EVENT PLANNING : EVENT PLANNING Getting people
to come to
your meeting Copy right 2001 Terence L. Day
Planning publicity: Planning publicity Consider publicity at first planning meeting.
For major, state-wide or NW meetings, invite a member of the CAHE news team to be a member of the planning committee.
Slide3: Planning publicity For smaller, local meetings, write your own news releases. The news team will be happy to consult.
DEALING WITH MEDIA: DEALING WITH MEDIA Reporters & editors are very busy people.
Designate one (1) person for media relations.
Don’t double- or triple-team the media.
PUBLICITY IS A GIFT If you want control, buy an ad: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Take what an editor gives.
Give up graciously if editors don’t publicize your event. Their good graces are more important than any one event. PUBLICITY IS A GIFT If you want control, buy an ad
WHEN THE MEDIA IS STUBBORN: WHEN THE MEDIA IS STUBBORN Respect their judgment.
They know their resources.
They know the competition for time or space.
They know their readers.
SELECTING MEDIA: Newspapers
Radio
Television
Newsletters
Web pages
Posters & fliers
Word-of-mouth
Direct mail SELECTING MEDIA
NEWSPAPERS: NEWSPAPERS General circulation papers have broad, nonspecific audience.
Specialty (trade) papers target your clientele.
NEWSPAPERS: NEWSPAPERS Size often dictates opportunity.
The larger the paper, the less interest editors usually have in promoting meetings.
RADIO : An excellent medium for event promotion.
Immediacy.
Attention getting, awareness.
RADIO
TELEVISION: Generally not a good medium for meeting promotion.
Will promote major meetings on topics of broad interest.
Often will interview participants during conference. TELEVISION
NEWSLETTERS: Narrowly target audience
Long lead time
Information published in newsletters has enhanced credibility. NEWSLETTERS
WEB PAGES: Allows information seekers to find your event.
Excellent for providing full details.
Consider posting your entire program brochure.
Design page to allow on-line registration.
Publish URL in brochures & news releases.
Allow you to change information that changes. WEB PAGES
POSTERS: Get attention at other events.
Promote awareness, not detail. POSTERS
Fliers: Fliers can be very effective communications tools, if used wisely.
Allow at least 30 days lead time for printing. Contact Rebecca Steever.
Print extra fliers for mailing to news media. This will require early consultation with CAHE news team. Fliers
Word of mouth: Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to promote an event.
Ask everyone involved in planning your meeting to talk it up at other meetings. Word of mouth
DIRECT MAIL: Bulls-eye targeting of audience
Absolute control of message
Absolute control of timing DIRECT MAIL
PUBLICITY or ADVERTISING?: Publicity in the form of news or public service announcements is free .... but, you get what the media gives.
Advertising costs. You pay for what you get.
With advertising, you control timing and wording. With publicity, editors are in control. PUBLICITY or ADVERTISING?
MEDIA RELATIONS: Don’t beg.
Don’t carp.
Don’t complaint about story treatment.
Don’t expect the media to run news releases the way they are written.
Don’t ask for clippings or ‘tear’ sheets.
Don’t call and ask reporters if they’re going to publish.
MEDIA RELATIONS
You control advertising: You can control advertising.
Say what you want to say.
Say it how you want to say it.
Say it when you want to say it.
You control advertising
Problems with news releases: Editors throw away most news releases.
Few are published as written.
You can’t control if or when the story will be printed or broadcast. Problems with news releases
Benefits of direct mail: One of the most effective vehicles
You control message
Narrowly targets audience
Benefits of direct mail
Drawbacks of direct mail: Direct mail is junk mail, or keeps company with junk mail. As such, it may be DOD--Dumped On Delivery.
Be sure to use mailing lists that narrowly target your audience.
Accurate mailing lists are expensive, hard to maintain. Nearly 25% of names on mailing lists go TU -- Tummy Up -- every year.
Drawbacks of direct mail
MEDIA ATTENDANCE: Waive media’s registration fee.
Charge media only for cost of meals.
Give conference handouts & proceedings to media, free of charge. MEDIA ATTENDANCE These values are vital.!!!
Writing the news release: For whom do you write?
Write for the editor, who will decide whether to publish a story.
Write for the newspaper reader.
Don’t write for your colleagues, co-sponsors, collaborators or others. This will invariably misguide the news release and reduce its chances for use. Writing the news release
Writing the news release 5 w’s & 1 H: Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How Writing the news release 5 w’s & 1 H
who: Who is the meeting intended for? Farmers? Bankers? Parents? Day-care operators?
Who is sponsoring the event?
Who can be contacted for more information? who
What?: What is your event?
What will happen at your event? What?
When ?: When will your event be held? Include:
Day(s) of week, i.e., Monday
Date(s); i.e., Jan. 1 (year usually isn’t necessary).
Time of day; i.e., 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. When ?
Where?: Specific location; i.e., “Burr Cafeteria, Jefferson Elementary School, 1313 Madison Road, Jacksonville, Wash.”
If location is in a rural area, include directions; i.e., “Take Highway 99 to Wallace Road, then go east 11.3 miles to Boll Weavil Road and go .7 miles to Sears ranch.” Where?
Why?: Why are you holding the event?
Why would anyone want to attend? Why?
How?: Not all news stories have a “how”
element, but with meeting stories the
how usually is how to get more
information, or how to register. How?
BE BRIEF: Too much detail is deathly.
Don’t try to include all program participants or topics.
Registration details are too complex. Tell readers where they can get registration info if they want to attend.
Include WWW URL for more information.
BE BRIEF
Think local: Local angles “sell” editors.
Why would a Yakima editor run a story on a Wenatchee event?
Think local
TARGET, TARGET, TARGET : Identify your target audience. Who will attend your meeting?
Identify where they get their information.
Send news releases only to news outlets that serve your target audience--the narrower, the better. TARGET, TARGET, TARGET
News release format: Name & phone number of local contact person goes on top.
Include home phone number. Many journalists work into the evening hours.
Date all news releases prominently, upper right or upper left side.
News release format
News Release: News style is different.
Keep it plain and simple.
Sentences should average only about 10 words.
Use few compound sentences.
Put only 2 or 3 sentences per paragraph. News Release
News style is different: News style is different Use active voice.
Active voice stresses action of the verb.
Passive voice calls attention to the receiver of the action.
Words ending in -ion, -ing, and -ment, usually are passive. They turn verbs into abstract nouns.
jargon: Jargon is short-hand. It speeds communication within a group that has a common background, but seriously impedes communication with “outsiders.” Indeed, it labels people who don’t understand the jargon as “outsiders” inviting them to not continue reading. jargon
jargon: Examples:
boot … start your computer
brick … cop talk for a walkie-talkie portable radio
budget … List of stories available to go into an issue of a newspaper
GNP … gross national product
jargon
Down-style capitalization: Consult entry in Associated Press Stylebook.
Don’t capitalize titles after names.
Don’t capitalize department names. It is “horticulture department”, not Horticulture Department. Down-style capitalization
Buy an ap stylebook: Order through local book store.
The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10020 Buy an ap stylebook
Delivering news releases: Individualize delivery. Use personal names of journalists if possible. No one is favorably impressed by “dear occupant” mail, which is what “Editor” amounts to.
Know your media. There is no uniform preference on the form of delivery.
Some journalists prefer e-mail, some fax, some “snail” mail.
Delivering news releases
Meeting Notice: Consider sending media a meeting notice, or news advisory instead of writing a news release. Meeting Notice
Meeting Notice format: Keep it to one page.
Use who, what, when, where, why format rather than narrative.
Include your name and phone number for the media to call if it has questions. Meeting Notice format
Working with news team: Contact Terry Day or Denny Fleenor.
Contact them early in planning.
They can advise and support you if you want to write the releases and do the media relations.
They can write and provide media relations. Working with news team
Terence l. day: Terry has 40 years of journalism experience.
Call Terry at 509/335-2806
E-mail Terry at terence@wsu.edu
Visit Terry in Hulbert 401-F in Pullman Terence l. day
Denny Fleenor: Denny has 32 years experience in journalism. His work is largely confined to safe food.
Call Denny at 206/972-8590
E-mail Denny at dfleenor@wsu.edu
Visit Denny at 300 - 19th Ave., Seattle. Denny Fleenor
Professional service: News writers will send a draft to you for approval. Check it for factual accuracy, but please don’t try to rewrite the news release. CAHE news writers have many years of media experience. They know the media. They know how to write for the media. Professional service
Targeting your audience: Send news releases only to those news organizations that service your main audience.
There is an unfortunate tendency to “broadcast” news releases far too wide, both geographically and by audience. Targeting your audience
Targeting your audience A Principle of Diminishing Returns: Perform a reality check when determining geographic target for news release.
Is a newspaper reader in Pocatello really a likely prospect to register for your meeting?
Target narrowly. Targeting your audience A Principle of Diminishing Returns
Targeting your audience: Send news releases only to those news organizations that service your main audience.
There is an unfortunate tendency to “broadcast” news releases far too wide, both geographically and by audience.
Don’t send releases to a dozen editors in California hoping to get 10 registrations. Targeting your audience