Do you want to make your social movement a success? 5 tips to get more media attention.

Making it to the front page can be challenging. Social movements that want to get media attention are no exception to this rule. On the other hand, if done right, the result will definitely be worth the effort. Following the article by Nicolini and Hansen (2018), I will share theoretical insides and offer you useful tips that could help you to improve your organization's media coverage. By getting more than 200.000 people actively participating, the 2017 Women's March media strategy proves to be one of history's finest.  

(Washington Post, 2017)

Two years ago, only one day after the inauguration of Donald Trump, more than 200.000 men, children, and women came together to protest against human rights violation in the first-ever Women's March. The event turned out to be a great success and gained world-wide coverage.

It is all about your key message(s)

Strong key messages are the foundation of your success. Make explicit who your organization is and what you want to achieve. Having a clear mission and vision help the media to understand your organization and will lead to more positive coverage. Insides on how to write a strong mission and vision can be found here.

Colour your message

Once you have created strong key messages, the next step is getting the media's attention. Frames are essential. In essence, framing is the action of telling people not only what to think, but also what to think about. If you successfully communicate your position to the media, this will lead to supportive coverage from the media.

But we are not done yet. Taking the initiative is also from utmost importance. Once you do so, it gives you the ability to call the shots yourself. When it comes to developing your frame to approach the media and your audience, nobody but you knows how to formulate your needs and wishes the best. Doing it yourself also makes the occurrence misinformation less likely which is of course, yet another, slightly important benefit. 

Use multiple media platforms

For decades, organizations have been dependent on traditional media like television, radio and newspapers. But things have changed dramatically since the internet has entered our lives. With it came an endless spectrum of possibilities, which you cannot ignore. 

One of these possibilities is what some call 'strategic communication'. By the means of this fancy concept, key messages can be sent across different platforms. Hereby, you are able to reach both journalists and the audience directly, while at the same time doing so according to your own wishes. Your websites and social media channels can also be used to promote event(s) and create support among your audience by the use of visual material. 

Take home message

To put it briefly, the following 5 tips will give a boost to your social movement media coverage.

1. Create key messages: A strong mission and vision lead to more supportive media coverage. 
2. Develop a frame: Think about the way you want to reach your audience. With what type of message do you want to reach them?
3. Use different types of media: Choose different media platform but with the same values and norms as your organization. Traditional media will help you to reach a wider audience, whereas the use of your own media channels will strengthen your message.
4. Don’t forget your target group: The use of multiple media formats helps you to reach a more fragmented audience, but don’t forget to choose a specific target group to get your message across.
5. Symbols and visualization: The use of symbols and visuals such as videos, images, strollers and signs lead to normalization of protesters among your audience.

This blog post is the start of a series of three. In the second blog, I will give you more insides on how to improve your media channels to get more media coverage. Please feel to add your tips and comments in the text box below.

Source: Nicolini, K.M., & Hansen Steffes, S. (2018). Framing the Women's March on Washington: Media coverage and organizational messaging alignment. Public Relations Review, 44, 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.12.005

About Naomi Horstkamp

Naomi Horstkamp is a communication student from the University of Amsterdam, especially interested in the field of political communication. Public relations, journalism and sports are her interests and she loves short bio's.