By Al Rothstein
Your association is looking ahead to the next
legislative session. Your lobbyists have been working hard to
make sure the votes are there on the bills you want passed. And
you know your opponents are gearing up as well.
There are certain lawmakers you can count on-the bills' sponsors
and the legislators with whom your association has carefully developed
relationships over the past few years. But you can't be so sure
about some others. Either they are new and unfamiliar with your
issues, or they have not voted your way in the past.
Your lobbyists are looking to your communication staff for help.
What can you do to get the best results?
A Powerful Tool
While your association's lobbyists and members are busy meeting
individually with legislators, writing letters, and making phone
calls, sometimes another effective means of persuasion gets lost:
strategically placed news stories about your issue in targeted
media outlets.
Such stories reach thousands of people (or millions, if your
placement appears in the national media) and can make the difference
between legislative success and "wait 'till next year."
If you know how to work with them skillfully, the news media are
the most powerful and efficient tool available to sway public
and legislative opinion.
A recent example of how this can work: The lobbyist for one of
my clients called to strategize about a story a TV reporter was
developing on an issue we are fighting for. The lobbyist closed
our conversation with, "It's the station every legislator
watches." We were able to help the reporter develop a piece
that told our story in a meaningful, clear way-just before a crucial
committee vote. The vote turned out to be favorable to our side.
What makes a news story meaningful from an advocacy standpoint?
It's important to find examples of people who will actually be
affected by the bill. For example, if your association represents
the convenience store industry and you're advocating for a bill
that would keep large shopping stores out of your members' areas,
your media efforts should feature a convenience store owner. This
person would describe the convenient lifestyle enjoyed by those
using their stores to fill up with gas on their way from work,
their customers' fears about the increase in traffic, and the
risk that this small-business owner might lose out in the face
of overwhelming competition.
Of course, the ideal is that at the conclusion of the story,
the reporter would urge people to contact their lawmakers with
their opinions.
When lawmakers (whether in Congress or in state legislatures)
see news stories and editorials with your point of view and realize
that their constituents are persuaded by those media placements,
your message gets through loudly, clearly, and with positive results.
Media Strategy Tips
Developing a specific media strategy for legislative advocacy
takes homework, planning, media savvy, and legwork. Briefly, here
are the main steps.
- Identify the particular lawmakers responsible for your legislation.
Then remember: Your media campaign is geared to them.
- Shape your message for impact. Consider again the convenience
store illustration above. It's important to identify real people
who are affected by the legislation you want (or don't want)
passed. How these people are helped or hurt by the legislation
should be at the core of your message. As you're figuring out
how to express this, be sure to prepare points that respond
to what your opponents might say.
- Choose and prepare the best spokespersons. Whether these
are people affected by the issue, representatives of your association,
or both, they should have the skills to deliver your message
effectively. As part of their preparation, give them succinct
talking points and make sure they get training on handling media
interviews.
- Remember that your association's cause will, inevitably,
encounter opposition. Figure out the best ways for your spokespersons
to respond. For example, help them think through how to turn
a negative question around and deliver a positive message. In
addition, coordinate responses carefully so your spokespersons
stay on the same page.
- Prepare press releases and media pitches containing your
chosen message. Customize these to the areas and audiences to
which you are sending the releases. Certain communities or constituencies
may be affected differently, and your media interview contacts
may vary from place to place as well. It is important to know
whether the journalist prefers e-mail, phone, fax, or snail
mail.
- Target key media outlets. In a legislative advocacy campaign,
sending releases to all media is usually a waste of time. So
before you start to pitch, determine which media will yield
the best results. Identify all outlets in a particular lawmaker's
district, and then figure out which outlets will generate the
most attention-television, radio, newspapers, or the Internet.
- Follow up on your releases and pitches. This will make a
big difference in getting your stories covered. Two tips: Contact
the reporter early in the day, and do so by phone, which I've
had much more success with than by e-mail.
- Remember that media tours can be very effective. Making personal
visits to media representatives and defining your issues for
them in a manner that meets their story needs will not only
help your current campaign, It will also help your future efforts,
since you're establishing relationships with reporters who cover
your industry. These media tours can easily coincide with visits
to editorial boards.
- Measure your media results to show lawmakers. Your lobbying
is greatly enhanced when you present key lawmakers with all
the stories and editorials that express your viewpoint. One
good format for presenting your results is through a brief flyer
summarizing your media coverage. But the most effective technique
is to hand the lawmaker copies of actual articles and editorials.
Don't forget the editorial page
One other form of media placement with great credibility involves
the newspaper editorial page. You can work on letters to the editor,
Op-Eds (which run opposite the Editorial Page), and endorsements
of your issues written by the newspaper's own editorial staff.
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each.
- Newspaper endorsements. Although these are the hardest placements
to get, they are usually very effective. However, if the newspaper
is known as especially "liberal" or "conservative,"
an editorial in your favor can sometimes work against you.
- Op-Eds. These have credibility because they're part of the
editorial section. However, the newspaper staff may also ask
your opponents to respond. Don't let that stop you from pursuing
these articles, though. Be proactive! The best person to author
an Op-Ed is a person who's actually affected by the legislation.
This person can receive assistance in developing the Op-Ed from
you or a public relations professional representing your association.
- Letters to the editor. These are effective with readers because
they are short and concise, usually just 100 to 250 words. They
are also the easiest to get published in a timely fashion. You
might be able to call the newspaper, let the editorial staff
know the letter is coming, and ask if it can be published before
that committee vote in a few days! Again, the best authors are
actually affected by the legislation.
Focus on the essentials
Whatever medium you choose, the important thing is to be sure
your message is shaped to persuade, your audience is properly
identified, and your spokespeople are prepared. If so, your media
legislative advocacy campaign will be a remarkably effective tool
in helping your lobbying efforts reach your legislative goals.
Al Rothstein is president of Al Rothstein Media
Services, specializing in delivering the messages of associations
through the news media and spokesperson training. He made a presentation
called "Get the Message: Legislative Advocacy Through the
News Media" at the ASAE Annual Meeting in Nashville in 2005.
E-mail Al at: mediabrain@rothsteinmedia.com,
and sign up for his media tips newsletter at www.rothsteinmedia.com.
Communicate with Congress
How
to Communicate with Congress
Best
Timing
Fact
Sheets
Sample
Letter
Appointment
Worksheet
Communicate with the Media
Media
Relations
Craft
Your Story
Get
Your Story to the Media
Prepare
for a Media Interview
Monitor
Media Results
Is this Toolkit helpful? Take this quick
survey and give us your thoughts.
|
