Publicising your Results to a Wider Audience
!Effective Classical Media Engagement !
!John Holland!
Prague 15. April 2015
!ABC(S) OF GOOD WRITING:
(IT’S THE MESSAGE BEFORE THE MESSENGER)
Accuracy
Brevity!
Clarity
Simplicity
Next: The Message House
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FEW PAN EUROPEAN OUTLETS: TARGETING ONE REGIONAL AUDIENCE AT A TIME
EMPHASISING EUROPE’S DIVERSITY: IT’S IMPROVING…A BIT
…THIS DOESN’T MUCH HELP THE CAUSE…
CLEAR, STRONG MESSAGES
Few, clear and simple
Strong and distinctive
Relevant Consistent
and repeated
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FOCUS ON RESULTS, NOT PROCESS
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JARGON BUSTING
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STORY ANALYSIS
• Be original. What’s your unique angle? !
• Pose a critical question you expect many readers to pose !
• Explain relevance. Why does this matter? !
• Get your experts into the text quickly to help explain things…clearly and succinctly
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HERE’S WHY: Journalists get bored very quickly
Tell them a good honest short story, then back it up!!!!!
• !
!!
• Talk about their story, but in your context!• Tell what it means and why it matters to their audience!•Get to the point. Use straightforward and evocative messages*!
!!
• *Most journalists spend no more than 6 hours total on an average story, even in specialised fields. !• Source: Apco Brussels survey, 2008. (Recent experience suggests the total time spent researching and writing up a story has dropped even further)
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DO YOU KNOW WHAT JOURNALISTS NEED?
Source: Media relations and Europe – from the journalist’s perspective, APCO, 2008
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RESPECT DEADLINES
Source: Media relations and Europe – from the journalist’s perspective, APCO, 2008 13
And Finally… WHETHER FOR INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL CONSUMPTION:
!!!
❖Get to the point. Tell your audience:!!
❖*WHAT IT MEANS!!
❖*WHY IT MATTERS TO THEM!!
❖*WHAT THEY NEED TO DO NEXT!!
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