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1. Make a list of key media contacts,
establish relationships with them early,
and nurture the relationships throughout
the life of your program. Many people can
help you identify media contacts. Begin
within your own organization. Ask whether
staff or volunteers have media contacts or
know media figures such as owners of
newspapers or broadcast stations.
Outside your organization, talk with
partners; people you know at media
outlets, public relations/advertising firms,
and on the public relations staff of
business firms; members of professional
associations (such as chapters of the
Public Relations Society of America); and
people in public relations or marketing
programs at local universities. Other
sources include reference books in your
local library that list local and national
media contact information. Update your
media lists regularly; using an incorrect
name or title can mean the media won’t
cover your message.
2. Develop a plan for periodic media
coverage of your program and make your
program newsworthy. Your plan should
include your program’s objectives, the
messages you want to communicate to
the media (including why your program or
message deserves coverage), any
promotional activities you plan to sponsor,
and a schedule for media contact (when it
will occur and who will initiate it).
3. Identify and train media spokespeople.
It is a good idea to select no more than
three spokespeople. Be sure that all of
them are providing the same information
about your program by giving them
written briefing points. The media usually
prefer spokespersons with authority in
your organization. The person who
regularly handles media relations may
not have that status. Some spokespersons
will be savvy about working with the
media and need only a briefing on your
program. Others may need training on
how to give interviews, respond to media
queries during crisis or “bad news”
situations, or how to be effective on TV
or radio.
4. Track media coverage. This includes
coverage of issues generated by your
media relations efforts as well as
coverage that occurs independently.
Monitoring all types of coverage can
provide important process evaluation
data. It will enable you to identify and take
steps to correct misstatements and
errors, determine the impact of your
media activities and whether changes are
needed, identify other media
representatives interested in your issue,
and find out whether your organization is
being overlooked. Media coverage can be
measured in terms of quantity (how much
space did a story get and how often are
stories published); prominence (does it
appear on the front page or not); slant
(is coverage positive or negative);
accuracy of content; and type of story (is
the story an editorial or hard news).
5. Capitalize on breaking news. When
something happens that is related to your
program, call news outlets and offer them
an expert opinion. If a negative event
occurs, take the opportunity to explain
how the changes advocated by your
organization could help prevent similar
problems in the future. For example, when
the story about traces of poisonous
substances in Chilean grapes received
widespread coverage, tobacco control
activists used the event to point out that
larger amounts of those same substances
are found in a single cigarette.
96 Implementing the Program