Guidelines for Public Relations
PR is hard work that needs to be done consistently and regularly. It’s about having material ready (brochures, business cards, press releases, articles, knowledge), about making regular contact with key people and building relationships. It’s about thinking strategically and for the long term while being ready in the short term when issues arise in the media. PR work may not pay off immediately, but it can be very valuable at a future date.
MEDIA
- Develop a database of contacts in local and national newspapers, radio, television, etc. Read the papers, listen to the radio, watch current affairs, health, feature and other types of programmes on TV. Pick out the ones that might be open to doing a feature on breathwork. Then phone the broadcaster, newspaper, magazine, etc. and get the name of the journalist or researcher who is in charge of that particular programme or section of the newspaper. Eg. who is the health correspondent for your national and local newspapers.
2. Remember that an information piece on breathwork is unlikely to be of interest to the media. But if you make breathwork relevant to an issue or problem, they will be more inclined to listen to you, particularly if the issue is current, eg. breathwork to improve interview performance as a feature in the business section of a newspaper or current affairs programme.
3. Send them information regularly, even if they never use it. Contact them regularly even if they say no to your suggestions.
4. When something happens in your community and you can see a breathwork link, contact them again with your story.
5. Be contactable and return phone calls.
6. Pick three points that you want to make and put them in order of priority. If you are interviewed, make sure you get at least the first two out within the first minutes of the interview. Keep coming back to those three points no matter what the question is. Practice interviews with a friend, interview them to see what it’s like from the journalist’s point of view.
7. Use a press release to get attention but it works best if you have an event to publicise that is related to a current issue. In a press release, have the same strategy about prioritising the points you want to get across as you would in an interview.
NETWORKING
1. Identify key contacts in your country in:
§ Psychotherapy and counselling organisations
§ Other complementary therapy organisations
§ Local health care services
§ Business organisations and networks
§ Voluntary groups, eg. parenting support groups, home birth associations, women’s organisations, men’s groups,
2. Phone them and introduce yourself. Go to events, get on mailing lists, contribute articles and letters to newsletters, offer solutions to their difficulties, refer people to them. Give as well as receive.
3. Identify people in state health services who are sympathetic to complementary therapies. Contact them and ask to meet with them.
4. Prepare what you want to say by thinking about what they might want from the meeting as well as what you want. Can you offer them support? Use the meeting to discuss mutual support. Have some ideas about projects.
5. If necessary give your time free for a short period.
6. Contact local doctors, ask to meet with them, offer them support with their patients who are suffering from stress, etc.
7. Identify the health spokesperson for each political party in your country. Write to them asking for a meeting. Don’t take no or no response for an answer.
8. In meeting with politicians, health care professions, etc. know your subject. Read about breathwork and make sure you can answer questions credibly, even if it is to say that there is no research available on a particular issue at the moment. Don’t make claims that are unrealistic or worse, unsafe.
9. Attend conferences, AGM’s of other organisations, health fairs, etc.
10. Attend courses where you can talk about breathwork and leave your brochure/business card.