ASSOCIATIONS do public good but not many of these good deeds are known to the public. In my talks to associations in my capacity as founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE), I always tell my audience, “Doing good is one thing but communicating this good to the public is another matter.”
An association needs to tell its story of good deeds to the world and this brings me to the topic on making a press release.
I recently read a post entitled “The Modern Press Release: Two Don’ts and Three Do’s” by Jay Hickman in the Marketing Profs Today e-newsletter. I wish to share this with a few modifications to adapt to the Philippine context.
First, on what not to do:
1. Don’t send non-news, period. Your latest initiative may matter to you, but what is the importance of this news to anyone else? Upon receiving your release, the editor is likely to ask, “Why should I care and why should my readers care?” Think about that question. If your news is self-serving, merely publicizing that your association or service is doing well, the audience that will care is likely to be quite small and the likelihood of getting your press release printed is almost zero.
2. Don’t badger the press. If you refuse to be ignored – calling or emailing repeatedly to find out why your non-story didn’t make it to publication—you could develop an aggressively bad reputation that will reinforce the idea that ignoring you is a good plan. It could also lead the media to use its powerful platform to publish a rather unflattering account of your association.
On what you should do:
1. Post your releases on your website and social media outlets. Even if your story is not of interest to the media, there are benefits to sharing the announcement on your association website’s news page. This will show visitors and prospective members you’re active in your industry, recognized and knowledgeable. Steering interested readers from your social channels to relevant pages on your site could also bring multiple marketing benefits.
2. Refine your targets. Think about how you can get your news to audiences who are interested in your association or industry. If you are a trade association, say, on engineering or architecture, consider submitting your release to some building/construction trade publications; they might happily add it to their next month’s news briefs section or consider it deserving of its own feature story. There are also newspapers that have “bulletin boards” for news on people, events or trends. Explore this opportunity.
3. Consider alternative angles. A project may be big news to your association and you feel it is worthy of attention. However, there is also a chance the newspaper might not feel the same way and that not a lot of readers would care. In this case, see whether there’s a way to make your story more applicable to a general audience.
Brainstorm questions, do some research and you might find a new angle that gives your announcement broader appeal (and placement). Showing a timely link between your story and current events can also spark potential media interest.
Octavio Peralta is currently the executive director of the Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” PCAAE is holding its Associations Summit 10 (AS10) on November 23 and 24, 2022. E-mail: bobby@pcaae.org