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Fulton County School System

786 Cleveland Avenue SW

Atlanta, GA 30315

404-763-6830

404-763-5736 FAX

communications@fultonschools.org

9/2012

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The Role of the School Publicity Liaison .................................................... 3

Steps to Getting Publicity ................................................................................. 4

All You Need is 5Ws and 1H ........................................................................... 5

What Makes the News? ...................................................................................... 6

What’s the Best Medium for Telling Your Story?

Television .............................................................................................. 7

Newspapers .......................................................................................... 8

Radio ...................................................................................................... 9

Electronic Communications .............................................................. 9

A Few Personal Tips ......................................................................................... 10

Publicize Yourself ............................................................................................... 11

Appendices ............................................................................................................ 12

Writing a News Release ................................................................. 13

Photography Tips ............................................................................. 14

General Publicity Consent Form .................................................. 15

Specific Event Media Release ......................................................... 16

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Publicity Liaisons

are . . .

Enthusiastic

Energetic

Tenacious

Inquisitive

Persuasive

Knowledgeable

about school

events

Your Role As

School Publicity Liaison

Congratulations and thank you for accepting the assignment as your

school’s Publicity Liaison. By designating you with this role, your

principal has indicated that you know a lot about your school and enjoy

sharing its good news with others. You realize that there are great

stories just waiting to be told about your school’s people and programs.

What exactly is a Publicity Liaison?

The Publicity Liaison is the principal’s designee for working with news

reporters – from television, newspaper and radio – to spread the good

news about students, teachers, and school activities. A Publicity Liaison

is an employee or parent volunteer who is knowledgeable and excited

about the activities occurring in his or her school. Please note, you

are not the crisis communicator. That responsibility rests with the

school administrative team and the system’s communications

professionals.

Publicity Liaisons are collaborative planners who work with school

leaders, department chairpersons as well as volunteer and business

partnership coordinators to tell the good news about their schools.

What’s your assignment?

You are your school’s head cheerleader and have the opportunity to

increase community support for your school. In addition to the many

wonderful things you already do for students and faculty, you now have

the opportunity to draw the media spotlight to your school.

Is this a difficult assignment?

Not at all. It does, however, take a little organization, preplanning, and

follow-through. Your work in your local school indicates that these are

skills you already possess and probably rely on daily. All you need is the

correct information and training to begin the process of school

promotion.

Why are Publicity Liaisons needed?

You have specific, unique knowledge of your school that makes you an

expert on the things happening within it. Basically, you’re a deputized

member of the Communications Department. Due to its small staff, the

Communications Department isn’t able to cover all of the great things

occurring in schools. With a district as large as ours – nearly 100

schools and growing, in addition to being 80 miles long! – we can’t make

every event, even though we might want to.

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Ask yourself

these questions

□ Who is my audience?

□ What would my

audience like to know?

□ What would I like my

audience to know

about this event?

□ Does my program

offer opportunities for

good photographs?

□ Would people outside

my immediate

community be

interested in this?

□ If I was not a part of

this program, would I

be interested in it?

□ Has this ever been

done before?

□ How can I make my

regular program seem

new and different?

Steps to Getting Publicity First, you must know why you want publicity for a particular event

and what makes the event appealing to others.

Then, you must understand how reporters determine news.

Become acquainted with reporters who cover school news.

Be familiar with deadline requirements.

Take advantage of the three opportunities for publicity –

before the event, the day of the event and after the event.

Just because you like it doesn’t mean others will

School plays, science projects, spelling bees, and honor scholars are all great

items for publicity. However, every school has them. Your challenge

is to report on those activities in a manner that sparks interest in your

school. Your information should be appealing to reporters and consumers

of the news.

What is news?

Dictionaries define news as a report of recent events – a report of any event

or activity that has a significant impact on the masses. What draws reporters

to a story can be found in the root of the word – new.

While we anticipate reporters looking for the controversial side of things,

the fact remains that they also look for stories that are fresh, new, and of

interest to viewers and readers. Remember: media is a business that

measures its success by ratings, readership, and profits. Your normal,

everyday person creates those ratings by watching or listening, so it’s that

person reporters are most concerned about pleasing.

The best form of contact Once you have answered these questions, you are ready to pursue

reporters. But remember, they lead very hectic lives. You are not the

only person – or school in the metro area – vying for their attention.

1. Today’s reporters are fast-paced and technology savvy. Email is

the best way to contact most of the reporters who work with

our school system.

2. It never hurts to follow up with a phone call – but after you’ve

sent an email with complete information first.

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All You Need is 5Ws and 1H

ALL REPORTERS, regardless of the medium, MUST know six things in

order to determine what stories they will cover: Who is doing What,

When, Where and Why this is significant. And in our cases, How

this particular program or event impacts learning also will be asked.

Keeping what they need to know in mind, it is important that you:

Know the audience you want to reach.

Know the philosophy of the medium from which you are trying to

get coverage.

Make your stories interesting.

Keep it simple.

Who’s your audience?

First and foremost – PARENTS! After all, their children are the reason

we’re in business. Next, we must consider various community members

that may impact our schools. So, our audience can be an eclectic group,

ranging from non-parents to legislators.

Sample audiences

Parents

Senior citizens (grandparents and non-grandparents)

Elected officials

Students

Business partners

Retirees

Non-educators

Private school parents

Central Office personnel

Newcomers

Employees

Taxpayers

Volunteers

You have a wide array of people with interest in what’s happening at

your school. Get them excited about your activities by adding life and

vibrancy to your information. Once they are excited about your school,

they will be more willing to support you activities.

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What Makes the News?

Community newspapers

Your community newspapers, most often published weekly, are

looking for positive news stories about schools. Although space

limitations sometimes make it difficult to cover events as they happen,

weekly papers will run almost everything you send in “after the fact.”

To get good “after-the-fact” coverage, you must:

Write your material in an undated manner.

Provide good photos and captions identifying the people from left

to right. Be sure to provide the complete names of all who

appear in the photo (not just ‘Miss Smith’)

Patch.com

Patch.com is a network of community-focused news web sites owned

by AOL.com. Like a newspaper, they have reporters and editors and

concentrate on providing stories that are relevant to the communities

they serve.

The Atlanta Journal & Constitution (AJC)

Events that tie-in with major holidays or milestones, historical or

current events, and items that lend themselves to good photos are

most likely to win coverage in the AJC.

Activities that put a new or different twist on learning or that address

current education issues/trends also are likely to make it into the AJC.

Television

WXIA (Channel 11) is the only Metro Atlanta TV station with a

reporter solely dedicated to education news. This reporter, Donna

Lowry, covers the hard news angles, but she also loves good feature

opportunities. In general, most stations are interested in “feel-good”

stories about children and learning as outlined above, but assignment

editors must feel there’s something unique about your particular story.

Editors are looking for stories they’ve never done before, or stories

they’ve done before but that never get old.

Make sure your stories provide:

Good visual opportunities

A unique twist

Activities related to major non-religious holidays or current trends

Focus on the students – what

they are learning, who is

teaching them, and how

Special events with a little

WOW!

Business partnership activities

School plays and concerts

Annual schoolwide events

PTA officers, meetings, and

activities

New programs

Charitable drives led by

students

International guests

New school opening

Volunteer activities that

impact learning

Community service projects

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What’s the Best Medium

for Telling Your Story?

Television

With all the hard work and effort we put into our projects, everybody

wants television coverage. Why not? It’s the most visual and makes the

largest impact. But the question remains, is it the most effective medium

for telling your story?

In planning publicity for your school events, always ask yourself, who is

my audience? If your desired audience is parents, then ask; are my

parents at home for the noon, 5:00, 6:00 or 11 p.m. news? Also ask

yourself, will my event provide good action shots or cute kid shots

for video?

Things to keep in mind about television:

It is a fast-paced, breaking news medium. Even the best-laid

plans and intentions can be disrupted by the events of the day. A

news crew may have agreed to come to your school to cover the

annual concert. But if a shoot-out or apartment fire occurs, chances

are your concert will not be covered. Nothing personal, but

violence or tragedy catches viewers’ attention.

Stations are interested in school stories, but their fast-paced

environment demands more lead time and follow-up.

While newscasts advertise 30 minutes of news, we actually get about

14 minutes of news because of commercials. The average length

of a television story is roughly 42 seconds. Reporters, therefore,

look for sound bites of about 15 seconds.

Be respectful of news times. Don’t call a television reporter at

11:30 a.m., just 30 minutes before the noon news, to find out if he is

coming to cover your event.

Build a relationship with assignment editors. They sell the

stories to news producers who dispatch reporters. Assignment

editors are looking for good stories to sell.

Television is usually a one shot deal. If an event or item is

reported incorrectly, the severity of the error will determine if a

correction is run. The problem, however, is that you won’t have the

same audience and there are very few mistakes considered severe

enough to warrant on-air corrections.

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Newspapers

Contrary to popular belief, there is more than one newspaper in Atlanta.

In fact, local city newspapers are quite an effective method of reaching

parents and local community members. All papers have reporters

dedicated to covering local school news. Savvy Publicity Liaisons

will keep a constant stream of information going to local

papers, reaching large numbers of readers who care about what’s

happening in their schools.

To improve your chances of getting coverage, ask yourself these

questions while planning your event:

Has this ever been done before?

If so, what new angle can I put on it?

Does my program offer opportunities for good photographs?

Unlike television, newspapers have a little more time and space to

dedicate to a story. Space limitations can, however, be a problem.

ALWAYS get your main points – the 5Ws and 1H – across first. The

rest is icing on the cake. Newspapers can provide more details about

the activities at your school and do in-depth coverage about activities.

Weekly newspapers (called “weeklies”) take submissions, so

you can write about an upcoming or past event, send in a photo (with

caption and identification) and the paper will run it. They might not run

it when you like, but they will run it.

All papers have education reporters; get to know them and build a

friendly, professional relationship.

Be respectful of deadlines and publication dates. Most weekly

papers are published for distribution on Wednesdays or Thursdays.

Papers require two weeks’ notice about events. Because news is fast-

paced and evolving, many reporters like to be notified by email. You

can send your information two weeks ahead of time, but make sure to

follow up with a call at least two days prior to the event.

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Radio

An often under-utilized medium, radio is a good source for

announcing upcoming events. Public Service

Announcements (PSAs) have the potential of reaching a great

deal of listeners during the drive to and from work. Should you go

this route, you must plan ahead, as stations require a 30-day

notice for PSAs. It is a very quick medium, so information should

be very concise and to the point – no more than 30 seconds, 15

seconds if at all possible.

Electronic Communication

Web Sites. Your school’s web page is a great place for parents,

students, and community members to find out more about your

school. If you routinely update the page and tell everyone about the

information found on your page, they will search your site before

calling the school. This means your information must be up-to-date

and maintained weekly.

The school system’s web site, www.fultonschools.org, also

posts some school news. However, because this is a system web

site, the information posted generally relates to the system as a

whole. Individual student or staff news is not posted unless it is

part of a story that involves several schools, i.e. National Merit

scholars, all FCSS Teachers of the Year, etc.

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A Few Personal Tips

Remember. . .

Reporters are people too. They have special interests and opinions

just like you. Your charge is to sell the story to them based on your

needs and their interests.

Plan ahead. Reporters can rarely drop what they are doing to meet

your requests. Two weeks prior notice about an event or activity is a

must. Inform the Communications Department as early as possible in

the planning process.

Become a good consumer of the news. Familiarize yourself with

what types of stories your local papers and television stations run. You

may identify other reporters or news outlets with which you can work.

Get to know reporters and editors. A friendly rapport can only

help you gain more coverage.

Keep copies of articles and video segments. This will not only

boost your confidence in your capabilities, but will also help you

determine how to put a new twist on old news and what not to do and

say again.

Develop a nose for news, an eye for good, action photos, and

an ear for hidden story angles. This will help make your stories

interesting.

Don’t get discouraged. What is news on Monday may not be news

on Tuesday. The day’s events determine what does or does not make it

into the press.

Be persistent. It’s true what they say – the squeaky wheel gets the

grease. But don’t take it personally if your story doesn’t make it to the

6 o’clock news or on the newspaper front page. There are other ways

to get publicity.

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Publicize yourself among

your peers

You can’t gather all the news. Let your coworkers know you are your

school’s Publicity Representative. Ask for a portion of time during a staff

meeting to introduce yourself and to solicit good news. Soon, you’ll find

out about all sorts of events and programs that might be newsworthy.

Some other tips:

Remind coworkers often of your responsibility. Like all of us,

they can get busy and forget that you are the one who can promote

the good things going on in their classroom.

Develop a process for collecting school news. Just like a

process is already in place to get information included in the

morning/afternoon announcements or the school newsletter, there

should be a process for getting information submitted to you for

generating school publicity.

Develop a way for coworkers to easily contact you. Create a

staff mailbox that is solely for good publicity items or send periodic

email reminders that you are collecting story ideas. Once the habit

is created, you’ll never have to beg for information again!

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Appendices

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A news release can be an effective way to communication certain information about your school

such as the details of upcoming events, awards, and other good news. However, the media

expect to receive releases written in a definite style and format, and doing so increases chances

of their use.

Here are some tips for writing your next news release:

Put the most important information in the first paragraph. That way, if something needs to

be cut, it can be cut from the bottom and the most important information will not be lost.

In your “lead,” or first paragraph, deal with the five Ws (what, who, when, where, why) and

the H (how), or as many of them logically fit.

Be as brief as possible. Use short sentences, short paragraphs, and short words. Try to keep your

news release to only one side of the paper, using double-spaced lines.

Write in a crisp, active style. Forget education jargon and acronyms!! Use one adjective instead of

two and keep your words moving. Use active (action), not passive verbs.

At the end of each page, except the last, center the word “-more-” to indicate that the

news release continues. At the bottom of the last page, center three “###” or “-30-” to indicate

that the news release is finished.

Always have a contact name and telephone number at the top of the release so that the

media outlet can ask questions or get more information.

Proofread your work and doublecheck your facts. Have another colleague or your principal

read behind you and give feedback. He or she may catch a mistake or can suggest additional

information to include.

Source: Principals in the Public

National School Public Relations Association

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Tips for Better School

Photography

Great photos are one way to make your publication (or web site) stand out.

Here are some tips to think about when getting behind the camera.

Try to limit group photos to four people or fewer. When a large group has won an award,

take an action picture of several students engaged in that activity, rather than just listing names.

Look for unusual angles for group pictures. Get on top of a playground slide or look up from

an orchestra pit; change your usual perspective.

Overshoot everything. Film is inexpensive enough that you can take at least four or five of any

scene. It’s better to have too many pictures than to miss a photo opportunity because you didn’t

take enough.

Show people’s faces in all pictures of students or teachers unless you intentionally don’t want to

identify them.

Try to show some action in all pictures. Avoid “grip and grin” photos.

Watch out for detail. Be alert to reflections off eyeglasses, for instance. Remember to check the

background so objects do not seem to be “growing” out of someone’s head; often a slight change in

angle will remove the problem.

Shoot close-up. Many pictures are spoiled because the subject is too far from the camera.

Be sure you have adequate lighting. Use a special flash attachment, if necessary. Events held in the

school gym or cafeteria are notorious for poor lighting and often produce unusable photos.

A Few Words About Digital Photography

Set your camera at the highest resolution. Shoot at the highest resolution and reduce later for

printing if necessary.

Do not print photos on plain copy paper! Always print digital photos onto photo paper from a

high quality color printer. Or, take them to a local camera store for printing.

Do not imbed (or insert) photos into Microsoft Word documents! Always attach them in

their original JPEG or TIF format when sending them by email.

Be cautious of image size. While you want a high resolution photo, be mindful of the file size.

School email can only send up to 1 MB in a single message.

Source: National School Public Relations Association

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Throughout the school year the Fulton County School System and local schools will conduct

activities that may be publicized through local or national news media. Such activities may include

interview sessions with news reporters; photographs for newspapers or various school system

publications, including newsletters, calendars, and brochures; videotaping for local and national

television newscasts, cable programming, and school system promotional videos; and

photographs for the Internet pages of the school system or local schools.

If you do not wish for your child to participate in these publicity activities, please check

below and return to your child’s teacher.

_____ My child may not participate in any publicity activities for events sponsored by the local

school or the school system.

_____________________________ ______________________________

Student’s Name Parent or Guardian’s Signature

_____________________________ ______________________________

School Date

c: Student’s file Communications/5/06

General Publicity Release

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I grant permission for my child to be interviewed on _____________________ by

____________________________ with _________________________________.

My child may be asked questions about __________________________________.

I realize that my child may be photographed or videotaped to enhance the story to appear in or

on _____________________________________________________.

My child will be under the supervision of a school staff member during the interview/photo

session. I understand that my child reserves the right to refuse to answer any question at his or

her discretion. The supervising staff member may terminate the interview/ photo session at any

time, if deemed appropriate.

_____________________________ _______________________________

Student's Name Parent or Guardian’s Signature

_____________________________ _______________________________

School Date

c: Principal

Specific Event

Media Release

Date

Name of reporter Newspaper, television or radio station

Story topic

Specify publication or broadcast station, date and time

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Notes

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