Good Press Relations is a Must

PRESS RELATIONS

In the United States today nearly 1,500 daily and regional newspapers print news that interests the most readers. So don’t be surprised if the one in your locale ignores your local-district campaign for lack of wide appeal.

Weekly community newspapers won’t ignore you. They present one of the best ways to spread your campaign message. Fewer subscribers and smaller geographical area mean less competition for space which means you stand a better chance of seeing your media releases and articles in print. And unlike paid advertising, local newspaper articles about you and your campaign come at no direct cost.

To make it happen, reporters and editors must appreciate your newsworthiness as they work to fill news holes, the space left after ads are placed. Your goal, therefore, is to pitch stories that attract and hook reporters and editors to write favorable articles about you and your campaign. The hook provides the reason. Having led a community effort to clean up a neglected park or spearheaded a community effort to paint a local community hall are examples of hooks.

The value local, weekly newspapers offer low-budget, down-ballot campaigns is obvious: Coverage not only comes free, it comes with a subtle credibility that paid campaign advertising doesn’t. Neutral or positive articles, with your photo whenever possible, offer objectivity unmatched by paid advertising.

Getting in Good with the Locals

Chances are that your community weekly newspaper has a reporter who covers local politics. Find out who it is and build a good relationship with that person. Best to get acquainted early, months before you file for office is not too soon. In fact a year before you file is not, because it gives you time to solicit reporters’ advice on current issues and ones which may surface later. By making the effort to meet reporters and cultivate relationships early, you accumulate a great deal of knowledge over time and curry favor by asking their opinions.

Treat reporters and editors as you want to be treated. Treat them professionally, and you earn their respect which can pay dividends. Leave them alone later in the day when deadlines might be looming. If you must call or email, do it in the morning.

Learn their deadlines and respect them. Don’t compose a media release and expect to submit it later in the day because reporters and editors on deadline have no time for you then. Depending on when the paper is printed, there’s a best day of week to call or send media releases and articles. If for example the newspaper goes to press on Tuesday for next-day delivery, the best day to contact reporters is Wednesday before work begins on the next week’s edition.

Make their jobs easy in small ways, and you increase chances of seeing your submissions printed, sometimes verbatim. Help the process by submitting well-written, accurate media releases and articles. Assure quality by having at least two people proofread before you submit.

Consider all reporters and editors potential allies, even if one is known to trash candidates with messages similar to yours. Stay positive. Keep on their good sides to avoid bad press coverage, or no press coverage. Be a person of your word. Trust building starts with reporters and editors, one of your conduits to the voters.

Working with Reporters

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so as you meet the reporter assigned to you, follow these tips:

Be Honest

Building credibility takes time and work, and nothing builds it like honesty. One mistake or misrepresentation destroys it in a flash. Be honest with the media, and they play fair with you in most cases, which for them means balanced and objective.

Give Reporters What They, Not You, Want

Ideally they’re the same. What’s key is to make your material newsworthy.

• Avoid Sending Daily Media Releases, since they are seen as non-newsworthy, reporters ignore them before long.

• Avoid Asking for Follow-up Stories. The nature of publicity is that once received, reporters and editors handle stories as they see fit. If you want more control, take out a paid ad.

• Be Available to Reporters. When a newspaper reporter leaves you a voice mail message, return the call quickly.

Case in point: Early in the campaign, a reporter with a local weekly newspaper in Washington State attempted to reach the candidate running for a small,

special-purpose district. Not until the week before ballots were due back at the

county courthouse did the candidate return the call. By then the reporter saw no

need to write about the candidate because the mail-in-ballot election was all but

decided.

• Treat Reporters Equally. Whether competitors or allies, they talk. So don’t favor one reporter or area newspaper over another. Play favorites, and they win. Not you.

Getting Endorsed

Some weekly newspapers endorse candidates for local office. If the one in your area does, see what you can do to win an endorsement. Having one never suggests victory on Election Day, but it does give you bragging rights for your Website and promotional materials.

Go after endorsements by preparing and leaving no stone unturned. To do less guarantees no endorsements. Contact newspapers for the ground rules and include these questions:

• Who is the interviewer?

• How long will the meeting last?

• What else do you suggest to help me prepare?

• Are opposing candidates interviewed at the same time?

• Do I supply my campaign materials in advance or at the meeting?

The Take Away

Down-ballot candidates can benefit a lot from positive coverage in local, weekly newspapers. Not only does coverage come free, it comes with a subtle credibility not shared by paid campaign ads. And editorial endorsements suggest the approval of ostensibly neutral sources which come in handy later in your campaign.

Treat local newspaper reporters with respect, and you increase chances of seeing favorable articles about you in print. One way is to come prepared to their interviews. If you win an endorsement, use it to advantage on your Website and in print materials.

Endorsements and favorable articles never clinch a victory, but they do help plant a positive image of the candidate in voters’ minds. Endorsements and a strong, organized campaign make an attractive combination that can make the difference on Election Day.