Pressing for Reform - Democracy for America

Pressing for Reform:
Earning Media for Your Issue Campaign
March 9, 2011
Questions? nightschool@democracyforamerica.com
Twitter: @DFATraining
Paid for by Democracy for America,
www.democracyforamerica.com, and not
authorized by any candidate or
candidate’s committee.
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Tonight’s Presenters
Matt Segal
Democracy for America
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Jacki Schechner
Communications Expert
Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
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Your message
• What are you saying? How are you saying it?
Why should I listen?
• Identify:
– Issue (i.e. pollution, uninsured, equality, etc.)
– Action (i.e. join a movement like DFA)
– Solution (i.e. legislation? election result?)
• Don’t be afraid to commit.
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Impressing the Press
• Events with high
turnout
• Ads
• Experts
• New reports/studies
• VIPs – celebrities,
important elected
officials
• Event v. Stunt - The
fine line between
engaged and insane.
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Turn-ons and Turn-offs
• Be a good listener: What is the media talking
about? How does your issue fit in?
• Be seductive: Am I
interesting?
• Be invested: Get to know
your local media. Who’s
most likely to care?
• Be accessible: Am I
easy to talk to?
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
The Conflict Narrative:
Good v. Evil
• K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple
Stupid
– draw a solid distinction
– deliver a ready-made
product (headlines,
advisories, releases,
visuals, spokespeople,
soundbites)
• Which Side Are You On?
6 Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Good gone Bad
• If you don’t define sides, they will.
– i.e. unions, uninsured, teachers,
unemployed
• State the obvious
over and over again.
Too obvious?
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Who IS the Bad Guy?
• How to choose?
– PhRma, Insurance
companies, the GOP,
Chamber of Commerce, CEOs, etc.
• Focus Groups
– what they said
– what we used
– and why those weren’t
necessarily the same.
• Play Devil’s Advocate
Define Success
• What do you want from me?
–Be flexible
–i.e. Public health insurance option
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Case Study:
Health Care Reform
• FAIL: “Health care for all”
– Too broad
– Too vulnerable
– Too easily dismissed
• Duh...#Winning: “If insurance companies
win, we lose”
– Picking a fight with a high-profile enemy
– Opens the door to specifics
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
No one ever said
“I’m scared as hell ...”
• Motivating action
– victim v. advocate (i.e. Stacie Ritter, Sob
Story ads, Confronting AHIP)
• Being unavoidable
– what am I missing if I’m not paying
attention?
• Picking a fight
– have no fear (i.e. AHIP listening tour)
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Summary
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•
•
•
•
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Know your press
Know your message
Know your enemy
Know your best tactics and strategy
Know your options
Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Questions?
• Ask Jacki!
• Use the Q+A panel or email your
question to nightschool@
democracyforamerica.com
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Holding Your Own Media Event
• It’s easy! All it takes is a little TLC:
•Timing
•Location
•C
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Coordinate
Capture
Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Timing
• When?
– If the issue is happening now, do your
press event ASAP!
– You can still plan: e.g. Budget with unacceptable
cuts to be released on April 3, so prepare now!
• What time of day?
– Weekday morning, Monday through Thursday.
– Deadlines are in the afternoon/evening, so give
outlets plenty of time to work on the story.
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Location
• Think of the visual!
• Relevant
– pick an elementary school
for a story about
education funding, not a
public park
• Close to news centers
– don’t make the media
travel more than a short
distance
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Coordination
When
Up to 3
Days Before
1 day
before
Day of, just
before the
event
At the
event
Day(s) after
Document
Advisory
Pitch Calls
Re-Advisory
Release
Follow Up
What It
Does
Context:
Who? What?
Where?
When?
Why?
“Invite” the
media to
come to
your event
Reminder
of context:
Who? What?
Where?
When?
Why?
Provides
info and
quotes that
you want
the media
to report
Send your
release,
clips, etc.
and ask
when it will
appear
• Need a sample copy of the above documents? Email us
at field@democracyforamerica.com
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Capture
•
•
•
•
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Take your own video,
audio and pictures
Send out a “postrelease” along with
the content you
captured
Blog about it and/or
post to YouTube
Share on
Facebook/Tweet
about it
Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
Homework
• Brainstorm the best visual for a “Safe,
Stable, Secure” petition delivery
• Send it to
field@democracyforamerica.com
• A communications expert will review it
• Best one will be showcased on the next
Night School!
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
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Questions?
Use The Q/A Tool in the WebEx Sidebar
Email:
nightschool@democracyforamerica.com
Twitter:
@DFATraining
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Questions? Use the Q/A tool in the WebEx side bar.
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School!
We have two more episodes in the series:
March 16th - Digital Empowerment: Winning with Petitions
March 23rd -
Citizen Advocacy and your Elected Official
Register for them all at:
DemocracyForAmerica.com/NightSchool
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