T lki t th T alking t o the New York Times: Why you should share your research with the media and how to get them interested ………………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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T lki t thTalking to the New York Times:Why you should share your research with the media and how to get them interested
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ObjectivesObjectives• Understand the importance of using the media to disseminate
public health messagespublic health messages• Determine which research findings are newsworthy • Develop and pitch a story that will attract media attentionDevelop and pitch a story that will attract media attention• Formulate a strategic plan for media outreach• Create and communicate talking points for media interviews• Track success of media outreach efforts• Understand how to use media coverage to your advantage
The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s HospitalC t f I j R h d P liCenter for Injury Research and Policy
Why is talking to the media important?
• Benefits to the public– Reach a broader audience– Free PSA – Impact can be greater andImpact can be greater and
quicker• Benefits to the researcher
Position yourself as “go to”– Position yourself as go toperson
– Increase fundabilityB “ d i i ”– Be a “good citizen”
Public Benefith d dReach a Broader Audience
• The general public doesThe general public does not read scientific journals
• The general public does not understand statistics
• The general public likes “ ”to trust “experts” they
see and hear in the mediamedia
Public BenefitPSA and Impact
• PSAs cost a lot of money – media coverage is free
• Progress can be slow – media is now
• Media coverage can motivate immediate action
Researcher BenefitPosition and Funding
• Position yourself as the “go to” person
• Increase ability to obtain funding
Researcher BenefitCitizenship
• Be a “good citizen”Be a good citizen– For researchers at large– For your field– For your institution
• Go beyond the scientific journal– Responsible use of t f dtaxpayer funds
– Keep the “heart and soul” in research
Media CoverageMedia Coverage• One of the most effective ways to reach a large audience is through the
news media. We work with local, national and international media to disseminate our research findings and raise public awareness. Our research is frequently reported on in many of the major news outlets.
Background on the Translational hResearch Team
G l k i j h ibl dGoal – to make injury research accessible and understandable to the general public
• Accessibility ‐ take the research out of the journals and into the jpublic domain
• Understandable – helpUnderstandable help researchers present their findings in ways that will be the easiest for the public (non researchers) tothe public (non‐researchers) to understand.
The idea…The idea…• From corporate research
to academia• Examined how long it was
taking research to gettaking research to get “out of the journals and into the public”
i d h h di• Noticed how the media would fill in the gaps on their own when we didn’t provide them with the information they wanted/neededwanted/needed
The implementation…The implementation…• Commitment from both the Center Director and the administration
• Initial staff• Funding• Learned what the media was looking for h h h dthrough research and relationship‐building
Current status…Current status…• Staff
– Manager– Photographer/graphic design/websitedesign/website
– Videographer– Media specialist– Project Coordinator– Steady stream of interns
l d• Hospital media team• Outside media vendor
– MediaSourceTV.com
SuccessesSuccesses• Increase in coverage in major media outlets
• With one recent outreach effort we
bl t hwere able to reach an audience of just over 500 000 000over 500,000,000 with an estimated PR relations value of over 10.5 million
Changing climate…Changing climate…
• Funding challenges• Staff turn‐over• Creative opportunities
– Rethinking how we access our resources
– Revising services providedprovided
How Can I Get Started?How Can I Get Started?• Determine your goals• Take stock of your resources – both internal and externalinternal and external– Ask around, you never know what skills someone has
• Develop an action plan with dateswith dates
• Start slow and build• Use internsUse interns
What Next?What Next?• You see the value in working with the media
• You’ve lined up who you are going to work with to get your research findings out to the publicpublic.
S h t t?• So what comes next?
Talking to the Media –Talking to the Media From the Researcher’s Perspective
Ground Rules of Media InterviewsGround Rules of Media Interviews
• Microphones andMicrophones and cameras are always on
• No such thing as “off gthe record”
• Control of outcome—none
Prepare for the InterviewPrepare for the Interview
• Main messagesMain messages• Supporting messages• Overview questionOverview question• Likely questions• Tricky questions• Tricky questions• The final word
Single Overriding Communication ObjectivesSOCOSOCOs
• Results section andResults section and select 2‐3 main talking points
• Brush up on your study• Sometimes our most surprising findings are interesting but difficult
lto explain
Questions that reporters will ask…Questions that reporters will ask…• What made you do this study? Why
were you interested in this topic?• What results did you find? • What was the most surprising p g
result or study finding?• What would you tell
parents/coaches/teachers/doctors? p / / /What do you recommend?
• What are the next steps? Next study?y
• Is there anything that you would like to mention that we did not cover?—This is your second chance to yaddress your SOCOs!
Off the record…there is no such thing
Press ReleasesPress Releases• Work with the person writing the
press release and discuss the 2‐3 main talking points you want to highlight
• Have suggestions for your quotes that emphasize these points
• Double check data presented in the press release with the data in your paper
• When there are multiple co‐authors or multiple institutions decide who needs to have final approval of press release
• Embargo release date
Media TrainingMedia Training• Consider taking some media
training (at many institutions this is free)
• Preparing for TV, Radio,Preparing for TV, Radio, Telephone, Live and Live via satellite interviews (different considerations)(different considerations)
• Practicing/rehearsing• Wardrobe (microphones
d b li dneed to be clipped to something so wear a jacket…)
Preparingb lEmbargo Release Date
• Your availability on day of embargo release or sometimes the week before or week of
• System to handle media requests (notebook, electronic file, etc.) emailelectronic file, etc.) email trail
• A way to communicate with your media teamyour media team
• Responding to reporters with deadlines
Working with the Media –From the Communications Team’s
PerspectivePerspective
Making a commitmentMaking a commitment• Don’t just do it because
you think you “should”
• Make sure you yunderstand the time commitment– Stick with it once you say y y
yes
• Have systems in place toHave systems in place to maximum the effectiveness of your efforts
Where do I start?Where do I start?• Determine who to work
h f dwith for your media outreach
Within your organization– Within your organization (marketing, communications, media team)
– Someone within your departmentdepartment
– Someone at another organization (co‐author, partners, funders)
Remember, the best partner may vary with the situation.s tuat o
Is It Newsworthy?Is It Newsworthy?
• Needs to have a “hook”
– Breaking News– Timely/ related to something
else in the news– New discovery/findings– Unusual findingg– Does it affect people’s
everyday lives– SeasonalSeasonal
Developing a Media PlanDeveloping a Media Plan
• Determine approach• Determine approach• Press release, press conference,
letter to the editor, op‐ed
• Create timeline• Establish embargo date and workEstablish embargo date and work
backwards• Importance of timing
• Outline tasks
Example checklistExample checklist
Press releases (from the communications team perspective)
General tipsGeneral tips
• Press releases are for the general populationgeneral population– Remember the goal is to help
people understand your research and why it is relevant to them
– Avoid jargon– Write for a non‐scientific
diaudience• Catchy headline important to
attract reporters attentionQ h ld i• Quotes should contain your take‐away information
Press releases (from the communications team perspective)
• Tips for working with• Tips for working with marketing/ communications staff– Meet with them before they start
writing to make sure everyone is on the same pagep g
– Remember in many cases they are not researchers
– Make sure you agree on importantMake sure you agree on important findings and that you are comfortable with the quotes
– Listen to their opinion on what willListen to their opinion on what will make this story interesting to the media
Translating ResearchTranslating Research
T l t h iFrom 1999-2008 an estimated
• Translate your research in a way that the general public can understand and that will
931,886 children under 5 years of age were treated in an emergency
department in the United States for stair-related injuries averaging 46 5
capture their attention
U S i l M h
stair related injuries, averaging 46.5 injuries per 10 000 population
annually.
OR• Use Social Math
• Help reporters understand
OR
Every 6 minutes in the U.S. a child under 5 years of age is treated• Help reporters understand
why your findings are important
a child under 5 years of age is treated in an emergency department for a
stair-related injury
Distribution of Media MaterialsDistribution of Media Materials
• Determining how the media• Determining how the media materials will be distributed– Who will send out the press release
How/When will it be sent out– How/When will it be sent out
• Collateral materials– Do you have anything else or could
you develop pieces that reporters might be interested in?
• MMR (multi‐media release)MMR (multi media release)• Multimedia Newsroom• Infographics
– Example Rossen Report
Become a Friend of the Media• Make your talking points relatable
• Make yourself THE go‐to resource
• Be responsive – They often have deadlines of
only a couple of hours
B h l f l• Be helpful. – If you don’t have the
information they need, offer to connect them withto connect them with someone else who may
• Know your reporters. Remember this takes time– Don’t pitch them on topics
they won’t coverRemember, this takes time
Day of the EmbargoDay of the Embargo
• Alerting staff– Where to direct phone pcalls, etc
• Preparing “interview ”area”
– Practice your talking points
– Staging– Props– Collateral materialsCollateral materials
TrackingTracking
• Free resources– Google and Yahoo AlertsAlerts
• Your name• Your research topicY i i• Your organization
– Social media• Twitter mentions• YouTube video views
TrackingTracking
• Free resources– Dashboard‐typeDashboard type resources
• Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Twazzup, BuzzlogicBuzzlogic, Socialmention, Brandwatch, ddi t tiaddict‐o‐matic
TrackingTracking
• Paid resourcesE l– Examples
• Radian6, Vocus
Additi l i– Additional services– Costs
Recording Media “Hits”Recording Media Hits
• Media placementsMedia placements
di i i• Media interviews
ReportingReporting
• For analysis– StaffStaff meetings
– OrganizationOrganization executives
– Tracking gcoverage successes
ReportingReporting• Presentation
“ ”– “Brag” books– Website– Presentations– CV’s
Thank You!Please feel free to contact us
www.InjuryCenter.org
Lara McKenzieLara [email protected]
Tracy [email protected]
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