The, by far, best way to get your information out to the public is by
using press releases. Every organization should have a press release
page on it's web site, dedicated to only press releases. This is so
the media will not have to wade through a bunch of stuff that they
can't use in order to do a story on you.

There are several types of press releases that should be utilized by
organizations:

There are media advisories. Media Advisories tell the media,
basically, where you are going to be at a certain time and date and
why you will be there. It also serves to invite the media to a press
conference at specific locations and times.

Press conferences are events that are held by organizations
specifically with the media in mind. An organization invites the media
to attend a gathering, where the PR Representative and the Chairman of
that organization, along with other notable active members will attend
to answer questions and conduct interviews with the media. When doing
this, an organization would do good to have their own sound equipment
so that large crowds can hear what they have to say.

A press release can also take the form of an official statement by the
chairman of that organization on a specific issue. The statement will
be sent to all of the interested media for quote-gathering for
stories. Most congressmen use this method regularly.

Another form a press release can take is in the form of an article. An
article is basically a news report based on facts that that
organization has gathered. When using this method, it is best to leave
the organization's personal opinions out of the article.

Press releases, written in article-style, should never use the words
we, us, me, my, or our or any other first person pronouns. These
pronouns are only suitable in personal statements about issues, or
when promoting a press conference by an individual.

Article-style press releases gives the publication enough information
that they could, if they so choose, take that specific article from
the release and post it in their news section. And, because it is a
press release, the publication reserves the right to edit, change any
information, or not change any information and still take the credit
for the news item -- unless specific instructions are given in the
release not to do so. However, remember that when tying a
publication's hands with restrictions on your work, you narrow the
chances of your organization getting published at all. A press
release, after all, is a RELEASE of that information to the public.
This means that it is not copyrighted. If you wish to protect your
work, do not send it in the form of a press release, and do not add
the words "For release" or "to be released" etc. to it.

When sending a press release, the most important part of the release
is your contact information. This gives the media someone to call if
they decide to pick up the release and do their own investigation and
interviews for their own story. If you are a new and upcoming
organization, working with the media, not against the media, is
important -- and how you approach the media with your information, or
how you respond to the media's inquiries will be an important factor
in the success of your organization.

When dealing with media calls concerning a press release you have sent
out, you must try to remember that it is, after all, the media's job
to ask hard questions. They may seem as if they are attacking you, and
how you answer their hard questions will determine how much support
you can get from them. Do not attack back. Don't throw up your hands
in frustration in front of them. Remain calm, smile, and answer the
question to the best of your ability, using the best poker face you
have. The most important rule to follow is never make them angry. The
media can destroy you.

It is acceptable, after a work is published that is contrary to your
liking, to send out a follow-up press release in the form of a
rebuttal. Utilizing this opportunity for further press conferences can
be rewarding. When doing so, try not to say anything out loud that
mentions the name of a specific publication that has violated your
trust, so the media will not portray you as attacking their
competition. You may, however, provide copies of that violation
without quotes from you to the media that shows up for the conference,
so that they can form their own words to describe what happened. Doing
this will ensure that you gain the trust of all those who attend.

About the Author

Shonda Ponder is the editor and owner of the Friends of Liberty web
site. Friends of Liberty is a Promotional Media Organization,
dedicated to teaching promotional skills to amateurs who are
politically active.

Friends of Liberty can be located on the world wide web at
http://www.friendsofliberty.com. Shonda Ponder can be contacted at
shonda@friendsofliberty.com

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