Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids
Guidelines for Successful Public Relations
Creating a successful public relations program for your Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids program can be summed up in three words: Preparation, Preparation, Preparation.
In the pages that follow, we’ll talk first about Key Messages. We’ll talk about “pitching,” the process of contacting reporters and getting them to cover your Club or story. Finally, we’ll talk about Types of Media to Pitch and How to Pitch Media.
Key Messages
It’s important that what you’re saying to the media is consistent. You should be saying the same thing every time you talk to a reporter. Also, every one of your staff should be saying the same thing when they speak with the media. We call that being “on message.”
For the Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids program, we’ve developed these “Key Messages” for your use. These represent a short, concise way to describe the program in just a few seconds.
These messages should not be distributed verbatim to media, but rather should be incorporated into conversations or written materials you provide to reporters.
Primary Messages
· September 15 is Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids, created to foster stronger relationships between adults and children by educating them on the importance and value of spending “meaningful time” together.
· On Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids, Sept. 15, thousands of kids and their parents will gather around the country for a full day of activities, celebrating the positive results of meaningful time.
· On Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids, millions of parents and kids will participate in more than 2,000 events at Boys & Girls Clubs and other locations nationwide. Parents can find events in their area -- and download tips for spending meaningful time with their kids – online at www.dayforkids.org.
Secondary Messages
· Research conducted for Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids shows children want to spend more meaningful time with the adults in their lives. The research shows such “meaningful time” can have specific, positive outcomes:
- Joining your child in a small amount of physical exercise each week can reduce their risk of obesity and diabetes.
- Eating meals together several times a week can reduce child’s risk of smoking, drinking or doing drugs.
- Spending just a few hours a week helping kids with their schoolwork can significantly improve their grades.
· All families in the United States experience the pressures of contemporary life, regardless of their economic status, ethnic or cultural background or location. These pressures directly affect the amount of meaningful time they are able to devote to their children.
· Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids provides the opportunity for every adult to take a break, celebrate and renew their commitment to the nation’s children.
· Boys & Girls Clubs of America leads the national campaign with support from several non-profit partners, including America’s Promise, Association of Children’s Museums, Association for Library Services to Children, Communities in Schools, Easter Seals, Save the Children, Youth Services to America, Kids Sports Network, National Wildlife Federation and Home Safety Council.
Types of Media to Pitch
There are several different types of media with which you’ll be working:
· Includes daily and weekly newspapers and magazines.
· Most cities have one major daily newspaper, a weekly Business Journal (e.g., the Atlanta Business Chronicle) and a number of smaller weekly newspapers.
· If you need additional assistance in finding your local papers, try http://www.50states.com/news/. Click on your state.
· If you’re not familiar with all your local magazines, visit your local library or bookstore and spend some time browsing. Bring a notepad so you can note topics and contact persons for each magazine.
Television
· Local stations will typically include local affiliates from ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX.
· You may also have locally-produced news on “independent” stations or local cable access programs.
Radio
· Most cities have two or three “news/talk” stations on the AM dial that will be your primary targets for delivering news.
· Identify the largest FM stations as well.
· Many radio stations will have locally-produced community programs, often on Sunday mornings.
· Look also for radio stations that focus on African-American or Latino audiences.
Wire Services
· Each state will have a local bureau of the Associated Press, an organization that provides stories to newspapers in its own state and nationally. Go to http://www.ap.org to find local contacts in your state.
How to Pitch
A successful interview doesn't just happen. It is the result of careful research, preparation and practice. Successful interviews result in stories that help BGCA meet its objectives. Unsuccessful interviews don’t meet those objectives and can damage BGCA’s reputation and operations.
Understanding the Media
Understand that the reporter is doing a job, just as you are. However, your objectives and the reporter’s are not likely to be identical. The reporter is working to create a story that will be interesting to viewers or readers.
You will be far more effective if you keep in mind the reporter’s definition of news: Conflict and Change. To a reporter, news is something that affects people, for better or for worse. That can be anything from a major war to a new dog leash law in a neighborhood.
Timing Your Pitch
· Know the dynamics of news. If you’ve got an event coming up in a few weeks, give your local media time to plan for it. Don’t call them the day of the event and expect them to attend.
· Make sure your pitch is short and concise. Tell the reporter what the event is about, why it’s important to their readers or viewers, when it is and where it is. Use the Media Advisory format provided.
· Newspapers – Newspapers will have short and long deadlines. Make sure you let the paper know at least a week in advance about your event.
o Identify the reporter who covers your topic or “beat.” That might be an education writer, an urban issues writer or a community affairs writer.
o Titles will vary widely in different cities, so read the papers often to keep up with who’s writing what.
· Magazines – Magazines will plan their articles several months in advance. Begin speaking with them three to four months before your event for monthly magazines and at least a month in advance for weekly magazines.
· Television – Television stations have daily meetings each morning where they plan their day. Call a week before your event to get it on their calendar, but make sure you call the day before so they can discuss it in their planning meeting. Most stations don’t make their final decision on covering an event until the morning of the event.
o Talk to the Assignment Manager rather than the News Director.
o If the station has a reporter who covers an Education or Community beat, talk to them.
o See if the station has a morning news program with opportunities for live guests. Call the “Guest Coordinator” or “Executive Producer” for that specific news program.
· Radio – The best time to get on your local radio stations will be during their “drive time” segments, in the morning between 6 – 9 a.m. and in the afternoon between 4 – 7 p.m. Call a few days before your event and talk to the News Director or a specific reporter. Call again the morning of the event.
o Stations often do interviews via phone rather than attending events in person, so make sure you call from a landline rather than a cellphone when interviewing.
o Offer interviews with Club kids if possible.
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
Never go into an interview and try to "wing it." These simple steps can mean the difference between success and failure:
Do Your Homework
Know the reporter doing the interview. Learn about the publication or station he/she represents. Does the reporter generally write positive or negative stories?
Ask Questions
When a reporter calls, it is quite appropriate to ask “What is the subject to be covered?” if you’re unsure. Ask the reporter if they’re talking to other sources for the story.
Anticipate
In most cases, you will know the topic of the interview. Plan for the tough questions as well as the easy ones.
Unexpected Media Calls
If you receive an unexpected media call, and are not prepared to answer questions, you are quite within your rights to ask the reporter if you can call back at a later time. Use the time to prepare for the interview, then return the call. Remember to be cognizant of the reporter’s deadlines and try to return the call in a timely fashion.
Make Your Points -- Deliver Your Key Messages
You can achieve your objectives in the interview by making the points you want to make --regardless of the questions asked. Remember your Key Messages and try to work them into your conversation with the reporter.
Use the Printed Word
If there is something printed that backs up the points you want to make, share it with the reporter. It may be a brochure, an article from a magazine, or a Club publication. When research, survey results, financial details or extensive detail are involved, tell the reporter you will send those details in writing following the interview.
There’s No Such Thing As “Off the Record”
In the movies we often see reporters getting secret information and then not using it. The real world often doesn't work that way. If you tell a reporter a newsworthy secret, what you say can and probably will be used. Once the reporter has the information, it's easy to get it confirmed somewhere else.
Know When to Say “I Don’t Know”
There is nothing wrong with saying, "I don't know the answer to that question." If it's a question to which you can get the answer, promise to get back to the reporter. Then be sure to do so. If it is a technical or detailed question about the whole company, refer the reporter to someone who will be able to help.
Don’t Be Led By the Reporter, Control the Interview
If a reporter continues to pursue a subject you've answered to the best of your ability, steer the conversation to another subject. Draw another reporter into the interview if it's a press conference. Don't let one reporter control the session.
"No comment" may be a popular phrase on TV, but it's the worst possible response to a reporter's questions. Nothing will irritate a reporter more than those two words.
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