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Building Your Profile

Building Your Profile. Lisa Saputo PR Officer. Topics. Writing for a general audience RTÉ Brainstorm Pitching to journalists Press Release Format. Writing for a general audience. Forget what you know about writing and go back to basics Read a variety of news sources

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Building Your Profile

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  1. Building Your Profile Lisa Saputo PR Officer

  2. Topics • Writing for a general audience • RTÉ Brainstorm • Pitching to journalists • Press Release Format

  3. Writing for a general audience • Forget what you know about writing and go back to basics • Read a variety of news sources • Write the way you talk. Naturally. • Use short words and short paragraphs. But vary sentence length. • Never publish an article when you write it. Read it aloud the next morning - and then edit it.

  4. Writing for a general audience • Think about your reader. Entertain them • But don’t be afraid to challenge them • Avoid jargon and overly technical terms • Be precise. Avoid sentences like this. If this is the case, it says, then that may also be the case. Although that might be the case, so might this.

  5. RTÉ Brainstorm • Launched in 2017 • Partnership between RTÉ, 7 Universities & IRC

  6. RTÉ Brainstorm • Was developed as an antidote to fast news • Place for academics to provide analysis of news stories, contribute to public debate and communicate fresh thinking on a broad range of issues • Brainstorm on Radio debuted in Dec 2018 featuring interviews with PhD Researcher Saoirse McCrann and Alacoque McAlpine • https://www.rte.ie/eile/brainstorm/2018/1203/1014763-brainstorm-on-the-radio-episode-1/

  7. Brainstorm Videos

  8. How to get involved • Register as a contributor at the link below • https://www.rte.ie/eile/brainstorm/2017/0725/892829-contribute-to-brainstorm/ • Make sure you include areas of expertise on the registration form • Keep an eye out for Brainstorm presentations • One-to-one pitching sessions with Editor Jim Carroll

  9. Overview of Brainstorm • 800/900 words (€70) • 2,500 words – weekend long reads (€90) • Creative Commons Licence – RTÉ retain exclusivity for 4 days and then the piece can be published elsewhere • Once published, articles can be picked up by the RTÉ newsroom • One academic got a book deal out of an article

  10. Pitching to Jim Carroll • By email at jim.carroll@rte.ie • What does he want to hear? • Timely analysis of current news stories • Solutions to big issues • Articles relating to anniversaries, holidays, ribbon days etc. (Stardust, St. Patrick’s Day, World Autism Day) • Myth-busting, all you want to know about a topic

  11. Pitching to Jim Carroll Top Tips • Be concise. It can be as little as one sentence. • Don’t pitch articles that have appeared elsewhere. • Brainstorm will edit the piece, but they will contact you if they make any significant changes. • All commissioned pieces will be published, but not always straight away. • Make a declaration of interests if relevant to the piece. • Include a short bio and headshot with your submission.

  12. Writing for Brainstorm Top Tips • Audience is smart and savvy. They’re reading your piece because they want to be better informed about the topic at hand – and they trust you because you’re an expert. Don’t dumb down! • We’re after clear, concise, straight-forward, readable, accessible, human language. It’s the best way to comprehensively communicate your idea to a wide audience and build their trust. The audience for RTÉ Brainstorm is a general one – it is not an academic one so the language should reflect this.

  13. Pitching to the Media • Do your research beforehand • Always get a friend or colleague to proofread/sense check your writing • Email, don’t call • If you have contacts, don’t be afraid to use them • Give them plenty of notice for events etc.

  14. Pitching to the Media • Bad news is good news for the media • Pitch an issue based story, but only if you can offer a solution

  15. Writing a press release

  16. Example Headline and subheading Media Release Thursday, 11th October 2018 LEADING MEDIA EXPERTS AND THINKERS GATHER IN DUBLIN FOR MAJOR CONFERENCE HOSTED BY TU DUBLIN Conference and inclusive workshops will run side-by-side 19th and 20th October 2018

  17. First paragraph • What, Where, When, Who, Why and How Leading figures in media and academia will gather in Dublin next week for ‘Taking Back the Web’, a major conference focusing on how critical media literacy can address the widespread loss of trust in the media. Hosted by the Centre for Critical Media Literacy (CCML) of TU Dublin, the event will feature a keynote address by veteran journalist and broadcaster Vincent Browne with a responding panel including artist and activist Grace Dyas, author Dr Gavan Titley of Maynooth University and Nikki Murphy, TU Dublin journalism student and 2018 Press Council of Ireland Bursary Award winner.

  18. Example • Second & third paragraph – Supporting Information Taking Back the Web: Participation, panic, power – public and private is the CCML’s second annual conference. The centre was established last year to facilitate a range of media research, production, learning and community engagement projects. This year’s event will examine how critical media literacy can help to analyse and transform the relationship between personal and civic data and corporate profit in societies experiencing a widespread loss of trust in ‘surveillance capitalism’. The rich programme of events will feature more than 40 national and international thinkers speaking about various topics in journalism, social media and communication technology. Highlights include Vincent Browne’s keynote address, Relentless Bias and Trivialisation in Media, and panel discussions about children’s digital rights and the radical potentials that may still exist in online media.

  19. Example • Final paragraph – reiterate the logistics, registration link and include contact details for journalists -Ends- For more information or imagery, please contact: Lisa Saputo, Public Relations Officer, 01 402 4172 / 086 701 5268 / lisa.saputo@dit.ie Notes to editor: Dr Harry Browne, Senior Lecturer in Journalism in the School of Media at TU Dublin, is available for interview/comment. Taking Back the Web: Participation, panic, power – public and private Friday, 19 October and Saturday, 20 October Programme of Events This conference is jointly organised by Dr Harry Browne, School of Media (DIT), and Deborah Brennan, School of Multidisciplinary Technologies (DIT). The CCML is seeking to develop models for participatory research and universal access. Alongside the conference, the centre will host a parallel event, based on universal design, for maximum participation from communities that are often excluded from academic events. Centre for Critical Media Literacy

  20. Headlines • Don’t worry too much about writing a catchy headline! • It should be 5-10 words and informative “TU DUBLIN HOST MAJOR CONFERENCE ON MEDIA LITERACY ”

  21. Lead In Times • Remember lead-in times • Monthly (4-6 weeks) • National & Regional Weekly (1-2 weeks to be safe) • Online & Broadcast flexible – you can contact print first and leave online to a few days before • Don’t issue a press release after 3pm

  22. Media Relations Advice • Email any media related questions to lisa.saputo@dit.ie and I will do my best to help!

  23. Questions Thanks for having me!

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