Also in Politics & Social Justice

Ready, Set, Talk!

A Guide to Getting Your Message Heard by Millions on Talk Radio, Talk Television, and Talk Internet

by Ellen Ratner, Kathie Scarrah

Promotion Checklist

Preparing your Message and Campaign

1. Is your spokesperson willing to go on the air?
2. Have you monitored the media that you want to use?
3. Have you created, defined, and refined your message?
4. Is your word usage up-to-date?
5. Have you set the goals of your campaign?
6. Is your campaign designed to reach out to people who would not ordinarily be on your side?
7. Have you defined your purpose? What is it you want to have happen?
8. Have you personalized your issue(s)?
9. Have you made complex issues understandable?
10. Have you examined your timing and all the ramifications of your timing decisions?
11. Have you looked at which issues you can piggyback on?
12. Have you found ways to rejuvenate your message with a new angle?
13. Does your intended audience feel they are more in control of their lives with your issue(s)?
14. Have you found a way to make your story today’s news?
15. Have you crafted a sound bite, something people are going to remember?
16. Are you being creative in your use of statistics? Is your use of statistics interesting?
17. Do you understand the pros and cons of your strategy and message?
18. Can you identify your audience? Would you be able to paint a picture of them?
19. How would people stereotype your message? Are you ready for it?

Marketing Your Campaign, Issue, or Spokesperson

20. Have you thought of creative, wild ideas that will attract attention?
21. Do you have a great printed and online press kit?
22. Are your sound and video easily obtainable?
23. Have you used organization and personal history to increase your credibility?
24. What have you done to bolster your credibility?
25. What are you doing for fun?
26. Do you have real ways to find class in your campaign?
27. Have you found ways to be the source of information?
28. Do you know how your message works today? Have you looked to find out how your issue is being searched on the Internet?
29. Have you found a way to make your event unique and open to the media?
30. Have you found ways to multiply your message and use new venues?
31. Have you found a way to capitalize on controversy?
32. Have you used VNRs and other PR techniques to get your images in front of the media?
33. Is your event calendar available to the media?
34. Do you have a research plan and timeline?
35. How are using traditional and nontraditional methods to reinforce your message?
36. Have you used your constituency to call in to the media?
37. Can people find you? Have you made it easy?
38. What is your cross-promotion plan?
39. Are you willing to debate?
40. Are you allowing free hits? Are you ready to fight back?
41. Do you understand that small markets and niche Web sites can get the job done? Do you have plan for them?

Selecting and Preparing a Spokesperson

42. Is your spokesperson a positive personality?
43. Have you coached your spokesperson?
44. Have you monitored the media before the interview?
45. Did you debrief your spokesperson?

Booking the Spokesperson

46. Have you thought outside your target programs?
47. Are you booking a radio and TV satellite tour?
48. Have you refined you pitch?
49. Have you found ways to provide additional service?
50. Do you know why your campaign and issue matter now?
51. Have you made use of conference calls?
52. Are you completely honest?
53. Have you provided a choice of spokespersons?
54. How available are your spokespersons?
55. Are your facts straight? Are your times zones correct?
56. Do you have a backup plan for cancellations?
57. Do you need to review a radio or TV station’s public files?

Preparing to Be On

58. Have you reviewed the current news on the day of the interview? Do you know what the hot topics of the day are?
59. Have you painted the picture? Does the audience understand the background?
60. Are you specific? Have you avoided broad generalizations?
61. Are you dressed and made up for success?
62. Have you found ways to build bridges, areas of agreement?
63. Is your spokesperson energized?
64. Have you chosen an in-studio interview? If not, why not?
65. What will be the consequences of your success?
66. How well do you know your opposition? What words and arguments will they use?
67. Have you clarified your language and developed workable analogies?
68. Have you developed your material to be the strongest it can possibly be?
69. Have you prioritized your talking points?
70. Have you maximized your time on the road?

Being On!

71. Have you walked yourself through all eventualities that could happen on television, radio, or the Internet?
72. Are you able to be amusing, likeable, and honest?
73. Can you be flexible? Can you roll with the punches?
74. Are you prepared to be brief and watch the flow of the conversation?
75. Have you left your ego at the door?
76. Have you warmed up your voice?
77. Are you believable?
78. Have you found ways to empower the audience?
79. Is your green room behavior as good as your on-air behavior?
80. Did you offer to return?
81. Have you decided your style? Are you an analyst or a pit bull?

Understanding the Media

82. Do you understand the ins and outs of the media business?
83. Have you cared for and fed the media?
84. Are you humble?
85. Have you found ways to something for the media?
86. Have you made the producer’s job easier?
87. Are you nonjudgmental about the media?
88. Have you decided to leak something? If so, to whom?

Crisis Management

89. Can you be up-front? Can you acknowledge, apologize, and act?
90. Are you taking the blame? Have you avoided blaming the media?
91. Have you created your own murder board?
92. Are you ready and willing to defend your board and your supporters?
93. Do you have a follow-up strategy?

Preparing for the Future

94. Are you up-to-date on the capacity of the Internet and other new technologies?
95. Do you understand what the Internet numbers mean to you?
96. Have you optimized your search engine?
97. Have you put Internet on your payroll?
98. Do you understand the neighborhood of the Internet site?
99. Do you update your content regularly?
100. Are you using dialogue opportunities on the Internet?
101. Are you blogging?
102. Does your Internet site use multimedia?