Media Tips

Does the thought of writing a press release throw you into disarray? Does the thought of speaking to a journalist fill you with dread? Would you rather decline the opportunity of a radio interview for fear of making a fool of yourself?

Fear no more! This section of my website is aimed at helping you to get good press coverage and positive media attention for you or your project. With over twenty five years' experience in the field of television and radio journalism, I have put together some articles aimed at helping you to get good press coverage and positive media attention for your project.

It’s well worth getting to know one or two local journalists with whom you can build up a good working relationship. You will often find the media is a helpful ally. Local media have a better reputation for local accuracy: they know the area, and they rely on local stories so have to keep their reputation.

When you send a news story to your local newspaper, it helps to attach a suitable picture of the event.

I shall be adding more pages with publishing tips to help you get your message across and make the news.

In the meantime, you can get some useful information from the following links:

Designing a leaflet will help you to market your project as a cause worth supporting
Improving your news photos - the right picture is worth a thousand words
Local media - a list of Cambridgeshire newspapers, radio and television stations
Mind your language - a plea for using plain language so that everyone can understand
Some advice on handling radio and television interviews
Spelling out names and weird words recommends the NATO phonetic alphabet as best way to spell out difficult words or names
Before you approach a journalist or even begin to write, remind yourself what is newsworthy?
What you should consider when you begin writing a press release
What are news values?

People will understand straight away what you write and say when you use appropriate, simple, everyday words. Use plain English and natural expressions – and avoid jargon.