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Christelle du Toit
Published by Damaria Senne Media CC 89 Orion Street, Kensington, 2094 http://damariasennemedia.blogspot.com Cover Design by Ofentse O.F.E Mokgethi Photography by Christelle du Toit All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission to reproduce, and for all other inquiries, contact Damaria Senne Media at damariasenne@gmail.com http://damariasennemedia.blogspot.com ISBN: 978-0-620-51239-8 Published in the Republic of South Africa First Edition October 2011
Damaria Senne works as a writer and publisher. She produces various kinds of copy, case studies, news articles, profiles, press releases and in-depth reports for a number of corporate and government clients. She has previously worked for Intrinsic Media, a communications company, and ITWeb, an IT media house. She also worked as a communications manager for a number of non-profit organisations, including the Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa and the NonProfit Partnership. Damaria volunteers for READ SA, a national campaign which encourages South Africans to read and to be well read.
This book is dedicated to my father, who always believed that I can write, and my mother, who taught me to think about the practicalities of a writing life. Thank you for always supporting me, even when I seemed lost.
Christelle du Toit worked as a journalist at various media houses in South Africa for almost ten years, including The Citizen and the SABC. She trained and worked in the fields of newspaper, magazine, television, and radio, online and photographic journalism. She has a specific interest in government, politics and community empowerment news. Christelle has worked as Head of Communications for the Royal Bafokeng Nation in Phokeng, North West, South Africa. She has also served as Provincial Head of Communications for the Department of Public Works and Rural Development in the Free State Province, South Africa.
To my dad, brothers, and family and friends thank you.
Table of Contents
Introduction Section A: Getting the Journalists Attention Chapter 1: Know the media most likely to cover your story Chapter 2: Connect with individual journalists Chapter 3: Have a clear message Chapter 4: Man bites dog Chapter 5: Get to the point Chapter 6: Link your story to recent news developments Chapter 7: Writing your press release Chapter8: Strategies to expand your media coverage Chapter 9: Respect and plan around deadlines Section B: Media Interview Tips Chapter 10: Tips for your media interview Chapter 11: Special tips for TV interviews Chapter 12: Special tips for radio interviews Chapter 13: Why email interviews are your friend Section C: The Morning After Chapter 14: Working with a media monitoring service Conclusion
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ournalists favourite story pitches are from people who get to the point of their pitch at the beginning. They dont start out talking about research they either know or can easily find out for themselves. They also dont waste the journalists time telling them how wonderful their product or service is, or that they are leaders in the market. The pitch tells the journalist what happened, why and how it happened, and why their readers should care. Sometimes it even gives journalists fresh contacts for expert sources who can substantiate the claims made in a media statement. Do note that the worst thing you can possibly do is to continuously pitch weak or repetitive story ideas to a journalist. Eventually they just block and ignore you, and when you do have something important to say, the message is lost (think of the boy who cried wolf). It may sound harsh, but just because you care about something does not mean journalists or their readers should. Bring something strong and new to the table though, and its a whole different ballgame. Remember the K.I.S.S. principle: Keep It Short And Simple. Long rambling statements mean nothing. Short pithy comments that are quotable are better. Keep in mind that a media enquiry is not an opportunity to climb on your soapbox; its a chance to help someone tell a compelling story.
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If you dont have anything new/unique to offer for a particular query, but can recommend someone who can, tell the journalist right at the beginning. Dont try to hog the publicity, and then give inadequate input that just ends up being ignored. Journalists value someone who is connected to a network of potential sources as much as they value the people who provide immediate comment. Recommending a more appropriate source also demonstrates that you have insight into how your and their industry works.
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