Strategies, tips and tools for developing a successful public relations campaign - notes from a webinar by Lyndal Cairns for the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture in September, 2014.

1. MOBILIZE THIS
THE POWER OF STORYTELLING TO EFFECT CHANGE
LYNDAL CAIRNS for the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture

2. Storytelling connects us as human beings. Stories are the primary way that we make sense of the world around us. Stories illuminate humanity and connects us. FELICIA PRIDE PRIDE COLLABORATIVE
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Who are you trying to reach?
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What do you want to tell them?
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What do you want them to do?
Questions to ask yourself
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How will they do what you want?
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Who do you need to engage for help?
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How will you build those relationships?
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What does success look like?
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When will you take each action?
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How will you get the money you need?
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Does your organization have a skills deficit?

4. 10 Elements of Success
1.
Solutions Outline problems but offer hope.
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Policymakers Identify your bi-partisan targets.
3.
Agility Build ability to respond quickly.
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Repetition Media and ads keep issue top-of-mind during delays.
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Humanity Engage community voices, create testimonials.

5. 6.Paid advertising Control content and timing of messages.
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Foundation branding Lends credibility to an issue.
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Media start-ups Establish digital outlets for in-depth issues.
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Partnerships Seek strategic funder and media partners for collaboration and in-kind support.
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Integration from the outset Coordinate strategies for media, community and policymaker engagement. Source: Media Impact Funders 10 Elements of Success

7. Getting organized
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Set your goals What does success look like? Estimate time and money cost
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Get informed Find and visualize data Set up collection tools ie: Google Alerts Build partnerships with allied organizations/campaigners
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Pick your targets Who makes the decision? Who influences that person?
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Engage your champions Look for folks with influential networks.

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Build communications materials Include campaign calendar
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Phase 1 Primary messages
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Test and tweak A/B split ads Test timing on social media
•Phase 2 Secondary messages Reporting on success of phase 1
•Analysis and reporting Celebrate wins Offer advice for future campaigns.

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How the issue affects people
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How the system works
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How people can help
Finding your stories
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But that’s not interesting enough.
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Trends and milestones
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Research
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New programs/initiatives
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Some solutions
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Stories from clients/community
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Behind-the-scenes at your organization

11. Knowledge & Skills
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Know your issue Develop your messages Prepare for tough questions Have solutions Use keywords consistently
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Understand the media landscape Local, state, national and specialist media Develop relationships
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Build confidence in your strategy Speech coaching for you, your organization, partners Does everyone agree on the one message? Coordinate who will approach your targets; and when Develop issues web portal where appropriate

12. Public Relations
Press releases Help you get the issues straight in your mind Contain “canned quotes” you can use Give journalists everything they need to know whether to pursue a story (and sometimes it’s all they need)
Developing media content Understand and appreciate deadlines Create media “events” like rallies and launches Produce everything a journalist needs (interview subjects, pictures, video) Think visually
PRO TIP:
Never tell a journalist you have a story for them. You have a story idea or a pitch.

14. 5 tips for a painless pitch
1.
Find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted.
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Have your press kit in front of you, including: Your key messages Key dates in your campaign Contact details and calendar for interview subjects Photos, video and other media a journalist might want
3.
Introduce yourself.
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Tell them your story idea.
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Make their life easier. Don’t forget to follow up.

15. Social media strategy
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Build a network of the right people Where are the people you need? Build on your existing community
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What do you want them to know? Revise down to key messages or tasks
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What do you want them to do? Sign a petition Share materials Invite friends to event

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What does social media success look like? How many followers/friends/connections? Use tools to find out where your followers live Map their influence network Use analytics data to show impact of social media posts

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Social media platforms Do your research Appreciate network differences Don’t spread yourself too thinly
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Get your organization behind you Staff, volunteers and donors will be your greatest champions
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Leveraging trends Your campaign should be agile enough to take advantage of breaking news But be careful not to capitalize
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Experiment with timing Peak time is generally weekdays 7am-9am, noon-2pm, 5pm-6pm but needs and communities vary Don’t forget timezones! Different needs for different times – ie: Friday funnies

18. But where do I get content?
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Set up tools to find content for your campaign Google Alerts, email newsletter subscriptions, following curators on Twitter
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Curate and remake content from old Storify, TubeChop, list posts, “the story so far” blog posts
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Tagging people and hashtags Give credit where it’s due Encourage reshares
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Dynamic visuals Stock photos can be expensive Get to know Creative Commons licenses

19. Social media is good for disseminating “share- able” content and staying in touch with your audience, but its not the end-all-be-all of audience engagement. In our case, much of the deep engagement with our platform is happening in classrooms and community meetings – and doesn’t always show up on social media. Define how you want audience to engage with your project. Social media may be just one part of a larger strategy. LUISA DANTAS BRAZILIAN-AMERICAN FILMMAKER
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20. Do I need a website?
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Source of all campaign information/action A professional site legitimizes your campaign Visitors find out about the issue and take action immediately
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Create a permanent connection Get visitors on your mailing list as soon as you can Keep them up to date with campaign news and actions they can take
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Data collection You can track visitors to your site, what they’re looking for, and the number learning and taking action

21. Show your progress
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Tracking mentions on media Google Alerts Media mentions
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Interest in your campaign Use Google Analytics to show referring sites and track visitors as they progress through your site
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Social media shares and mentions Use traceable web links (ie: Bit.ly) Set up alert tools for social media mentions Interact with accounts sharing your content

22. THANK YOU. RESOURCES AT LYNDALCAIRNS.WORDPRESS.COMNAMAC
ICONS BY BEN, CC