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| A media scrum may be part of your event. |
Written by Robyn T. Braley
We began our media series by suggesting ideas for story angles that would attract the media. In review, one media draw may be a high profile speaker. Another could be the presentation of a large cheque to a community not-for-profit agency.
Media might be interested in a story about the a team from your club that just returned from
a developing nation where they personally delivered a small fleet of refurbished ambulances.
Presenting a Citizen of the Year Award to a
community leader is a natural. Or, the Rotary clubs in your area may
be the host club for your District Conference that has a myriad of interesting
keynotes and breakout sessions.
A Play by Play Account
This post shares details of an event produced by the Calgary West Rotary Club. All photos were shot at a Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta leadership forum we hosted. At the time, the club had 80 active members.
This post shares details of an event produced by the Calgary West Rotary Club. All photos were shot at a Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta leadership forum we hosted. At the time, the club had 80 active members.
A Stern Warning to the Premier
Politics are politics where ever you live. During a debate in another part of our province the night before the candidates had become heated and angry voices were involved.
As an aside, I will never forget the production meeting we had with the candidates, their Public Relations Advisors and Rotarians participating in the program. Our President, Tony Knight, with a stern voice advised the candidates to resist any semblance of the hostilities present the night before.
In other words, he lectured the incoming Premier and 2 Cabinet Ministers to have good behavior as Rotary promotes peace and good will throughout the world. They heeded his advice - and the PR people told me it was one of the best debates of the entire campaign.
How We Got Here/ Review these Posts
- Key elements of a well crafted news release
- Components of an effective media kit
- Creating a quality media distribution list
- Treat media fairly and professionally
A week before the event we sent out a tickler to give the media a heads
up. We also sent or dropped off media kits which provided background to the
story and to further pique media their interest.
That morning we sent an updated the news release under the
heading TODAY and distributed it by email around 8:30 AM. We also phoned targeted
media to make sure they got it and to personally invite them to attend.
Thirty minutes before the start time a TV satellite truck arrived to broadcast live from the event. Other media arrived in their news cruisers and more satellite trucks. We were ready to go.
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| Global TV goes live just before the event starts. |
What You Need to Know
Reporters are on tight timelines. They want to get in, get their story,
and then get out and on to the next story or back to their office or station to
write or edit their piece to meet their deadline. They will love you to death
if you are well organized and efficient in giving them what they need.
Meet them at the Door
If you are expecting a large number, have an assistant stationed by the
entry door ready to greet them and take them to you. Then, you provide a quick
overview and ask them what they need by way of interviews or photos.
Designated Spokespeople
It goes without saying that you will have identified key spokespeople and
prepared them a couple of days before the event. Ask them to sit close by and be
ready if a reporter wants to speak to them. You never want to have to waste
time by having to send a runner to find them. Ever!
If a keynote speaker is the main story, let the media know they will be
available for interviews after the event.
Media Kits
Media kits and news releases periodically get lost amidst the Tsunami of
daily information that is sent to the media every day. Have extra kits
available.
Some reporters or photographers may have only received a brief text from
their editor assigning the event. They may have little background.
Media Gallery
O.K., I’m exaggerating when referring to our political event. By media gallery, I mean the space at the back of
the room where TV camera people can set up their tripods.
Glibness aside, if you have an event with an audience of 500 or
more, you should rent a small stage 2-3 feet high. It will allow TV
cameras to shoot over the heads of the audience. You may want to set it up in
the middle of the crowd.
You will also need a long narrow table and chairs for print, blog or
radio journalists. Fill only one side allowing them to face the action.
“B” Roll
TV videographers will want to shoot “B” roll. What is “B” roll?
Let me explain it this way. Let’s imagine you are watching your story on
the 6:00 pm TV news.
You watch as the news anchor introduces the story. The video cuts to images of
people coming into your venue, others seated and waiting for the event to start or perhaps the
building sign or other relevant shots that provide context.
“B” roll is often used when a speaker on stage is filmed speaking. In
the final edit, while he or she is speaking, the editor may cut to wide shots of
the audience and close-ups of individuals listening intently. That is “B” roll
or background shots.
Free Range
As stated in an earlier post, my company usually gives photographers and
videographers free range depending on the story. We allow them to go on stage to
shoot cool shots of the speaker with the audience in the background or to go into
the audience or to explore other creative ideas for shots.
The bottom line? The more interesting the content, the better the story will be. It is always a good day when a feature is picked up in other cities due to the strength of the story supported by interesting images.
Interviews
Most interviews will happen after your event. At that time, journalists may do an interview
with people milling about in the background or go into a quiet hall or outside
to use the building sign as background.
If you expect a large media turnout, book a nearby empty room. Some
journalists may ask for 1 on 1 time after the scrum.
Media Scrum
What is a scrum? The term is taken from rugby where the team members of two
teams go shoulder to shoulder to push each other out of the way in order to get
the ball.
In media terms, a scrum is when 2 to 60+ media gather round the
spokesperson and start firing questions. They follow professional protocol and
tend not to shout over each other while the wait for their turn to ask a
question. You don’t need to manage it except to signal the end is near.
As reporters arrive, tell media you will scrum after the event and they
will know exactly what you mean.
Photo Backgrounds
Your purpose in staging the event is to profile your organization and its
connection to the main story in the best possible way. Suggest background ideas like an interesting wall, two arm chairs face-to-face in a corner or your organization's trade show booth.
For our event, we rented a full-length backdrop made of heavy black drapes.
For our event, we rented a full-length backdrop made of heavy black drapes.
From bitter experience, I can say that fern leaves behind a person’s head will look like they are growing out of their ears or like the ancient headdress of some mystic cult.
Direct Box
If you are staging an event where media want to record audio, you will
need to provide a direct box. A direct box feeds the audio mix from the
event sound system into a multi-outlet box.
Why is this necessary? First, to provide the best possible sound. Second, media may want to
broadcast live or live stream the event. Quality matters.
WiFi Connections
Make sure the WiFi connections at your venue can accommodate extra
traffic. At a minimum, print reporters may want to write and file stories as
the event proceeds.
Hire Pros
Service organizations traditionally fill event roles with volunteer
labor. But, staging a media is all about creating good impressions. If there is any
danger of pops, crackles, squeals, blackouts, freezes or other technology
disasters, contract in a professional media production company.
They will provide sound systems, quality microphones (as many as needed),
cables, direct boxes, high capacity audio mixers, video/powerpoint equipment and other support.
Most of all, they will provide an operator who produces events for a living.
Why is this important? Media events happen quickly and the technology must work
flawlessly.
In my media training seminars, I tell what happened at the forum.
Our direct box was full. A miracle happened and our technician magically made it
happen. We started the meeting and the media coverage was huge.
The Outcome
Our story dominated the 24 hour news cycle thanks to the talents of a
problem solving technician. Each candidate's Comunication Director told us afterwards that our event was the
best of the campaign. That felt good!
The side benefit is that every time I see the politicians who
participated, they remember our team, the event and they also remember
Rotary!
Leading Questions; What do You Think?
What experiences have you had with your not-for-profit organization organization? I’d like to hear your opinions and ideas. Please comment below. I'll respond!
Robyn Braley is a marketing specialist, keynote speaker and writer. He is also a Rotarian who is passionate about Building the Rotary Brand. He has led two teams that received the Rotary International PR Award. He has also served as the PR Chair for District 5360. Robyn has placed hundreds of traditional and new media stories about Rotary and other organizations.
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