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Poynter Institute’s Sara Quinn Headlines Media Breakfast

At FPRA CWC’s annual media breakfast, Sara Quinn of St. Petersburg’s incredible Poynter Institute provided the insights public relations professionals need to design messages for today’s changing media world.

All of the tools for communicating our messages are changing so quickly, and we just have to accept that reality. Things are changing every minute. We have to be curious and figure out what’s coming. Something new will be coming this afternoon, not next week.

Every story that comes up has to be defined before it receives the go ahead. Sometimes there is a very short period of time to tell someone what your story is.

How do you find the heart of your story? That’s what you need to engage an editor’s interest. What are the best ways to tell your story? What is your 20 second elevator pitch?  If you had 20 seconds in the elevator with Bill and Melinda Gates, what would you say? It’s often the amount of time you have with anyone.

Audio can be a very powerful tool to give people a sense of your environment. Video, writing, timelines, animation, interactivity, polling, games, databases, commenting, ranking, etc. are all important vehicles to tell your stories. 

Linear storytelling—like going to the movies, where you’re led through the story—is a type of story. Nonlinear storytelling may allow people to enter through an RSS feed and see a piece of your story somewhere in the middle.

What can you convey with sound and motion? 

How can you tell a highly complicated story?  Sometimes the press releases stack up and no one looks at them.  This is a really important way to get a story out, but there are other possibilities.  Texting, e-mail, social media, etc. are all ways to connect. 

Find a way to focus the story, allow people to follow an emotion and put a human face on it. Find extremes among a stack of data. 

How do you create the perfect pitch?  It’s different for television, magazine, newspaper, social media, etc.  Here are three tips for pitching:

1.    Keep it simple. Think in terms of a single sentence. Make it that simple.  Try to boil it down to three words. The pitch to Steven Spielberg for Chicken Run: “It’s the Great Escape…for chickens.”

2.    Show, don’t tell. How can you use one word, or one image to convey an emotion to get attention.

3.    Pitch stories, not topics. The price of gas is a topic. But gas prices in the US compared to the rest of the world could be a story. Veteran’s Day is a topic. But the caretaking relationships between veterans might be a story.  If there’s an event like a parade, the story is why there is a parade. Think of the people involved.

Many editors and reporters delete 100 e-mails a day or more. And often the deciding factor is the subject line—the most important part of your release. 

Sample pitch cards for newspaper, television, radio and social media were distributed. Audience relevance is important, and that is based on the type of media among other things.

For newspaper stories, immediacy, in-depth, and timeliness are key. Interesting visuals are important. With magazines, there is a more selective audience. There is a 6 week to 3 month advance deadline. In-depth analysis, trends and features are important.  Uniqueness is important as well.  Radio should be very personal. With social media, the story must be quickly told and attention-provoking. You will have more control of how the story is told when it is self-published in this way.

When The Seas Are Getting High...

The closing keynote of the 2007 FPRA/CWC Media Relations Event was delivered by Jennifer De La Cruz, Director of Public Relations for Carnival Cruise Lines.  Handling all PR activities for the Carnival, she is the primary company spokesperson behind the world's largest cruise operator.  Jennifer presented "Strategic Media Relations Tactics In Rough Seas."

Handling crises in a smooth manner is incredibly important.  Weekly, Carnival deals with "min-crises," and once in a long while, deals with "major crises."

Senior executives should all be media trained.  How do we train employees who don't ever want to act as a spokesperson & give them media awareness?  Carnival has hundreds of frontline employees, and sometimes the media end up with call center or port employees.  The company invests in training those people on how "not to do interviews."  Role playing is important...getting out of a conversation politely.  "Do not stick your hand in front of a camera!"    This training is incorporated into routine training and doesn't have to be costly.

Carnival has over 20,000 employees total.  Journalists may purposely book a cruise without telling the PR Department.  It's very important to communicate policies to everyone on board who could be approached.  It's also important to communicate potential stories to people (with talking points) when a situation has arisen.

Establishing trust within the organization is extremely important.  If an incident occurrs on a ship, it needs to be thoroughly reported internally. It's then Jennifer's job to figure out what to do with it.

PR employees within the organization need to be positioned by upper management as respected figures.

Hold up our end of the deal as PR professionals!  Be available 24-7!  Being on-call evenings and weekends comes with the job.  "You'll never ever get voice mail" if you call Carnival's PR department during regular business hours.  Calls after hours are promptly returned.

Carnival operates all over.  So if something happens in another location (i.e., California), the company uses their senior sales people who have taken media training to deliver holding statements and issue talking points until someone can get on-site. 

When dealing with a difficult issue, Carnival uses positive messaging.  But sometimes, the final stories aren't presented fairly.  Carnival will use alternate ways to contact the public: industry trade associations; customer lists; etc.  Employees must develop a thick skin and NOT personalize!   

Quote to Remember: "Public relations is 90% what you do and 10% telling people about it.

When someone gets injured during the trip (off the ship) from a dangerous activity, Carnival now has someone to stay with them, help them at the hospital, etc.  This can have a huge impact on whether or not people share a bad story with the media...even when it's not the fault of the cruise line. 

Carnival never tries to tell people not to talk to the media.  No value comes from that scenario.  Carnival also doesn't try to prevent the media from coming down to do a story...they will do the story regardless.

How has technology impacted Carnival's PR work?  Internet cafes and telephones are now widely available on ships, and anyone can be an on-the-spot reporter.  News gets off the ship very quickly.  Internal communications in company must be much faster!  As a result, the PR Department gets many heads-up stories from the ship that never make it to the media so the company can be internally prepared and stay ahead of the game.

Internet & e-mail can work to Carnival's advantage by quickly transmitting positive events going on at the port or on the ship.  Getting pictures quickly and verifying information are two of the advantages.  Technology also allows Carnival to be consistent with its messaging...to media, travel agents, etc.  This is critical to keep the credibility of the organization high. 

Documentation from consumer reporter calls, etc. are very important.  This includes recording, in writing, who complained about what and when, and who from the company interacted with them.

Social networking and Carnival?  Yes!  Cruise Critic is a message board that Carnival must monitor constantly.  Certain employees are responsible for monitoring this and other online message boards and what is being said.  But this isn't currently a large company focus.  Rediculous comments tend to correct themselves.  For rumors or false safety comments, PR department may contact the site administrator and ask them to remove it.

An e-mail management system is used to appropriately direct inquiries.  Many reporters find the PR Department through the web site. 

"If you don't have an interesting concept for a blog, don't even bother."  There must be a compelling reason for people to come and read it. Carnival has 2 blogs:

1. Written by senior VP of sales for travel agents.  The appeal?  They can get directly to her!

2. Written by senior cruise director.  He discusses his job from day to day...full of people encounters and stories.  Full of "jerk" anecdotes.  All also includes heartwarming stories of people who are cruising to celebrate, commemorate life events, etc.  These stories are shared with permission.  This blog has a huge fan base.  It's read by PR Dept. but rarely edited.  That's part of why the blog is so successful.  Company announcements are planted in the blog.  Sometimes exclusives to add value for the blog readers.

FunShip Island is a new interactive website, separate from Carnival.com, where folks can see more of what happens on a cruise ship.  Who is ready for fun?   Thanks for being with us, Jennifer!

Networked Journalism

Ellyn Angelotti, Interactivity Editor, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies
Networked Journalism: Working Interactively with Journalists and Users

News organizations allow and encourage users to contribute photos, videos and written articles.

The Lansing Current, a weekly publication in Kansas, is a good example of a newspaper utilizing user generated content. They have a link on their website for readers to post stories for editors to consider.

Databases and applications are helping to create a more interactive user experience.
RSS feeds allow users to stay current with the most recently updated content from websites.
Social networking sites like Facebook have opened up a new way to connect with users.
The New York Times is sharing content with the community through a Facebook application in the form of a news quiz.

Tips for journalists to improve interactive stories:
Post audio and video to website. This is valuable because you overcome time and distance.
Provide structured data digitally. Make it easy for journalists to create lasting resources like databases.
Make it easy for others to receive your content with RSS feeds.
Explore social networking and virtual communities. Understand the context of the website in its own environment.

For links to examples of strong multimedia storytelling and networked journalism, visit Poynter's del.icio.us page at http://del.isio.us/poynter/fpra

Database as a Reporting Tool - Visit www.Gapminder.org

Cousins of the Blog
Twitter was used by the media and private citizens to update evacuation details about the San Diego fires.

Social Networking Sites
Find ways to connect to the community with these sites.
Flickr
digg
del.icio.us
Facebook
MySpace

Q: How does network journalism affect media credibility?
Today, just about anyone can submit a news idea. The good news, in terms of preserving credibility, is that editors still serve as filters to assure this process.

Q: Are there sites on the Internet that we can use to educate ourselves?

buzzmachines.com
mediashift.com
http://del.icio.us/poynter/fpra

Quick fact:
Facebook accounts were initially only open to college students with .edu accounts. Then it was opened to high school students, then non-profits. When it opened to everyone, the number of users increased by the millions.

So You Want to Be On NPR?

John Sepulvado, WUSF 89.7; Interim News Director

Sepulvado's talk was about how a PR professional can get their story on the airwaves. He said he was challenged trying to figure out how to stretch this into a half hour presentation. This is the answer:

Start the pitch or press release with:

"X" is happening and it is important because of "Y".

Sepulvado feels that social media has us focusing on how we deliver information instead of the content. That we are focusing on superficial delivery methods. NPR offers content rich coverage.

Demographics for NPR: The listeners tend to be older. Education is a big topic of interest. They are interested in the behind the story. If the story is about Crist, listeners want the influences of the action, not just the numbers and a sound bite.

Sepulvado always has an idea of what news they will cover but revises according to what's going on.

Demographics of the NPR listener in our area:

They tend to be college educated, news listeners are younger, music listeners a little older, many fall between 40-60 years of age.

Other listeners are the press, leaders are in the community.

Q: Who should send stories:

"Anyone with a good story. As a reporter, I can't have a bias about non-profits... politics...  or I'll lose the trust of my listeners."

Q: When a story needs an in-depth interview to be well told, who do we pitch to:

"Gig Brown, Program Director." (link to Gig Brown is on their website.)

Sepulvado says it's better to pitch to someone else and have them bring him the story.

Q: How did you find Pavarotti's friend for the story you did when Pavarotti died?

"Our music director, Russell Gant, suggested it."

Q: Who do we call to pitch stories?

Bobrien@wusf.org and snewborn@wusf.org.

If you want to pitch to John directly, you can call his cell phone: 813 317 5471. He says he takes anyone's calls (unless you have wasted his time twice).

Q: What about Sarasota coverage?

"Our Sarasota coverage is poor, I'm working on it. Our St Pete coverage isn't that great either....But we'll go wherever we need to for an important story."

You can find the contacts for the newsroom under Contact Us when you visit the WUSF website at: WUSF.org

Inside the Media: A Panel Discussion

Inside the Media: A Panel Discussion

Panel members
Ray Collins, Fox 13, Sarasota Bureau Chief
Michael Connelly, Herald-Tribune, Executive Director
Pam Daniel, Gulfshore Media Division of Curtco Media, Editorial Director
Lisl Liang, SRQ Media Group, President
Jackie McConnell, Tampa Bay Business Journal, Manager Editor
Jennifer Rich, The Herald, Business Editor
Robin Roy, Sarasota Observer & South Sarasota Observer, Managing Editor

Moderator, Cliff Roles, 96.5 FM WSLR, Talk of the Sun Coast Anchor
Panel Introduction and first question presented by Cliff Roles

How can communication professionals be better news sources for the media?

Jackie McConnell
Communication professionals should become familiar with our news content and understand editorial content. It is also helpful to visualize where your company is in terms of content and keep up with the publication.

Ray Collins
Contact me if you think there is something newsworthy.

Pam Daniel
In this business, we all need each other because you have interesting and engrossing items.
It is very important to make your case for the story. Justify the idea in terms of interest to the public
and understand who comprises our audience. Our mission is entertain and inform upscale readers about life in Sarasota.

Michael Connelly
The best advice I can give you is to remember your journalism days or your early career and think about how to get the media's attention.

Lisl Liang
This is an ongoing question. Technology has made it easier to contact the media.
It is important to develop your client personality. Think about how you can make yourself a resource and find experts in a field because this is very valuable to the media.

Robin Roy
The Observer wants to be in tune with the community. We rely on press releases, so the best way to sell us on a story is to make a great headline. Make it unique because this will generate interest.

Jennifer Rich
Try to get local columnists familiar with complicated topics for the benefit of the readers. Work this angle.

Audience question
Do media kits have value to the media? Are they useful to reporters?

Michael Connelly
Reporters are interested in background information. Include as much as you can on media kits because we keep the kits on file.

Ray Collins
Media kits are good because it provides another perspective.

Audience question
What is the preferred method of initial contact with the media?

E-mail is the preferred method of contact by the panelists.
Many agreed that a specific subject line is very helpful because it gives the reporter the nature of the press release. In some cases, it is a good practice to follow up with the reporter by telephone.

Audience question
Where do we start in terms of building relationships with the media?

Robin Roy
Contact top level personnel in our Sarasota Observer & South Sarasota Observer with your news ideas.

Jennifer Rich
She emphasized to send all information to her.

Pam Daniel
Send information to me and I will distribute to reporters.
The more we hear from you, the better we can develop a relationship.

Audience question
How can non-profit organizations get events and news printed?

Michael Connelly
Our Web submission utility is very helpful. Click on our site and fill out your event information. News assistants will decide which section of the newspaper will carry it. We make it a point to preserve space for the arts.

Jackie McConnell
Non-profits should be creative about event or news.

Jennifer Rich
Non-profit organizations have many human interest stories. Send these stories to the media.

Lisl Liang
Non-profit is big business in Sarasota. Support for these organization is another angle to pitch.
Connect the news organization to the community.

Audience question
Do you have meetings to get to know public relations professionals?

Ray Collins
It is difficult to make time for meetings in person. E-mail is the best way to start.

Jackie McConnell
Once a month, I can meet in the St. Petersburg area to brainstorm with public relations professionals.

Audience question
Can we send various press releases in one day?

Lisl Liang
Send all items because they impact us in different ways.

Audience question
Do you read local bloggers?

Robin Roy
I have not yet, but I will look for local blogs in the future.

Pam Daniel
Reads blogs for news ideas.

Lisl Liang and Jennifer Rich
We use blogs as a resource.

Robin Roy
Reads national blogs.

Do you Wiki? The Power Behind It All...

After enjoying networking opportunities over brunch, the Media Relations Event crowd prepared to learn just how Wikipedia has grown to be one of the largest online resources available today.  Yen Reed of Willis Smith introduced Sandy Ordonez, Communications Manager, Wikimedia Foundation.   Sandy coordinates press with thousands of volunteers worldwide and manages the communications message for the world's largest online encyclopedia.

Sandy gets lots of calls from PR professionals about how to use the Wikipedia site.  The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit behind the Wikipedia site.  It operates other projects based on volunteer involvement.  Only 12 people are employed by the Foundation!  Wikipedia is currently available in 250 language versions.  Monthly, there are over 50 million unique visitors and 1 billion page views.  And it's one of the world's top 10 most visited sites.

Lots of policies are involved to maintain it! 

1. Free Content: content can be modified rapidly, repeatedly and can be built upon.

2. All articles must have a neutral point of view.

3. No original research- it's not the place for opinions!  Must be verified by reliable sources.

4. Conflict of interest.  If you have a relationship with the subject, you should avoid writing about it because you have a biased point of view.

PR Professionals & Wikipedia- the Do's and the Don'ts... Don't edit entries if you have a conflict of interest.  If you do edit, keep an objective tone.  Stay away from a biased point of view and from controversy.  Go ahead and reverse vandalism.

The communications process at Wikipedia is very collaborative.  There are 40 volunteers that edit press releases posted from Wikipedia internally.  While there's a great group of people with many skills, managing the many minds can be difficult!  Within one month of starting, Wikipedia was flooded with press contacts around the world, simply because of the number of volunteers.

Sandy then opened it up to questions:

Q: What was the dream that created this?  A: Jimmy (founder) initially started Newpedia to create an online encyclopedia.  What transformed it was the Wiki technology, allowing people to edit web page with their browser.  In the beginning, it was an intellectual debate.

Q: My professors wouldn't allow students to use Wikipedia as a source because of credibility issues. How should we use this for research?  A:  It makes sense not to use it for college research, because Wikipedia isn't a primary source, and the articles are "living," being constantly changed and edited. A study by HP Foundation found that the best articles on Wikipedia were those that were changed the most often, reviewed the most often. Wikipedia should not be your final source for anything.  Look at the bottom of the article for primary sources.  Use Wikipedia to get a picture of a topic.

Q: Are you interested in submissions?  A:  You can edit whatever you want on Wikipedia and it appears instantaneously.  Just follow the guidelines.

Q: What's your policy about people reprinting entries from Wikipedia?  A: All the information is copyleft.  We are part of the free culture movement and believe everyone is entitled to free information, no matter where you are or who you are.  (For reprinting in magazine, Sandy will check.)

Every revision made to a Wikipedia article is stored online.  You can determine the IP address of any entry made.  The tool will allow you to research by organization.  People should act online like they do in real life!  This is a very transparent tool...   

Q: How does Jimmy make his money?  A: He's a super humble guy.  He lives very simply.  He has a for-profit organization as well.

Q: What's a Wiki?  A: Essentially, it's a technology that allows you to make changes to a web page from a web browser. 

Q: How formalized was this worldwide effort to get information online?  A: It all happened organically.  No one had any idea how big this would be!  People love it... CEO of SOS Children's Village said that one of the great things about it is that people with very radical views can go on Wikipedia and soften their views.  It's a networking site to connect with people who have similar passions and interests.   It's great for people who have smaller language demographics....Mayan Wikipedia exisits!

Q: What responsibility does Wikipedia have toward setting the stage for this movement?  A: We're very big supporters of free culture movement; we want more projects like this to come out- empowering people to share knowledge!  That's our mission.  We are the pioneers of the Wiki technology software.  It's open source technology so many of the new sites can use our software.  We make it easier for the new projects to bloom.

Q: How do you use this software?  A: Go to the site we have set up for this software...you can download it.

Many thanks to Sandy for opening the doors behind the Wikipedia mysteries...what a great tool!