Using the Media 8th March 2012

Ziela HaiderInterim Head of Communications

Aims…

To show you how Dogs Trust:

• Uses PR to rehome dogs and promote its views

through the media

• Reaches different audiences

• Turns a ‘negative’ story into a positive one

• Works with the social media team

…and hopefully to inspire you with new ways to

promote your organisation and its values

Over to you!

What would you like to learn from this

session?

Communications Department

• Press & PR

• Information

• Events, Surveys, Projects

• Wag!

• Annual Review

• Action on dog welfare

What about you?

Tell me about any experience

you have with the media!

Media Trends: a short quiz

• How many regional newspapers are there in the UK?

• 1,607

• How many consumer magazines are there in the UK?

• 3,100

• What was the most searched for thing on Google last year?

• The World Cup

Why is this important?

• Lots of ways to tell people about Dogs

Trust

BUT

• Lots of competition

Over to you!

Can you give me recent

examples of PR campaigns in

your countries that worked

well?

PR –v- Advertising

• PR & Advertising – What is the difference?

• Advertising– Paid for by Dogs Trust

– We have complete control over what appears

• PR– Editorial – we supply the information, the journalist writes the

feature or article

– No control over what appears

– No cost to Dogs Trust

– Much more effective

“One favourable paragraph in a

news story can be worth a

whole page of advertising”

PR Cost – a pack of biscuits

and a key ring Advertising cost – £19,000

PR Cost – a telephone call Advertising cost – £36,104

The Independent Review

£4,950 Front Cover

£75,570 Feature

PR Results• 4th most read story on BBC Online on the day it

appeared

• Over 65 press articles in national and regional newspapers

• Over 100 online articles reporting the news

• 3,000 extra hits to the Dogs Trust website on the day the news broke

• 1,000 click-throughs to our press release when posted on Twitter and Facebook

• An ongoing relationship with a key children’s TV programme

How much of what you read in

the papers and see on the

news is PR generated?

60%

How many press releases does

a features editor of a national

newspaper receive each day?

140

What makes the news?

• Controversy

• Royals

• Cute and fluffy

• Celebrity & soaps

• Sex

• Money

• Public safety

• People power

Above All

– Human Interest

Getting Dogs Trust in the

Media

Our Audience?

• Supporters

• Future supporters

• Future rehomers

• The media

• Opinion formers

• Politicians

• Fundraisers

• Internal staff members

How do we do reach them?

• Re-active

– Journalists call us for a quote, a story, or information

• Pro-active

– We think up ideas, stories, and campaigns and persuade journalists to cover it

• Essential Tool – The Press Release

Details of dramatic rescue

E.g. how was the dog rescued, were

members of the public involved,

what did Centre staff do?

Asking for help

E.g. Centre urgently needs bedding,

volunteers, extra food, toys etc.

Area Related Dog

‘London’s prettiest / ugliest/friendliest/

biggest/smallest/cutest dog’

The health benefit of dogs

Disabled Dogs

E.g. 3 legged or deaf dogs who are

doing well despite their ailment

Link to Topical Events

E.g. Sports, films, award ceremonies

Support from Corporate/

Celebrity Partners

Unusual breeds, sizes

colours, crosses, weight

E.g. The smallest dog next to the

largest dog

Litters of Puppies

E.g. Do they an unusual story, funny

names, are they being hand reared,

is it a very large litter?

Old Dogs

E.g. Longer term residents,

The oldest dog at the centre, older dogs

with older people

Funny/Topical Dog Names

E.g. Named after things linked to the

seasons & events [Noel & Holly at

Christmas] Famous singers, celebrities,

sports stars

Cute /Brave Stories

E.g. Dogs who are best friends

with other dogs or other animals,

loyalty to owner, bravery,

Anniversaries/ Reasons to Celebrate

E.g.. Staff member celebrating long

service, 1000th dog rehomed

Centre Events

E.g. Open days, bring a dog a

Christmas dinner

Link back to the work of Dogs Trust

Sponsor a dog, microchipping,

neutering, education, responsible

dog ownership, fundraising

Educating Dog Owners of Tomorrow

PR IDEAS

Support from

Corporate Partners

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.afjv.com/press0503/050302_nintendo_ds_3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://abunadajo.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/soon-a-new-version-of-the-nintendo-ds/&usg=__UD3hQocnYXauwt-iSgLqpYcTxgg=&h=444&w=625&sz=19&hl=en&start=13&um=1&tbnid=F17lxAKZ2VIoUM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=136&prev=/images?q=nintendo+DS&hl=en&rlz=1T4HPND_en___GB220&um=1

The Saturdays, Nintendo and Dogs Trust

Topical or Interesting

Names

Piggyback!

• World Cup

• Wimbledon

• Flower shows

• Valentines day

• Christmas themed

• National holidays

Chrissie & Evie

Cranbury

Bjorn & Borg

Dogs with health

conditions

Ronnie

Snowball & Meg

Unusual Dogs

Weasel

Britain’s Ugliest Dog

Film releases

Results

• Over 500 phone calls on the day Hubble

appeared on TV

• Over 100 offers of a new home as far

afield as the US and Switzerland

• Hubble has a new home and is settling in

well with his owner – good follow up story

too

Piglet

Charlie & Barney

Rose

The Walking Mat - Matherson

After….Before…

Staff

Recognition

Career changes…

Turning you into the story…

Fundraising

My Life As A Dog

Three opportunities for coverage

Before…

During…

After

Unusual Size

Birthday celebrations

Life after Dogs Trust

Turning a sad tale

into a positive

Turning a ‘negative’ into a positive

• Separation anxiety

• Older dogs

• Common breeds

• Abandonment

• ‘Sticky’ dogs

• Nicknaming dogs

Going the extra mile…

Over to you!

What challenges do you face in

communicating the aims of your

organisations?

Health Benefits

Events

Centre Focused

• Summer Open Days

• Christmas Fayres

• Education workshops

• Visits from celebrities or dignitaries

• Agility events

• Dog training and behaviour workshops or talks

• Fundraising events or large donations to the RC

http://www.revealblog.co.uk/

Celebrities

• Can add weight to your

campaign

• Different type of media

• Online media- eg Twitter

Over to you!

Tell me about the celebrity

culture in your countries and

‘key influencers’ you would like

to target?

Letter to the Editor

A Day in the Life

Ten Golden Rules

Points to remember:

• What?

• Who?

• Where?

• Why?

• When?

90% of press releases end up in the bin!

Spotting a story

• Always have an eye out for catchy stories that will not only have a regional but also national appeal

• Maintain and develop good media contacts in your region- maybe set up a visit to your center or a lunch so that these contacts will keep coming back for stories

• We have a journalist meet and greet programme and ensure that we regularly circulate our contact details to new journalists

Internal Comms

• Don’t forget to tell your staff what has

been going on and inspire them to spot

news stories for you

Photography

Photography tips

• Be patient

Photography tips

• Take shots of normal behaviour

Photography tips

• Use sounds to focus the dog’s attention

Photography tips

• Shoot at eye level

Photography tips

• Natural and playful rather than posed

Photography tips

• Get close

Photography tips

• Show the dog in action

Photography tips

• Take lots of pictures

Photography tips

• Use branding

Photography tips

• Use props

• Dogs and children

Photography tips

Photography tips

• If your dog won’t pose – get creative!

Photography tips

• If your dog won’t pose – get creative!

Photography tips

• Combination of different shots

The People

Circulation: 900,000

Readership: 2,700,000

Over to You!

Thank You

Any Questions?