it. Therefore, in a time when I needed a press release sent out quickly, those contacts were willing to help out. I'm not saying that if I had not known them on a professional basis that they would not have assisted me, but I definitely believe that those relationships helped push our case. The Seneca Journal's LaDonna Beeker is currently workingn on a piece that focuses on Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so I also plan to follow up with her and send her pictures and any other info from the success of our project to include in her report. I feel confident that these individuals would also help our class out with the remaining group projects of the semester.

Here is a page featured on the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities news reel. Though not necessarily press-related, the story was still able to reach a large number of students and faculty at Clemson University by being listed on the website.

Another aspect from this chapter that struck home with me was the maintenance of press lists. This was also one of the many tasks I had as an intern over the summer, and I quickly learned how important it is to have an up-to-date list of media contacts. We primarily used an Excel sheet organized alphabetically and pertaining to what type of media (newspapers/newsletters, radio stations, social media, blogs, and so on). Specifically, the reading focuses on blogs, which is unique in that by following one blog,  there are tons of opportunities for reaching out to other individuals (blogrolls that may introduce other bloggers relevant to the organization at hand). We also utilized an online marketing tool called Vertical Response. This software not only allowed us to send eBlasts to mass groups promoting upcoming events or Chamber activities, but it also maintained a very well-organized member list of who was receiving our news.

Finally, I recently read an article on PR Daily titled, "Alternatives to sending a press release." I thought it was very interesting in that the author explores more creative ways to get news to reporters who may not necessarily want-or have time to-read through a million press releases a day. One of these included a pitch email that utilized bullet points to make the information simple, to the point, and easy for the receiver to copy/paste/release to the public. Here is the article.