Results of sample media release

I just thought I'd share the results of the sample media release I posted recently. This story, for a World Youth Day 'One year to go' event at Holy Cross College Ryde was published in the Northern District Times this morning.

As you can tell from the photo, the Times sent a photogapher out for the event's lunch session as advised in the sample media release. It's always a good thing to include the best times for photo opportunities, especially as this event ran all day.

- click on the image for a larger version -

Creating an event

This morning I attended the launch of St John's Primary School's new website. Nothing too exciting you may think, but what is remarkable is that they turned an otherwise simple and perhaps even 'boring' occasion into an event. They even got the local paper to send a photographer along and, unless there is a major news story that may bump their piece, the website launch story should get a run next week.

Normally, launching a website isn't going to produce much fan fare, and you have to be careful when promoting such a thing as 'news', so how did they do it?

1. They made it an event.
It sounds simple, but instead of announcing that the school has a new website through the newsletter, they set a time and date to host a grand unveiling of the site. And they didn't just unveil the website after short introduction either, they started with a Welcome to Country, a prayer (which was developed by the students using IT resources) and played the well-known 'Did You Know' video to frame the importance of the web and online literacy. They also made the computer lab available afterwards for interested parents to jump on straight away and discover the site.

2. They invited some VIPs.
They invited the local MP, the school's Regional Director, the website creator and the school's IT advisor. The local MP pulled out the night before, however these VIPs added some'weight' to the event and helped attract the attention of the local paper.

3. They invited parents.
Regardless of getting some good publicity, approximately 25 parents were present at the launch which occurred immediately after morning assembly. Getting parents along helped create community and will hopefully get parents spreading the news through word of mouth (the best PR there is).

4. They gave the media a week's notice.
A media release went out to the local paper last week (not last night, or heaven forbide, tomorrow after the event).

By the way, if you haven't seen the website yet, hop to it - it is seriously fantastic!

sample media release

Last post I mentioned I'd put up a sample media release, so below is a media release I sent out today to Holy Cross College's local papers. I hope it gives readers a basic understanding of basic layout, structure, timing etc.

MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday 4 August

Holy Cross College gearing up for Madrid 2011

800 students from Catholic secondary schools across Sydney will be celebrating all things Spanish at Holy Cross College on Thursday 19 August as they prepare for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid (WYD2011).

With España recently winning the football World Cup, students are keen to be a part of the ‘Nos Vamos a Madrid’ Spanish themed day that will kick-off the Sydney Archdiocese’s WYD2011 program.

Flamenco dancers, Spanish language lessons, and a Spanish style lunch will ensure that all students are well aware of the next location for the world’s largest youth gathering. World Youth Day attracts young people from around the globe uniting in worship with Pope Benedict XVI. The previous World Youth Day was held in Sydney in 2008.

Ryan Acosta, Holy Cross College’s Youth Ministry Coordinator says, "I am really looking forward to our celebration. It will be good to see the many months of planning come together to signify the start of the spiritual journey to Madrid 2011. The Spanish theme will make the journey to Madrid seem like more of a reality."

“I'm excited about the World Youth Day one year out celebration at our school because I get to meet students from other Catholic schools,” says Gianluca D’amico.

Jason Akkawi says, “it's great to have so many visitors at our school sharing in an amazing Catholic celebration.”

“I'm looking forward to uniting with other students to celebrate our faith,” says Christian Somers.

-Ends-

Photo Attached:
WYD2011 students 001: Gianluca D'amico, Jake Antouny, Christian Somers, Jason Akkawi prepare for Holy Cross College’s WYD2011 one year out celebration.

Media Invitation: media are invited to the WYD one year-out event.
Thursday 19 August, 10am – 2pm, Holy Cross College, 517 Victoria Road Ryde, Ph 9808 1033.

Photo Opportunities:
10am Catechesis led by Gary Pinto
11am Mass with Cardinal Pell
12pm Spanish lunch and Flamenco dancers
1pm A celebration of Spanish Culture: Flamenco dancers, Spanish language lessons

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Some tips on sending a media release

My previous post gave some tips on writing a media release for teachers. This post will look at the equally important aspect of sending it out.

Contacting print media.
A phone call is best, but don’t call when a paper is on deadline (see below). Ask for the editor or editorial department. Briefly let them know what is happening and when, let them know you will send a release through with more information.

Timing
The media release goes out BEFORE the event: Yesterday’s news won’t go far. Who cares what happened last week or last fortnight? Editors and journalists love to know what WILL be happening.

When to hit send: Most media releases coming from schools will focus on local news items and therefore the intended recipient is the editor of the local paper. Local papers are usually published early each week. If an editorial team are on deadline to publish Tuesday, sending a media release out on Monday afternoon won’t get much of a look in – better to save it for sending on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Local papers don’t have a daily turnaround. So if your event is on the Friday. Don’t send the release Thursday afternoon and expect them to rush out a photographer. Their schedule is already booked. Send your release a 3-4 working days before the event.

next time: a media release sample

Some tips on writing a media release

Writing a media release is an important function of anyone involved in a communication or marketing role at their school. It is however much, much different to writing an entry for the school's weekly newsletter or writing a wrap-up of a special event for the year book. Writing it is just the first part - there are also a few rules to sending out the release as well.

Remember, the media release is used to grab the attention of the journo and provide them with some background info and some quotes. They do not want 3 pages of essay like material. If a journo wants more info they will ask for or it. So keep your release to 1 A4 page, text should be 1.5 spaced minimum ensuring plenty of white space for clarity.


Writing a media release:
1. Catchy, but not cheesy headline: Keep the headline short and simple using less than ten words.

2. Put a date on the release: '29 July' will suffice. More on this next in my next post 'Sending a media release'.

3. Identify the angle: A good story should have the following elements: facts, timeliness, newsworthiness. Make sure your story is newsworthy. A story from the back page of the school newsletter may not be the most important story to the local editor.

4. Write in 3rd Person: Keep the release objective. Don't express personal opinions or ideas unless they are in quotes (see point 5). Don't use words like 'I' or 'We'.

5. Provide quotes: This can make an average media release a great one. Get a quote from the Principal, but make sure you get a quote from the teacher who is directly involved in the event and also get some quotes from students. Quotes from students are great for adding perspective and you usually get some great 'off the cuff' material that local papers love.

6. Media/Photo Opportunity or Images Attached: If your event is coming up, make sure you state that the media are invited to come along and grab some photos. If your news item wasn't so much an event or the event has passed (see more on my next post 'Sending a media release'), include one or two high resolution images of the subject with a short caption.

7. Include your name, contact number, school address, in the footer of the release.

Happy writing!

The Education Communication landscape

When I tell friends that my work involves helping publicise and promote Catholic schools in the Inner Western Region of the Catholic Education Office, Sydney, most give me a familiar look as though I've got the cruisiest job in the world. Sure, helping these schools achieve positive media exposure and procurring positive messages about them is fun and engaging (and thus why people may think it is cruisy) however communicating with a range of publics, both internal and external for a variety of primary and secondary schools is no walk in the park.

Similarly, within the PR scene, many Comms practitioners scoff at the work required to promote and publicise schools. Of course, you would think, 'how hard is it to pitch a feel good news story about students achieving excellent results or school events that bring the wider community together?' Ensuring that these messages are heard and acted upon is only the start.

The education landscape in Sydney is a very competitive one. There are public schools, private independent schools of various faith traditions and Catholic systemic schools competing for the attention of current and potential parents, and the community through individual campaigns, local media, and increasingly online. Ensuring that each school's key messages gets heard ensures that the communication and marketing functions of individual schools and systems are tested daily.

So what is this blog all about? It will be a place for me to reflect on my role and share PR/Communication/Marketing/Media tips that may be just mean the difference between a school with a healthy public profile and one that is in serious need of a jump-start. The blog will also be a place where best-practice from the PR/Communciations sector is shared and applied to the education sector.