This document discusses media relations and public relations (PR) planning. It begins by defining media relations as involving strategic use of media to disseminate an organization's message to external audiences. It then discusses whether media relations is an art or science, and argues it is both. The document provides tips for choosing an effective media team and setting an agenda. It also discusses segmenting media and tools for media relations. For PR planning, it outlines developing a brief, brainstorming, proposal packaging, budgeting, timelines, team building, and evaluation. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of thorough forward planning and management for PR success.

1. Media Relations and PR Planning
Bolaji Okusaga

2. Part 1: Media Relations

3. Introduction
• Media Relations involves the strategic deployment of the media
in telling the organizational story.
• It seeks the dissemination of the organization’s objective to an
audience outside the organization's immediate reach.
• And involve the transmitting of messages via the mass media.
• Media relation therefore stands on a tripod: the Organization
(Sender), the Media (Transmitter) and the Target Audience
(Receiver).

4. Media Relations: An Art or a Science?
• There is little doubt that the media is an all-pervasive and
key part of modern society and communications.
• However, is media relations an art or science? And if it is
both, as most practitioners believe, how can we achieve
desirable results?
• Developing and integrating media relations strategies into
overall communications plans are important skills for all
communicators.
• Also challenging is the process of actually translating media
strategies into reality, of building professional relationships
with members of the media and, perhaps most
important, achieving a recognition of the organization and
its media relations officers as credible sources of
information.

5. Is it an Art?
• Media Relation can be said to be an art because it
engages the creativity of the PR practitioner in the
work process.
• Creative Media relations, considers the following:
- What groups of stakeholders do we want to appeal
to and how?
- What impressions do you want each of the
stakeholder to have?
- What media is most practical to use in terms of
access and affordability?
- What messages are most appealing to each
stakeholder group?

6. The Art of Media Relations
• Media relations is essentially the art of engagement.
• Engagement here operates at two levels:
- Media Operators Engagement
This involves relating with Media Operators via Press
Releases, Media Tours and Press Conferences
- End-user or Audience Engagement
This involves answering questions raised on publications
about your organization in the media and gauging their
reaction against the your objective

7. Is it a Science?
• Media Relations is a science because it involves
systemic planning and measurement.
• Effective Media Relations often depends on
designing and implementing a well-thought-out
plan.
• It involves Audience targeting, media
segmentation and media measurement in the
attainment of its goals
• The plan often includes description of what you
want to convey to whom and how you plan to
convey it.
• A media plan for instance specifies what media
methods can be used and when.

8. Managing the Media
Credibility
Ability to deal honestly
Candor
Ability to acknowledge errors
Clarity
Ability to keep it simple
Compassion
Ability to listen to others
Commitment
Ability to keep the issue in focus

9. Choosing a Media team
- Who is the Chief Spokesperson?
- Who makes the Press Calls?
- Who sends the releases?
A A A
COORDINATOR WRITER SPOKESPERSON
The Ideal Media Team

10. The Media Coordinator
• The media coordinator must be someone who is
personable, can succinctly articulate the issues, and is
willing to spend a great deal of time on the telephone.
• This person makes sure press releases go out on
time, keeps media lists updated, makes press calls, and
works actively behind the scenes during events.
• The media coordinator should be well-known behind
the camera as the organization's spokesperson is in
front of it. One person handling press calls can
cultivate important relationships with assignment desk
personnel, news producers, and camera people.

11. The Spokesperson
• The spokesperson must be articulate, a good listener, have
camera presence, be well-informed about issues, be able to
think quickly on his/her feet, have credibility, be able to
develop a good rapport with a reporter, and be intuitive
enough to know when a reporter is not friendly.
• He / She must be able to think through each question that
are likely to be asked, and consider carefully the possible
responses.
• He / She must always be ready to revise and refine the
organization’s position as defined by the media
environment

12. The Writer
• The writer creates the substance for all your press events.
• He / She must have a clear, concise, effective writing skill.
Because someone is articulate does not mean he/she can
write.
• Must be a good editor and always ensure that he/she
"tighten up" news material.
• He/ She must have a good understanding of the
organization because everything that is written and released
must reflect accurately the position of the organization.

13. Agenda Setting
• Agenda-setting refers to the power of the media in defining
the focus of its target as to what is important in the public
domain
• Agenda-setting is the creation of public awareness and
concern of salient issues by the news media.
• The theory of agenda-setting is based on two assumptions:
(1) the press and the media do not reflect reality; they filter and shape
it;
2) media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to
perceive those issues as more important than other issues.

14. The Conceptual Model for Agenda Setting
Personal Experience and Interpersonal Communication
Media Agenda Policy Agenda
Real World Indicators of the Importance of an Agenda, Issue or Event

15. Why Set an Agenda?
To
influence a
thought
process
To compel To shape
action opinion
To gain
empathy

16. Segmenting the Media
• The media operates at varying levels of interests as
there are various kinds of individuals, belonging to
different professions, sharing different social or
religious views and opinions and engaging in
different kinds of past times.
• The strategy starts with an understanding of your
organization's position in all of the disparate
interests that are available within your industry and
social setting.

17. The How of Segmentation
• Segmentation involves a demographic, professional, ethical and
psychographic parameter:
- The Conservative Media
Conservative Political and Economic Inclination, as seen from
its editorial stance
- The Liberal Media
Liberal Political and Economic Inclination, as seen from
its editorial stance
- The Specialist Media
This targets specific Industries and Professions
- The Lifestyle Media
This engages in lifestyle and popular culture reporting and are usually
referred to as tabloids. Traditionally, tabloids are distinguished by
sensationalism of approach and content rather than by straightforward
reportage of newsworthy events.

18. Tools and Tricks
• The Press Kit
• The Media Contact List
• The Press Release
• Media Calls and Tours
• The Press Conference
• Media Monitoring
• The Tear-sheet
• Audience Response Research

19. Part 2: PR Planning

20. What is PR??
• PR is the management of perception/reputation for an
organisation or personality among its publics.
• The PR process is:
Deliberate Planned Sustained
• Please note – it is not haphazard or a fire brigade approach

21. What is a PR Program??
• It involves analyzing problems and opportunities
• Defining goals and the publics (people whose support &
understanding is needed)
• Recommending and planning activities
• It includes budgeting and assignment of responsibility to
appropriate people
• We must be able to evaluate it

22. Where do we start??

23. The Brief
• A summary of the facts, instructions and information
relating to a particular situation, job or task
• To develop a good PR programme the brief must be
correctly interpreted or deciphered

24. Understanding a Brief- The Edge
• It helps focuses effort – the unnecessary is excluded
• Improves effectiveness – working on the right things
• Encourages long-term views – planning to look ahead

25. Next!!

26. Brainstorming/ Plans Board
• Session(s) where all ideas for PR activities are generated
• The sessions are stimulating
• All kinds of exciting and wacky ideas can emerge
REMEMBER
• No idea is stupid – think it up! say it out!

27. Brainstorming/ Plans Board
• In all of these strategy must guide our sessions when
developing program
• The power of creativity must come to play
WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
• Developing or bringing out a new idea from an old subject

28. What’s Next??

29. Packaging Proposals & Presentation
• Professionalism must be involved when packaging a proposal
• It must be packaged to create excitement and eliminate boredom
• Presentation must be well proofread for mistakes e.g. typos
• The team making presentation must be well acquainted about the
client and the industry it operates

30. Packaging Proposals & Presentation
• A good proposal must include
- the target
- the objective
- competition
- activity
- the strategy
- medium of communication

31. Budgeting
• It is essential to any plan
• It must be designed to project cost throughout the duration of
the campaign
• These are components of plans to accomplish specific PR activity
PLEASE NOTE
• In all of these budget must be competitive, defendable and
realistic
• Budget is better presented in excel sheet

32. Hurray!!
…Budget Approved.

33. Timeline/Work plan/
Critical Path Analysis
• This is the schedule of all activities for a PR campaign
• A process of backtiming is determining what you want as a
finished product
• How much time each step the process will take

34. Project Team
• A project team must be put together
• In assigning personnel
- the programme must detail the human resources needed to
accomplish objectives
- it must also address personnel to be used for what activity
• An ideal project team must include; a good writer, client service
person, an event person and out source staff (i.e.
photographer, freelance writer, decorator etc.

35. Evaluation
• Evaluation permits PR practitioner & the client to assess the
effectiveness of the efforts
• It gives an opportunity to adjust tactics while the campaign is on
• This has been a bit of challenge to us in Africa
• We are yet to determine an acceptable standard

36. Evaluation Technique
It includes
- impact analysis
- audience coverage
- audience response
- campaign impact
- environmental assessment

37. …And the Conclusion of the
Matter

38. Evaluation
“Getting a PR campaign or programme off the
ground can seem an overwhelming task. But as
with any project, the secret of success lies in
the forward planning process and its systematic
management”

39. Thank you