tips for aspiring politicians on how to get coverage online
DESCRIPTION
This is a presentation I gave in September 2015 for aspiring politicians on how best to get their stories and issues covered online. I gave the presentation at a Women for Election seminar which focused on equipping female candidates with the skills they need to win.TRANSCRIPT
11 things to know about getting
coverage online
- Different audience and style- Focus is on breaking stories- No story too small- Ideally it provokes an emotion
1.Internet stories are different
- Newsrooms are 24 hours a day- Something happened today? Press release as soon as physically possible (from your phone, if necessary)
- Doesn’t have to be long, but it needs to get to the point
- Have a list of contacts ready to go
2. Be fast
- Accident blackspot? Damp in local social housing? Picture is worth ten press releases
- Bring your smartphone everywhere
3. Photographs are the holy grail
- Build up a presence- Use them to test the water for possible press releases
- Don’t have a ghost writer. It’s obvious.
4. Make the most of Twitter and Facebook
- “Candidate welcomes 100 jobs in constituency” = not a story
- If it’s already in the news cycle then there’s probably no point in sending a press release to a news website
5. Focus on the story, not your reaction
- Mobile number should be on your Twitter page, website and party website
- Answer unknown numbers- Twitter presence is more for the media than your constituents
6. Be easily contactable
- Pitch to journalists who have covered you/similar issues before
- Decide if it’s local or national - Don’t flood journalists with press releases
7. Be targeted
- Pitch an opinion piece instead- Everyone talking about an issue? Look for examples in your constituency, rather than just your reaction to it
8. Look out for other ways in
- Have a personal story which can feed into policy debate?
- Kate O’Connell of FG in the abortion debate
- Substantive AND generates interest
9. Personal experiences work
10. Look at what other people do
Don’t be a masochist...
11. Ignore the commenters