Getting Media Coverage (30 mins)

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is to learn how to get media coverage.

We can help you get media coverage, and get your message out into the world! Here’s how. More details about writing a media release are below.

State or National print media

We work closely with Climate Media Centre (CMC) to help parents and our campaigns get state or national print media. CMC offers feedback on pitches, stories, helps fine-tune our national media release and often comes to us asking for parents' spokespeople when there is an important story opportunity. 

We create national media stories by sending out a media release or pitching opinion pieces, written by parents, about contemporary climate issues. To become one of our parent spokespeople contact [email protected]

Local Print media

Local newspaper outlets are very under-resourced, so there is a very good chance of you being able to get your media release directly printed into your local newspaper, especially if you can supply a well-written media release and accompanying photo.

You can easily develop a relationship with your local print media. Take note of who your local newspaper is, and simply google their contacts through their website. Often their phones are not manned. Contact the editor via email, and then develop a one on one relationship with the local journalist that covers your area. Often those journalists do not live locally and will be working across a number of local newspapers.

Aim for photographs that are high resolution (iPhone is fine), colour, with people in it fairly close up, but a wide shot which shows the local location.

Radio Stations

You may also have a local radio where you can be featured on in-depth shows like the local environment show, or similar. Listen to the radio and think about which time slot you would best fit into. This includes ABC local radio. Then google the contacts for the radio station and attention to your media release to the most suitable radio host. Or you can send it in to the radio more generally.

Writing your own Media Release

At the top of the page add:

• MEDIA RELEASE 
• Date
• Then your headline: make it snappy and attention-grabbing. It’s a fragment of a sentence rather than a whole sentence. Make it bold.
• Lead: The lead paragraph sums the story in a nutshell. Think: who, what, when, where, why, and how. It should be just two or three sentences long. 
• Body: Each paragraph thereafter should expand on points in that lead paragraph. The most important information should be at the start of the body, working down to the least important. This is because people often don't read a whole media story, they skim the first paragraph and then if they are interested they will keep reading, but may not have time to read the whole story to the end. And that way the journalist can also trim the story and keep the main information intact.

Writing style: 

• Short sentences are easier to read. 
• Use active language. 
• Keep your paragraphs short. 
• Write in the third person. 
• Use quotes attributed to someone from your group.
• The last paragraph contains a summary of essential information about the organisation, event, or person. 
• End the story with END 
• After that add the sentence “For further media information contact:” and include a contact name, email, and phone number. 
• About us: The boilerplate is a paragraph or two about the business, event, or subject of the media release. This information will give the journalist an overview and isn’t necessarily needed in the release.

Sending your own Media Release

Golden rules for working with your local media:

• If you have a media release being pulled together, you can call your local journalist in advance and let them know it's coming, and check when their publishing deadlines are, and if there is any particular angle they would like unpacked.
• Make sure your media release does not have any typos.
• If you are sending out a media release that mentions AP4CA it needs to be approved by our staff, and ideally, we need 24 hours' notice. Email [email protected]
• Send an email to your editor/journalist that includes the media release/opinion piece with Media Release: Subject and Date in the subject line 
• Cut and paste your whole media release into the email, and attach a .doc version too
• Follow up the media release with photos in another email. In the subject say: Photos for XX Media Release
• Follow up your media release with a call to make sure they got the story, and to ask if they need anything else
• Photos should include a caption describing who is in the photo and where they are taken. If they are taken by a professional photographer you should mention Photo by XX
• Set up a google alert for your campaign and your name and that way you’ll know as soon as the story is published
• Share it on your social media channels, and with our social media channels, and with our staff so we can amplify it! [email protected]
• This is optional, but it’s nice to practice to call the journalist over the following week and thank them for running your story, and casually update them about your campaign, and see if there is a follow-up story they might be interested in running or staying abreast of.

Sending your own Opinion Piece

Refer to our AP4CA Narrative Training guide  - then send your draft and an idea where you would like to get it published to [email protected]

The final step in this spokes training program is to make sure you stick to our key messages for spokespeople (part 13 of our spokesperson training course).

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