2006 Press Secretary - Cheryl Satterthwaite
Greetings Michigan Jaycees –
The goal of any good Public Relations program is to increase your Chapter’s
visibility within the community.
Visibility leads to recognition.
Recognition leads to a greater supply of volunteers, members, and donations. Our Chapters do great things in our communities – it’s time
to let more people know about it.
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If your
Chapter doesn’t have a Press Secretary/Public Relations Director – get one!
The skill set that you should look for:
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Proper
grammar usage
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Organized
(must be able to handle multiple projects)
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Ability and
desire to develop personal relationships with the local press and media
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Ability to
do follow up
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Creativity
(ability to find the different and interesting story)
If you have no one in your chapter with this skill set, try your local community
college. Talk to the Business Department to find a promising student who is
looking for an opportunity to build up a portfolio. This is a great chance to beat the “can’t get a job without
experience, can’t get experience without a job” cycle.
If you need to, offer them a free membership in exchange.
The investment will impact your chapter for years to come.
Also, try to work out an internship credit with the professor.
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Develop a
Media List – identify and make contact with your local media resources.
Media outlets to include:
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Television
(include Network, Public Broadcast, and Community Access channels)
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Radio
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Newspapers
(weekly, daily, and regional/university)
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Chamber of
Commerce publications
Check the following media listing websites:
http://www.michimedia.net
(radio and TV index – click on the
“Dials” menu); http://web.mel.org/index.jsp
(newspaper index – click on Michigan > News & Media > Michigan Local
Newspapers). Please make sure that
you contact the media outlet and verify the contact information.
It changes frequently and changes are not always reflected on these
websites.
What information do you need:
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Name of
media outlet
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Contact
person (could be multiple contact people - community calendar, social, community
service, news editor)
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Address
(street, city, state, zip)
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Phone number
(general and direct dial to your contact person)
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Fax number
(make sure it is for the contact person - sometimes they have multiple fax
machines at one location)
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E-mail for
all contacts
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Deadline for
publication and publication dates
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Preferred
format for print and pictures
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Identify the
PR opportunities ahead.
Mark your calendar with known dates:
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Community
festivals and events
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Chamber of
Commerce functions
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Chapter
signature projects
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USJC Week
(January) and MIJC Week (June)
Year-round opportunities (not date specific):
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New members
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New programs
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Installation
of a new Chapter Board
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Being
awarded a grant
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Job
promotions or recognition awarded a member
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“Thank You”
to supporters, donors, community-at-large
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Letter to
the Editor
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Create a
Media Packet – should be in a folder with pockets.
Identification on the front that includes:
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Name of
Chapter
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Chapter
address
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Chapter
phone number
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Website
address
Ø Date
Inside the packet:
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History of
the chapter (date formed)
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Prominent
past members (the Mayor, bank president, etc.)
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Biographies
of the current board members
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Description
of high profile projects
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Most recent
Chapter newsletter and/or Michigander
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Letter from
Chapter President – with an invitation to contact the Chapter
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Listing of
the Chapter contacts (in the order which they should be used)
Hand deliver to all media outlets, City Hall (City Manager and all elected
officials), Chamber of Commerce, and major businesses in town.
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So now that
you’ve gathered the proper tools – what does it take to get the job done?
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Promote your
projects:
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Internally –
flyers at GMM/Board Meetings, skits at meeting, post cards, personalized
invitations, phone calls, weekly e-mails
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Externally –
billboards, press releases, personal invitations, pizza boxes, flyers posted at
apartments complexes, cable calendar channels, newspaper calendar, message
boards, want ads, personal ads, business signs around town, Chamber of Commerce
newsletter and calendar, website, clothing, pens, notepads, banners, street
signs, fortune cookies, sky writing…the
only limit is your imagination
Each project should be evaluated and promoted individually based upon the
audience of the project.
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Write Press
Releases (a sample of the correct format is on the Michigan Jaycees website
www.mijaycees.org) – should include:
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Contact name
and phone number
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Printed on
Chapter letterhead
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For
Immediate Release (or a hold date)
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Catchy
headline
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First
paragraph should include all important information (who, what, where, when, why)
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Try to keep
it to one page
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Put ### at
the bottom of the press release to indicate there is nothing more to follow
Remember to follow up – just a quick call, “Did you receive our press release?
I have some additional information.”
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Use Public
Service Announcements (a sample is on the Michigan Jaycees website).
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Make sure
that you send it to the right person
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Keep
changing the content
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Stations
cannot guarantee when your PSA will be announced, just how many times they will
be aired
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So, they
didn’t print your Press Release:
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Take lots of
pictures and write the story yourself
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A one to two
page article – hand deliver it to your paper with a smile
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Pictures
should include the participants and of course your chapter banner
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For
additional assistance – please contact the Michigan Jaycees Press Secretary:
§ Cheryl Satterthwaite
Home: 586 268 5125
Cell: 586 914 1217
cheryl_ann_s@yahoo.com
Ø Get your message out there!