As a Rotarian it is always disappointing and frustrating when the media features an article about a project or program that Rotary has instigated or implemented or completed without acknowledging the significant contribution made by our organisation. In most instances it is not so much the fault of the Rotarians involved – they provide the relevant background information and visuals to accompany the story – but, in many cases, the newspapers or television stations choose not to include or emphasize it and all we can do is lament another opportunity that has been lost to promote the name and brand of “Rotary” to the wider community.
It was very gratifying, therefore, to hear Rotary prominently acknowledged last year for its involvement in the End Polio Now initiative when the world media announced that the African Region is now free of the wild polio virus. Rotary and its members received significant positive coverage in leading media outlets around the world for its leadership in eradicating wild polio in the African region, with key Rotary spokespeople quoted frequently.
Rotary's global media strategy enabled it to be mentioned in coverage throughout the African continent and in top international outlets, as well as, coverage in priority countries such as the United States, Germany, Australia, Canada, and India. Of course, Rotary was not in every single media report, but was mentioned in a substantial majority. In many instances, Rotary and WHO were the only Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners mentioned.
Here are some of such highlights:
- Leading media outlets around the world published more than 90 stories that highlighted Rotary’s role in eradicating wild polio in the African region, with the majority of coverage quoting Rotary spokespeople, including Rotary International President Holger Knaack, Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee Chair Dr. Tunji Funsho, and others.
- A joint op-ed by Rotary International President Holger Knaack and WHO Director-General Tedros was published in at least 10 outlets, including top-tier outlets like Al Jazeera, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and Die Welt.
- Rotary Public Image Coordinators (RPICs) throughout Africa were instrumental in securing additional media coverage of the milestone. Working with members of the Public Relations team, RPICs and other Rotarians with media expertise secured over 80 pieces of coverage in Africa and Europe.
- Efforts to provide Rotarians globally with a toolkit promote the milestone in their communities resulted in further global coverage, including extensive coverage in the UK.
- Social media posts on Rotary’s channels reached 4 million people and resulted in 517,000 video views and 93,000 likes/comments/shares. Celebrities like John Cena, Ade Adepitan and Itzhak Perlman posted and tagged Rotary on social media. Between 25-27 August, Rotary was mentioned more than 22,000 times on Twitter and Instagram.
What is evident by the success of Rotary getting the recognition it deserved for its involvement and success in the GPEI was a clear understanding of how to connecting to the media and how we should all aim to talk to local press and media outlets when it comes to our own club projects and accomplishments.
Every person or organisation has a story to tell which will interest the media.
We need to increase public awareness and understanding of Rotary to set the stage for membership growth, fundraising and collaboration.
Rotary members are actively working to improve communities around the world and have so much to share with an external audience so they can learn about Rotary and also hopefully join in our efforts.
The positive news is that media needs stories now more than ever – journalists require fresh information to plug into websites, papers, radio slots and television slots.
Time zones, airings and printing schedules do not limit the media anymore and most news outlets have a 24-hour news cycle to meet the growing demand to deliver news as it happens.
The challenge is to package and present stories in a way that will get them covered by media.
Below are a several factors that can determine whether a journalist will be keen on a story.
- News hook: A clear reason for telling a story at a particular time. Does the story relate to current events, trends or observances?
- Timeliness: News that is about to occur, ongoing or near completion.
- Proximity: News that pertains to issues, people or events to occur within the location of a media organisation and audience.
- Prominence: News that involves public figures, celebrities and notables.
- Human interest: News that elicits sympathy or emotional response.
- Consequence: News about the result of something that has significant impact on the news organisation’s audience or influencer’s followers.
- Visually compelling: New or unique and attention getting images that dramatically convey the message.
- Data: Relevant statistics and research that support the story.
If you as a Rotarian would like to learn more and stay up to date with what media tend to write about or how you could fit into the mix, here are a couple handy tips:
- Get to know your local media by reading the local newspaper, watch the evening news, listen to the radio to discover what stories are being shared.
- Also, follow their social media channels to identify where your story might fit in to their mix.
For further information and assistance on how to create a pitch or draft a media release, check our the RI Brand Center which contains several useful guidelines and templates, and, feel free to contact the District PI Committee.