Media and Public Relations
Visit this interactive resource. You should briefly review each of the eight primer modules and note any resources or templates you find especially useful. These resources and templates may be helpful as you undertake a public relations campaign at a future date. We will refer back to this primer elsewhere in the course for specific examples supporting subunit topics ahead. For now, it gives a useful overview of the public relations craft and some tools at its disposal. This primer was prepared to help government and business leaders in the former Soviet Union transition from a centralized system to a market system. They were expected to interact with a more free and independent media. The concept of "public and media relations" was new to many of these leaders, so this primer provides a fundamental overview of PR's basic ideas and tools.
Module 7: Candidate & issue campaign strategy
The PR and media worker in a political/issue campaign:
This person manages contact with the free media, as opposed to paid advertising. He/she schedules press conferences, identifies and contacts all reporters and news media publications, radio stations or TV stations that have any impact on the campaign district.
This person writes all press releases and assists in writing speeches. And, working with the researcher, maintains an eye for media opportunities that stem from news events. A news event someplace else might prompt the candidate to respond with proposed legislation, an opinion, or a visit to the news site.
Strategies
The first priority is to get to know the candidate, understand the office you are seeking, and do a comprehensive profile of the incumbent now holding the office. (In the event of incumbents, profile the challengers). On an issue campaign, the same process applies to all sides of the issue (often more than two).
You need to talk with your candidate's past staff people and inventory his/her strengths and weaknesses. You must ask about any "problem areas," to determine what sort of help the candidate might need.
It is helpful to get your candidate to tape record an outline of his position on what he thinks are the major issues. (You need very controlled circulation of the tapes, of course). You should sit back and listen to him talk -- not just to get familiar with his views, but his way of speaking, his style; this will help you in making decisions about how he best presents himself. Anyone who might be writing speeches for him is better able to do quality work with this background. The alternative is to just spend a lot of time with the candidate talking and listening carefully.
Use every media and public speaking opportunity to present the best aspects of your candidate or issue. Always keep an eye open for the weaknesses in your own campaign, as well as those in your opposition. Identify what the voters are looking for, and try to provide it, align yourself with it, or lead them to a better way.