Area Education - Membership & Public Relations

In February’s issue of Borderlines, we talked about "creating a buzz" about Harmony, Inc. and your chorus in 2009. This article continues with info to help get better news coverage & improve publicity.

Working with the Media
If getting anything more than a calendar announcement published is a problem for your chapter, here are some suggestions.

Editors, today, are inundated with information overload:  email, web news, streaming news, faxes, telephone calls, hardcopy mail, etc.  If they have to spend more than a couple seconds on your chapter's information – for whatever reason – chances are they'll dump it into the recycle bin or hit the delete key. 

Questions to Ask Yourself
Is your story newsworthy?  Is it timely?  Is your message clear and concise?
Is your press release written "top-down" (inverted pyramid style) with the most important information in the lead paragraph, with the details following?
Is the writing style objective – without adjectives and editorializing?
Is your copy grammatically correct – no typos, spelling or punctuation errors?

Make sure it's absolutely clear to the media why your news is important to their audience. If it's not, they won't print it.  Highlight this in a brief note (editors aren't mind readers).  If you want a human-interest story, sometimes a phone call gets better results. Have a "hook/grabber" ready. Explain, within one minute or less, why your story would make a great local feature – and be prepared with facts, background info, and supporting material.

Include a good, dynamic photo or action shot, if you have one. Give the press what they need.

Offer newspaper reporters or radio announcers free tickets to your upcoming show or on-air interviews with singers & great personalities.

If you still get nowhere, invite your newspaper to send a reporter and/or photographer to your next free vocal lessons or singers’ workshop.

Helpful Hints
Things that make news: names, awards, uniqueness, impact!
Clarify…then amplify
Make your package easy to handle, easy to understand
Proper news format and style are important
Get it to the right editor/contact and when they need it
Photos can sell your story
Personal touch: cover letter, sticky note, phone call, or email comment
Be sure to thank reporters and photographers for any publicity, photos or broadcasts. A little thanks can work wonders for the future!

And, sometimes, after all that – it’s really not what you know, but who you know.  So, get acquainted and start making house calls!

Let’s keep the buzz going through 2009!

Last Reviewed:  June 29, 2009