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HOW TO ENGAGE

WITH THE MEDIA

Note: If you want to alter this presentation make a copy first. Do not make any edits to this version, it is the original.

Instructions:

All text in bold are the parts for the presenter to speak. All text not in bold are the parts to help you better understand how to run the workshop. Do not speak these parts or show them to participants.
Make sure you have read through the speaker notes and related training guides before you present the workshop. If you haven’t presented this workshop before it is worthwhile rehearsing it.
Have a plan for what you want the participants to get from the session and what the follow up actions are for them. Know your audience and how you might need to adapt the session for their particular needs.
Work out what you are going to say beforehand. Use the speaker notes as a foundation, but feel free to put them into your own words and change some of the activities if needed.

If running the workshop via webinar:

If you haven’t run a webinar before make sure you’ve had some training in how to use the webinar app.
Try to have two people involved in running the workshop. One person to focus on presenting, one person to provide support to the facilitator and participants when needed e.g. answering questions in chat.
Log in to webinar at least 10 minutes early so you can set everything up. Make sure your audio, microphone and webcam are switched on and working.
You may need to provide some tech support for participants as well. Make sure you know some basic troubleshooting solutions for tech issues they may have. You’re not expected to be an expert though.
Share your screen and have this first slide full screen. Mute all participants during your presentation parts. If it’s a large group encourage them to type questions in chat. If it’s a smaller group unmute them at points where you want them to ask questions.
Don’t forget to record the session if you’re planning on sharing it later.

If running the workshop face to face:

Arrive at the venue 30 minutes early so you can set everything up. Make sure you’ve got technology working e.g. projector, resources printed and anything else you need for the workshop.
Greet people as they arrive, ask them to write their names on a name tag if needed.
During your introduction mention where bathroom and other internal facilities are, where they can get food & drinks (if available) and what to do in the case of emergency.
If you are running a longer training session e.g. for several hours, take the time for everyone to introduce themselves. Use an ice breaker if you wish to do so.
Make the workshop more interactive and participatory than you would if running it online.

Learning objectives and follow up actions for this workshop:

Understand the media process at Amnesty
Understand how to be strategic with developing relationships and identifying media opportunities
Learn how to write and pitch media releases

Speaker notes:

Welcome everyone to the workshop.
Acknowledgement of traditional owners.
Introduce yourself and your support people if there are any.
Make sure everyone is ready to proceed with the workshop e.g. their tech is working, they know how / when to ask questions, know where the bathroom is etc.

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Why is it important to engage the media?

When is a good time to contact the media?

How to build a relationship with media contacts

How to write a media release

AGENDA

Speaker notes:

In this workshop we are going to explore how you can engage with the media in an effective way.
We’ll be looking at why it’s important to do this work and when should you consider doing it.
We’ll also discuss how you can build solid relationships with the media and learn about a key skill to do so, writing a media release.
For more information make sure to check out our guide on How to engage with the media. You can find it in the Skill Up section of our website. It contains all of the information we’ll be covering tonight plus more. There are also some activities you can do in order to learn skills better.
Before we begin is there anyone here that has engaged with the media before? Depending on the number of attendees you could invite them to briefly explain what that engagement was. Alternatively they could type this in the chat window if there’s a lot of them or you are trying to stick to a strict schedule.

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ENGAGE THE MEDIA?

Speaker notes:

If you’re attending this workshop you probably recognise in some way why it is important to engage with the media. But we wanted to cover some key reasons just in case you need some convincing.
The media is an important influencer on people’s views, beliefs and opinions. Almost everyone is influenced in some form whether it be through television, radio, print or online.
We all have our favourite sources of information which we choose for personal reasons. It could be based on level of trust or research, how they frame issues we care about or even particular personalities we agree with.
All of these sources build audiences particular to their brand and what their audience values or wants to know.
Getting our message about human rights to as many people as possible is vital to our work. If we stick to our own audience that we’ve developed we’re only preaching to the converted. By engaging with these media sources we can reach new people that are not a part of our movement or even aware of what we do.
Our media team is in regular contact with national and metro sources to share stories and information. We provide interviews with experts, reports, images and video. But why do you think it’s also important for activists and leaders in our movement to engage with the media? Either allow participants to respond or ask them to write their answers in the chat. Acknowledge these responses.
The truth is that we don’t have the capacity to build relationships with all journalists. Also certain news sources are always on the lookout for local content that we can’t always provide. This is where people such as yourselves can play a vital role. You can build relationships with local media where you can provide them with their desired content and get the message out at the same time. So let’s look at how you can do that.

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WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO CONTACT THE MEDIA?

Speaker notes:

Timing is very important when contacting the media about a story. But, it also depends on what you want to contact them about.
If a particular human rights issue is picking up a lot attention then it’s likely the media will be quick to report on it. In which case you need to act immediately.
If you’re getting in touch around an event or activity you are coordinating then you have more time to prepare.
Before you get in touch with your media contacts it’s important to consider a few things. For example, what are their deadlines? If you miss that then you’ve missed the boat on getting your story or comments out in time.
Have you thought about what makes your story newsworthy? What’s the angle that will make the journalist interested in reporting on it?
Do you have interesting visuals like photos or video that you can provide?
You need to think about how to make the journalist’s life easier as well as making sure you have something interesting to provide them.
Ask participants what they think would make an interesting story about their community activism? Provide a couple of good examples if you are able to.
Another way you can improve your odds of getting into the media is by having a strong relationship with your contacts, which brings us to the next section.

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HOW TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH MEDIA CONTACTS

Speaker notes:

We’ve spoken about how you have a lot to offer local media and how in return they can provide a platform to reach new audiences. Now we’re going to look at how you can build those relationships to get the most out of the media.
Something we have to mention first though is that if you are reaching out to national or metro sources then it’s likely we already have a relationship with them. In larger cities in particular you should double check to see whether staff or other activists have a relationship with them already. That way we can make sure we’re on the same page and don’t risk confusing those journalists.
But if you focus on smaller local media then there’s a very good chance they don’t have any contacts at Amnesty. So you’ll have a lot more freedom to build long term relationships with them.
The first thing you need to do is try to identify who at those local sources would be most likely to report on human rights & local activism. Have a look through recent articles, posts, reports and look for references to these. Particularly items framed in a positive way. You can start putting together a list of outlets and individuals to reach out to.
Then you can get in touch, explain who you are and what you’re working on. Invite them to meet or converse over email / phone. Find out what they’re looking for, what’s more likely to get their attention and the logistics of getting it to them.
To begin with you might contact them every time you’d like to comment on an issue or to promote your activities. But as the relationships grows you might find them starting to get in contact with you to get your thoughts on something.
Does anyone here have any experience in building relationships with a media contact? What did you do to achieve that? Allow people to respond either by speaking or in the chat. Offer your own personal experiences if you have them as well.
The best way to give them the information they need to get started is by sending a media release, so let’s take a look at how to write one.

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HOW TO WRITE A MEDIA RELEASE

Speaker notes:

We use media releases to announce our response to something happening around human rights issues and for promotion of the work that we do. It’s usually always the first step to getting our stories out there.
But journalists receive a large amount of these every day, so we only have a short amount of time to get their attention. So we have some tips you can use to write an effective release.
Be sure you are aware of deadlines - you don’t want to write up a perfect media release and miss the moment. If you send out a release long after the issue has lost attention then you’re not likely to get any pick up, so get in early.
Put the most interesting, attention-grabbing information in the first paragraph. Also have an eye catching headline.
K.I.S.S. – Keep it short and simple. To make sure that they read your story and everyone understands it. Stick to one or two sentences per paragraph and about 25 words per sentence. Be sure to emphasise the local angle and/or why your item is newsworthy. Quotes from an Amnesty figure can be very useful if they fit in.
Identify the right journalist to send the media release to. But always CC in the general contact email address in case.
Follow-up by phone to check if they have received the media release.
A journalistic method which is worth understanding is the inverted pyramid. This means the most important info is at the top of the story, and the least important info is at the bottom. Think about what the most and least important details of your issue or event are. Then write them down as a basis for your media release. In the first paragraph you should be able to cover the most important information.
Does anyone have questions about what to do and what not to do about writing media releases?
We recommend practicing writing one and if you want any feedback you can send it to us.

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