Attracting Faith-Based Media

Unless you listen to it, watch it or read it, you might not be aware that there are whole networks and publications created for those devoted to a particular religion. For example, many cities have their own edition of The Jewish Journal, and you may have seen Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.

You don't necessarily need to be pitching a story having to do with the Torah or churches to be featured on this kind of specific media, but you do have to explain to the reporter or producer why your angle fits his or her audience.

In my experience scheduling guests for Christian radio and TV networks, we were looking for parenting, education, health and topical (meaning current events) guests in addition to ministry guests. So you may be missing valuable publicity by not pursuing these outlets.

However, note that producers have a discerning ear. I would not, could not schedule guests who used profanity or coarse language. So cut out of your everyday conversation commonly-heard phrases such as: "Oh my God" or "Good Lord"--these are offensive to the faith-based media.

Once, I felt an author's topic would be helpful and interesting to our audience, but he laced his conversation with the phrases mentioned above. I asked if I could give him advice, and he was gracious about wanting it. I told him those phrases would have our phone lines lit up with negative calls--and he was flabbergasted. He was not aware that he was using those terms.

We ended up having him as in-studio guest, and he concentrated on his content and chose his words carefully. The phone lines did light up--because the listeners wanted a copy of his book.

Text Book Cases

In the 1980's, we studied the Tylenol tampering case to learn how to respond to crisis. Johnson & Johnson and its spin doctors reacted so well, that incident was a pattern for years to come.

In the 1990's, we had Food Lion's run in with ABC and Ford's exploding tires, and we learned more nuances of what to do in crisis response. We also had horrible tragedies such as Columbine and the Oklahoma City Bombing to prepare us for the unthinkable.

Then a new century evolved and we learned from Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others about saying the right thing when the sky is literally falling down around us.

Now, a new text book chapter is being written. The BP oil catastrophe will be analyzed from a crisis response for years to come. The initial take from media critics is that the company is doing some things well in terms of crisis communications and some aspects could use some work. For example, BP has been praised for its handling of social media. But reporters and observers are questioning the corporation's transparency, ability to solve the crisis, and wording on legitimate claims.

If there could be a silver lining to this ugly mess in the Gulf, it is that we all will learn more about responding to the public and the media when disaster strikes.

Got Any Better Ideas for BP?

Top Ten Ways BP Can Improve Its Image

10 .Change "BP" from "British Petroleum" to "Bunnies and Puppies"
9. Scrap the snotty British accents
8. Cry on "Oprah"
7. Take a page from AFLAC. New mascot: wise-cranking oil-soaked duck
6. Find Bin Laden
5. Start making cookies. Who doesn't love cookies?
4. What's wrong with our image?
3. Switch from "Drill Baby Drill" to "Help Daddy Help"
2. Instead of their image, maybe they can focus on fixing the damn leak!
1. For goodness sakes, get Iron Man to do something!

The Late Show with David Letterman

Grass Roots Publicity

Have you ever written a letter to the editor of your local newspaper? Have you ever called in to a talk show? These are two low-cost ways to get the attention of the public and journalists.

Also, are you using social media to your advantage? Don't just write a press release. Put it on your website, your blog, your LinkedIn account and your Facebook page. Then tweet a link to it, and send an email to your friends who are also followers on Twitter to re-tweet.

Join organizations and contribute to the monthly newsletters or magazines. Volunteer. Build relationships and a database. When you have big news, send a postcard or letter to your database.

The point is, you can do many things to publicize your cause, product or service that some people would call just staying in touch with your friends or network.

Three Sides to Every Story

Remember when dealing with the news media that there are always, at the minimum, three sides to every story: his, hers and the truth.

I heard a woman named Julie Ann put a spin on this yesterday. She said the three sides are yours, mine and I-won't-tell-if-you-won't.

The lesson is we all perceive incidents differently, so your life experiences, memory, vision and hearing may effect the truth that you tell the public. Get as many facts as you can and be as accurate as you can, so that the truth you paint does not illustrate an unflattering picture of you.

One Way to Answer the Yes or No Question

On March 3, the chair of the Democratic National Convention, Tim Kaine, was being interviewed on a national morning television show. The discussion became spirited.

At one point, the host said, "Just answer 'yes' or 'no.'"

Kaine, also the former governor of Virginia, had a terrific response. He said, "I'm not a potted plant, so I can't answer just 'yes' or 'no.'"

While you may not want to use his exact answer, do be prepared for how you would respond to a reporter demanding a short one-word reply from you.

Are You Ready for a Crisis?

The headlines are filled with companies making the wrong decisions daily. Is your organization prepared for unflattering accusations?

Here are three documents you should have, even if your company enjoys positive publicity:

1. A Media Policy - helps keep your employees from talking out of turn to the news media
2. A Crisis Preparedness Plan - includes business continuity strategies as well as how to contact the media
3. A Rapid Response Strategy - helps you respond immediately to social media to prevent rumors, bad will and poor public perception

If you don't have these items, you might as well not have insurance. I can help you write and develop them. Give me a call.