Working with the Media
One of the most cost effective ways of promoting your product/experience is by generating publicity. This allows you to spread the word about your organisation, product or service through non-advertising channels. Whether you use media campaigns, media familiarisation visits (famils), or simply distribute a media release, you are engaged in generating publicity.
Media coverage reaches a wider audience than limited advertising budgets, and consumers are more likely to be engaged by a first-hand account of a destination than they are by paid advertising. Editorial publicity is acknowledged as more valuable than advertising because the consumer knows that editorial has not been paid for, which makes it more credible. On certain occasions editorial will also provide far more detailed information and more visuals than an advertisement.
Although a significant amount of positive free publicity is generated for the region by Capricorn Tourism, it is impossible for the unit to highlight every operator, event or place. It is important therefore, for individual operators to understand how to generate their own media publicity.
You can generate media coverage by sending product information to media contacts at a targeted publication or by inviting a journalist from that publication to experience your product first-hand. Capricorn Tourism can help streamline this process for you through our Visiting Journalist Program (or VJP). This program hosts visiting journalists from a variety of media networks/pub on themed famils throughout the region, focusing on Capricorn Tourism members. For more information or to get involved with the VJP, contact Capricorn Tourism on +61 7 4927 2055.
Catch Their Attention
The media is interested in what appeals to their readers/listeners/audience. Generally, in relation to tourism information, the media is interested in tourism news and feature stories about properties, events or particular services.
Examples of tourism news items include: new visitation figures, the opening of a new tourism facility or information about a major event. While not always the case, tourism news can also involve controversy: for example, arguments over the location of a large new tourism development.
Plan your publicity campaign – don’t leave it to chance, accident or the last minute! Do your homework and your publicity campaign will be far more effective. Putting in the leg-work by mapping out key messages, objectives, creating the appropriate materials and having realistic expectations will greatly contribute to your campaign’s success.
Work out what it is you want to publicise, how you want to publicise it and where you want to publicise it. Gather together all your information and think about the best ways to promote your property, service or event.
Mostly, the type of publicity that tourism operators get is a feature story/ar ticle on their service, product or event, which in most cases appear in the travel sections of newspapers. Although somewhat less common, feature stories in magazines like Vogue Entertaining & Travel or on travel programs like The Great Outdoors are also achievable.
Whether you have news for the media or want a feature story written, you have to make your information relevant to the audience of each media organisation you are targeting and, if possible, put an interesting angle on the story. The best way of letting any media organisation know about your product is to send them a media release.
Media Release
A media release conveys the most important details of your news/story to the media and is designed to entice them to cover the news/story. Before you start writing a media release consider the following questions and make sure you know the answers:
- What is the main point of your story?
- Is your story interesting and if so, why?
- Is your story suited to a regional, state or national audience?
- Have you considered different angles to the story? The more unusual or more interesting the angle of your story, the more likely it is that the media will be interested.
- Who is the best person to act as a spokesperson for your news/story? Remember, it should be somebody who is readily available for interview, knows all the facts and is articulate – you don’t want someone who will get tongue tied, particularly if they are doing television or radio interviews.
- What media organisations are you targeting? Think carefully about what your message is and who is most likely to be interested in it.
Media Release tips:
- The first paragraph of the release is the most important and should contain the strongest points. Many editors/journalists will skim through, so get their interest right away!
- Every release should answer the questions: ‘who, what, when, where, why and how?’
- Be concise; where possible keep your release to one page.
- Keep information simple, to the point and avoid jargon. Do not assume the reader has prior knowledge of subjects you may take for granted.
- Highlight ‘new’ angles, be original and try to avoid clichés or fancy phrases
- Keep your target audience in mind and vary the content and style accordingly
- Include relevant dates, prices, locations, telephone numbers or websites relevant to the consumer
- Finish your release with contact details for the person responsible for media in your organisation
- Do your preparation, build up and maintain your contact lists
- Include any strong, clear pictures that convey and interesting angle or aspect to the story
Media Kit
While the media release is an ideal way to announce news items or promote specific products, there are occasions when you need to have something more elaborate to present to the media.
A media kit is often prepared when an organisation announces a new product, or sponsors a major event. Media kits provide members of the press with a thorough background and information in various formats.
The basic kit format generally consists of a large folder cover containing media releases, fact sheets, background information on the project/event, company materials and collateral, digital images (on cd or usb drive) and article reprints. This is a great branding opportunity, so make your folder visually attractive, incorporating the name of the company and any logo/graphic designs you use in your collateral.
A media kit should contain:
- Facts and figures about your business
- Details of what you are offering the consumer
- Your unique selling points
- Recent awards or achievements
- What you are planning in the coming year (or longer term)
- Your up-to-date brochure/guidebooks/other collateral
- Product biography
- CD of high-resolution images
Familiarisation Visits
Based on the principle that media can provide more motivating and detailed coverage if they actually experience a destination or tourism product first hand, Capricorn Tourism works closely with Tourism Queensland and a variety of media organisations to host the Visiting Journalist Program or (VJP). This program has been successfully in region for the past 5 years, hosting visiting journalists from a variety of media networks/publications on themed familiarisation tours throughout Capricorn, focusing on Capricorn Tourism members. Resulting stories have the potential to appear in State, National and International Publications. In 2008, this program generated over $17 million worth of positive media coverage.
Familiarisation tours (famils) improve the product knowledge visiting journalists by providing them with the opportunity to experience your product first hand.
Generally support for famils is requested free of charge (FOC) in return for the benefits for your business via the exposure. However, if you are uncertain of the benefits of a famil opportunity, for example if they are not from one of your primary target markets, or due to costs you are unable to offer complimentary services you may consider extending a reduced rate. Discuss options with the famil organiser to try and create a ‘win-win’ situation.
If a journalist does accept a famil, they will want to experience your product as an ordinary consumer does. For example, if you are wanting them to experience your bed and breakfast, which you market as a romantic and secluded getaway, do not follow the journalist (and their partner) around like a shadow, but set aside an hour at the end or beginning of the visit where you can meet with them and answer any of their questions or provide them with further information.
Famil/Media Visit Top Tips
- Talk to the journalist on the phone before they arrive to ensure you know what they want so you can have the information ready for them when they arrive.
- Provide a media kit with relevant background information on the products and services
- Make sure you and whatever it is you are trying to promote looks at its best – this is particularly crucial when television film crews or photographers are coming. Brief your staff accordingly.
- Listen carefully to the journalist’s questions and make sure your answers are to the point and that you know what you are talking about.
- If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t make it up or guess. Explain to the journalist that you will have to call them back later with that information as you don’t currently have it.
- Don’t speak “off the record” and start sharing about local politics or gossip – as it immediately will attract the journalist’s attention and could result in a front-page story instead!
Try to avoid:
- Providing journalists with extras not provided to consumers – they will write about those extras as if they were included in the price and consumers will rightly get upset if they too don’t receive the same level of product/service for that price.
- Being a pest on the phone. Don’t hassle journalists with multiple phone calls.
- Don’t get a junior to call who has no idea about the story pitch. Be polite and call the journalist yourself.
- Large unsolicited email messages, use the blind cc (bcc) function, don’t let the journalist know who else the release is going to.
- Complaints about cutting or editing a story – if there’s a factual error let them know politely.
- Missing promised deadlines
