Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Chapter 8 

Public Relations
 

While the advertising in California’s tobacco education 

media campaign has received a lot of positive 

recognition, the public relations component has been 

the unsung hero of the campaign. The public relations 

work is equal in importance to the advertising. 

—	 Colleen Stevens, Tobacco Control Section, California 

Department of Health Services 

Like advertising, public relations (PR) is a way of reaching people with a 

message. But while advertising space or time must be bought or donated, 

PR exposure is “earned” by working with the news media, opinion leaders, 

or others. That’s why the media coverage generated from PR is dubbed 

“earned media”: You must earn the coverage by developing materials, by 

working with reporters, and by expending resources through a continuing, 

systematic process. 

Enhancing the credibility of your message is a key feature of PR. Because 

audiences know that an ad is designed to influence them, they may evaluate 

its message more critically than the information that’s received through the 

news media, which is often seen as less biased. Although audiences may 

question some of what they read in newspapers or see on the news, most 

still consider these sources to be more objective and accurate than advertising, and they generally accept the information more readily. For example, 

many would believe the information released in an article in the Wall Street 

Journal, yet may not be convinced by an ad on the same topic with the same 

message. The same is true of other credible sources. The job of PR is to 

encourage the dissemination of your messages through others, most notably 

the news media. 

In This Chapter 

•	 Setting Goals and 

Selecting Tactics 

•	 Preparing for 

Implementation of 

Your Public 

Relations Program 

•	 Working With the 

News Media 

•	 Developing Press 

Materials 

•	 Responding To 

Negative News 

Stories 

•	 Evaluating Your 

Public Relations 

Efforts 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 201 
To help you create an effective PR campaign, 

this chapter covers four main topics: 

1. 	 Setting goals and selecting tactics for 

your PR activities, including efforts to 

reach your target audiences and important stakeholders. 

2. 	 Preparing for the implementation of 

your PR program, including developing 

a PR plan and managing a PR firm. 

3. 	 Working with the news media, including 

creating press materials and responding 

to negative news stories. 

4. 	 Evaluating your PR efforts. 

Setting Goals and Selecting Tactics 

PR is an essential component of a tobacco 

counter-marketing program because it offers 

credibility, objectivity, and a de facto endorsement of your campaign (as long as the media 

coverage is positive). When you have a small 

paid media budget, PR becomes your primary 

method of communicating with various audiences. Even if you have a large paid media 

budget, PR will complement and support your 

paid media efforts. Without an effective PR 

effort, even the most expensive and creative 

paid media campaign can founder. 

What PR Can and Can’t Do 

PR can 

■ Provide quick responses to hot issues and sudden events 

■ Establish relationships with media, stakeholders, opinion leaders, and others 

■ Reach audiences on an ongoing basis with information that may be seen as more 

credible than advertising messages 

■ Enhance the credibility of your advertising/paid media messages 

■ Gain public support and create an environment conducive to your other tobacco 

control initiatives 

■ Expose the practices of your competitors (i.e., the tobacco industry, smokers’ rights 

groups, and others) and provide a contrasting perspective 

■ Provide a framework for effective crisis communication 

PR can’t 

■ Guarantee your message placement, focus or slant, specific content, or accuracy in 

the media or other venues 

■ Substitute for other components of an integrated and comprehensive program 

202 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

In general, PR complements your counteradvertising program and other efforts by: 

■	 Reaching your target audience with 

in-depth messages that elaborate on 

your key points in ways that ads can’t 

■	 Helping to create positive views of your 

campaign and your organization among 

the news media, stakeholders, policy 

makers, and opinion leaders 

■	 Helping to influence policy change 

through long-term relationships, partnership and coalition building, and consistent efforts to expand the support 

base 

An integrated counter-marketing program will 

use PR to serve all three of these functions. 

This section discusses the first two functions: 

(1) using PR to reach your target audience and 

(2) using PR to promote your program with 

opinion leaders and stakeholders. The third 

function, discussed in another chapter, is 

changing policy. (See Chapter 9: Media 

Advocacy for more information.) 

Target Audience Public Relations 

PR can be a strategic communication tool for 

sending key messages to targeted audiences 

and for complementing advertising messages. 

This use of PR will be referred to in this manual as “Target Audience PR.” 

Developing Target Audience PR activities is 

similar to developing an advertising campaign: 

You need to clarify your overall goal, determine 

target audience(s), set specific objectives, 

select key message strategies, and select the 

best channels. Much of your advertising 

research will also apply to your Target 

Audience PR activities. However, rather than 

buying ad space, you’ll be working with 

reporters and editors to encourage them to 

run stories, op-eds, and editorials that convey 

the key messages of your campaign. These 

stories can provide additional context—and 

additional credibility—that will make the 

advertising component of your campaign 

more powerful. 

For example, if your goal is to increase cessation and your key audience is adult smokers 

with children, your message strategy might be 

to highlight the pain that smokers may cause 

their families if they die or get sick. Your advertising efforts might include running TV spots 

of testimonials from a smoker’s relatives about 

how they have suffered from the smoker’s 

tobacco-related death or illness. Your Target 

Audience PR might include directing reporters 

to “real-life” human interest stories about local 

families who have suffered with this situation, 

possibly even the individuals who are featured 

in your ads. 

In addition to working with reporters to get the 

message out through the news media, you 

might also coordinate a lunch meeting with 

chamber of commerce members to discuss 

various ways to help working parents gain 

access to cessation support in the workplace. 

You might also make a presentation at a Parent 

Teacher Association (PTA) meeting about 

smoking cessation support groups or quitlines, 

and bring fliers with recommended steps for 

quitting and the local quitline phone number. 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 203 
How do you make Target Audience PR a reality 

in your program? Once you know your goals, 

audiences, and messages, you or your PR firm 

should first identify the organizations or news 

media outlets that reach your target audience. 

Second, you should determine how you can 

encourage those organizations or media outlets to disseminate your messages. 

Finding Media Outlets That Reach 

the Audience 

One easy way to find media outlets that reach 

your target audience is to examine your advertising media buy. The newspapers, magazines, 

and other outlets included in the media buy 

will have been analyzed by the media planners 

and buyers to ensure that they reach your core 

audience. They also may be ideal for your 

Target Audience PR activities. You should also 

consider the media that weren’t part of the 

media buy. For example, even if your ad 

campaign doesn’t include Web advertising or 

newspapers, you may want to use these outlets 

in your PR effort. Depending on your target 

audience, you may also want to consider community-based media, such as church bulletins, 

newsletters, and fliers from local organizations. 

If you’re working with a PR firm or consultant, 

they’ll be able to identify the optimal media 

outlets for your target audiences based not 

only on efficiency (how many target audience 

members they reach for the resources expended), but also on the quality of communication 

(e.g., how credible the sources are and how 

appropriate they are for the message). 

Gaining Exposure Through Media Outlets 

Once you identify the outlets that reach your 

target audience(s), you must generate those 

intermediaries’ interest in disseminating your 

message. In Target Audience PR, the most 

common intermediary is the news media. The 

best way to get your message in the media is to 

help reporters make that message appear new 

and interesting to their audience (readers, 

listeners, or viewers). Here are some of the 

most common tactics: 

■	 Create an event. Reporters will often 

cover your newsworthy campaign 

events, including summits, community 

activities, rallies, and so forth. 

■	 Set up interviews with program participants. Everyone loves a good personal 

story (witness Art and Entertainment’s 

“Biography,” VH1’s “Behind the Music,” 

204 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

and Lifetime’s “Intimate Portrait”). Some 

participants in your campaign may have 

interesting personal stories related to 

tobacco. These personal profiles work 

well for magazines and newspapers’ 

lifestyle sections, and they humanize 

your efforts. 

■	 Set up interviews with local residents 

affected by the issue. In addition to 

campaign participants’ stories, you 

might want to identify local residents 

affected by your issue who can talk to 

the media. The resident is more likely to 

generate news coverage if he or she is a 

prominent member of the community, 

such as a sports celebrity or an elected 

official. But remember that these community members must appeal to your 

target audience—if you’re targeting 

teens, don’t use the authoritarian, 

middle-aged mayor. 

■	 Offer reporters “behind-the-scenes” 

access. You can give reporters a look 

behind the scenes of making an ad, or 

let them follow one of the actors during 

the shoot (similar to MTV’s “Making 

the Video”). 

■	 Try a stunt. You can conduct unique 

events for the sole purpose of getting 

news media coverage. Mississippi set 

up its own version of MTV’s “The Real 

World” and placed a group of smokers 

who wanted to quit in a house with 

Web cameras so that people could see 

who gave up smoking first. This tactic 

received national exposure and educated the audience about cessation. 

■	 Create a speakers bureau. A speakers 

bureau will help make your subject 

matter experts more easily available for 

speaking engagements with associations, 

groups, and businesses at conferences 

and other events, and prepare these 

speakers for media interviews. 

■	 Announce the results of a study or 

survey. Sometimes when you do this, 

you’ll get featured twice: once when you 

announce the launch of the study or 

survey and again when you announce 

the results. 

■	 Develop a publication or Web page. You 

can develop publications or add information to your Web site that will encourage 

readers to pass on your message to other 

interested parties or to those who could 

benefit from the information. Your tobacco control campaign’s Web site can include 

copies of and links to the media coverage 

that you’ve received, which will increase 

the reach of this coverage. These efforts 

will need to be coordinated with your 

advertising activities. 

You can also leverage your advertising spending to create Target Audience PR opportunities. 

Many media outlets offer “bonus weight time,” 

which is extra space or time given to you as an 

incentive for purchasing advertising with 

them. This bonus weight time can be used for 

communications other than additional ads. 

For example, you can work with the outlet on 

promotional or sponsorship opportunities. 

For the national “truth” campaign, the 

American Legacy Foundation worked with 

teen magazines to include “truth” gear in their 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 205 
“What’s Cool” fashion sections, rather than run 

additional ads. You can also work with media 

outlets to get interviews for campaign leaders 

and others involved in the campaign. 

These are just a handful of the ways that programs win attention for their messages. Pick 

the ideas that may work for your program. 

There are plenty of other possibilities—try 

inventing your own. 

Capitalizing on Outside Events To 

Increase Exposure to the Message 

Events independent of your tobacco control 

campaign may generate news stories that offer 

opportunities for media coverage. These stories can either undermine or support your 

campaign. In either case, you should respond 

to related stories to ensure that your campaign 

messages are heard. It’s especially critical that 

you respond to any challenges to your campaign messages. Even if you don’t get equal 

coverage for your response, you will have 

educated the reporters about the issue, which 

will be to your benefit for future stories. How 

to respond to negative news stories is covered 

later in this chapter. 

For example, if you’re targeting teens and a 

positive story about the Philip Morris “Think. 

Don’t Smoke” campaign runs in a publication 

that reaches this audience, you can submit 

data to the reporters on how “Don’t Smoke” 

efforts are ineffective and how other approaches (such as those used in your campaign) are 

more effective. In these cases, it may be helpful 

to contact local nongovernment organizations, 

such as the American Cancer Society, the 

American Lung Association, the American 

Heart Association, the Campaign for TobaccoFree Kids, and others, to see if you can coordinate your responses. 

Your counter-marketing program will be 

conducted in the context of national tobacco 

control efforts. You’ll need to anticipate events, 

such as the release of a Surgeon General’s 

report, newly published scientific findings, the 

American Legacy Foundation’s campaigns, 

state or federal tobacco legislation, and the 

advocacy efforts of volunteer and nonprofit 

organizations (such as the Campaign for 

Tobacco-Free Kids). Staying abreast of these 

activities may involve subscribing to national 

tobacco news services, signing up for various 

tobacco-related e-mail distribution lists, and 

participating in national forums (such as the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 

Media Network). 

You can also piggyback on national PR events, 

such as the Great American Smokeout, Kick 

Butts Day, and World No-Tobacco Day. When 

you’re planning your PR campaign, do some 

research on these national events and include 

tie-ins to the events that are appropriate for 

your audience. Using these events to gain 

exposure for your messages can be a more 

efficient tactic than creating your own events. 

A Tobacco Control Media Events Calendar, 

along with accompanying media materials, is 

available on the CDC’s Office on Smoking and 

Health Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco 

/calendar/calendar.htm. 

You’ll also need to monitor the competition’s 

PR activities. You can track news releases issued 

by the tobacco industry by searching the PR 

206 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Target Audience PR in Florida’s “truth” Campaign 

With $70 million from its landmark settlement with the tobacco industry, Florida launched the Florida 

Tobacco Pilot Program in 1998. It was the nation’s first antitobacco education program funded with 

tobacco industry money. The program’s “truth” campaign is designed to create an antitobacco brand that 

appeals to teens the way that the major tobacco brands do. 

Target Audience PR played a key role in the “truth” campaign. Much of the media coverage resulted from 

the efforts of Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), the program’s youth advocacy group. The group’s 

activities were designed to engage teens and to garner media coverage that complemented the ad campaign’s messages and tone. Examples of their PR activities include: 

■	 In the summer of 1998, the campaign offered the “truth” tour, a 10-day, 13-city whistlestop train 

tour and concert series across Florida. Then-Governor Lawton Chiles rode the train, joining the 

teen spokespeople who conducted their own press conferences at every stop. SWAT members 

trained their peers in advocacy and media relations along the way, empowering teens throughout 

the state to join in the movement’s rebellion against the tobacco industry. 

■	 During the fall of 1999, SWAT took on tobacco magazine advertising with “Big Tobacco on the Run.” 

SWAT members tore cigarette ads from the magazines they read, plastered them with a neonorange “Rejected. Rebuffed. Returned.” sticker and mailed them to tobacco company executives 

along with a request to meet with SWAT to discuss youth marketing guidelines. The Brown & 

Williamson Tobacco Corporation accepted the invitation and sent a representative to meet with 

the SWAT board of directors. 

The media coverage of these and other events, handled by the PR firm supporting the Florida Tobacco 

Pilot Program, resulted in more than 845 million media impressions (the combined audiences reached by 

all of the media vehicles covering the events). Coverage included stories on “Good Morning America” on 

the American Broadcasting Company (ABC); on the “Evening News’ Eye on America,” “60 Minutes,” and 

“CBS News Sunday Morning” on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS); on the Cable News Network 

(CNN) and network affiliates throughout Florida, as well as outlets in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, 

Dallas, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and elsewhere. Print coverage included The New York Times, The Wall 

Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Seventeen, and Teen People, as well as every major-market 

Florida newspaper and numerous minority outlets. 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 207 
newswire (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews). 

Another comprehensive source of tobaccorelated news is at http://www.tobacco.org, 

which e-mails daily news briefings to subscribers. These briefings will help you to stay 

informed about the latest national and state 

tobacco-related news. 

Stakeholder Public Relations 

A comprehensive PR program will reach not 

only your target audience(s), but also your 

stakeholders, which may include opinion leaders, business leaders, policy makers, local 

advocates, and the public. While the primary 

goal of your Target Audience PR is to reinforce 

your campaign messages, the primary goal of 

your Stakeholder PR efforts is to garner support for your program and its funding. By 

demonstrating your program’s effectiveness 

and value, Stakeholder PR may help to 

increase your program’s longevity. 

To conduct effective Stakeholder PR, you must: 

■	 Identify your stakeholders 

■	 Identify ways to reach those stakeholders 

■	 Identify and capitalize on media opportunities to reach stakeholders 

■	 Involve stakeholders in the campaign— 

and keep them involved 

Identifying the Stakeholders 

The first step in Stakeholder PR is identifying 

your stakeholders. You must determine whose 

support is critical to your campaign and who 

can add to the credibility of your campaign. 

These are your core stakeholders. You’ll probably want the public’s support as well because 

policy makers may follow public opinion if the 

support—or lack of support—is great enough. 

Think beyond the state level and identify 

stakeholders at the community level, especially 

if your program provides grants or funding for 

activities at that level. 

You should identify your stakeholders before 

you begin planning your program because one 

of the best ways to win support is to involve 

key stakeholders early in your planning. Think 

of ways to encourage them to have a stake in 

the program or to view it as partly their program. You may also want to include your 

potential detractors in certain meetings so that 

you can understand the opposition and develop a response or modify your plans. These 

accommodations, if they don’t detract from 

your goals and objectives, may be the key to 

turning a detractor into a supporter. For example, if you’re going to focus on smokefree 

workplaces (including bars and restaurants), 

you’ll want to include some restaurant and bar 

owners and workers in your effort. By seeking 

their input and making adjustments to address 

their concerns, you could earn their support 

up front and help your initiative. 

There are many individuals and organizations 

that you should consider as potential stakeholders, including local businesses and 

employers, business associations, chambers of 

commerce, volunteer and community-based 

organizations, places of worship and faithbased groups, hospitals and health care facilities, neighborhood associations, social clubs, 

208 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

health and other professional groups or associations, state and local government officials, 

school boards and PTAs, public and private 

universities and community colleges, vocational and continuing-education schools, and 

daycare and childcare centers. 

Identifying Outlets That Reach the 

Stakeholders 

Once you have identified your stakeholders, 

you will need to find ways to connect with 

them through various communication channels. These channels will include not only 

media outlets, but also conferences, personal 

meetings, and other communication opportunities. The media outlets are likely to 

include traditional news outlets (daily newspapers, TV and radio news programs, and TV 

and radio talk shows), along with health- and 

tobacco-related publications, Web sites, and 

policy-related publications. You may also 

consider community-based media, such as 

bulletins published by local, faith-based, and 

other organizations. 

Mass media may not be the most appropriate way to reach your core stakeholders. 

Some people and groups will require more 

personal forms of outreach, including phone 

calls, meetings, and individualized letters. 

Other ways to communicate with your stakeholders are through customized outlets, such 

as the following: 

■	 Newsletters. You can create a campaign 

newsletter to inform and entertain supporters and to recognize their efforts. 

You can also send print or electronic 

bulletins on the campaign to partner 

organizations so that they can include 

them in their newsletters. (See Appendix 

8.1 for a sample printed campaign newsletter and Appendix 8.2 for a sample 

online newsletter.) 

■	 Speaking engagements. In-person communication is valuable because stakeholders can ask you questions directly. 

Not only can you provide them with the 

information that they want, but you can 

also learn the issues that are most 

important to them, which will help you 

tailor future outreach. Set up a yearly 

schedule of opportunities to deliver 

messages to your stakeholders at their 

meetings; you should also hold meetings of your own and invite them. 

■	 Web sites. You can create a Web site 

solely for stakeholders. For example, 

Legacy created two Web sites for its 

“truth” campaign. One site is for teens 

(http://www.thetruth.com) and focuses 

on campaign messages. The second 

site is a password-protected site 

(http://www.truthpartners.com), specifically for stakeholders; it disseminates 

research, strategies, and other information to the campaign’s partners. It has a 

mass e-mail function that can be used 

to notify partners of important 

announcements or updates. 

Identifying Media Opportunities To Reach 

Stakeholders 

Certain kinds of campaign activities are more 

likely to attract the attention of large groups 

of stakeholders: 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 209 
■ Campaign launch. This is your prime 

opportunity to get significant news 

media coverage about your campaign. 

All of your main stakeholders and policy 

makers will be interested because the 

campaign is new. You’ll want to focus on 

the campaign’s goals and create a sense 

of excitement. 

controversial. A flight or set of ads also 

demonstrates progress toward the campaign goals. However, it is important to 

notify particular stakeholders (such as 

the local programs and volunteers) of 

new ads before they are run, so that the 

stakeholders can be prepared for 

inquiries from reporters or the public. 

■ Specific advertising flights. Although 

less of an opportunity than the campaign launch, releasing a collection of 

ads can garner news media coverage, 

especially if the ads are unique or 

■ Events. Related summits, speaking 

engagements, health fairs, and other 

events are opportunities to reach out to 

stakeholders and gain coverage. 

Stakeholder Involvement in California’s PR Campaign 

California has been at the forefront of integrating many components of a comprehensive tobacco countermarketing program. One California PR effort illustrates how to successfully meld local programs, grassroots efforts, and advertising with stakeholder involvement to disseminate campaign messages in the 

news. 

In the spring of 1995, California’s tobacco education program worked with local programs throughout the 

state on Operation Storefront. More than 700 trained youth and adult volunteers surveyed more than 5,700 

tobacco retailers throughout California, including grocery stores, supermarkets, drugstores, convenience 

stores, small pharmacies, gas stations, and liquor stores. These volunteers documented the number of 

indoor and outdoor storefront tobacco ads in the retailers’ establishments, including window signs, posters, 

banners, display racks, decals, clocks, neon signs, doormats, ashtrays, counter mats, and other items that 

included tobacco brands or slogans. 

The survey found a significantly higher average number of tobacco ads and promotions in stores near 

schools (within 1,000 feet) than in stores not near schools. Tobacco retailers near schools were more likely 

to place tobacco advertisements close to candy racks or less than 3 feet from the floor, where children 

were most likely to see them. 

The survey’s results were released at 19 local press conferences throughout the state. With the coordination by the PR staff at the state health department and at the PR firm, each local program was able to 

attract local press coverage and to contribute to the powerful statewide and national impact of the 

results. The survey results were subsequently incorporated into ads that exposed tobacco industry 

advertising tactics directed toward children. 

210 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

■	 Evaluation reports. Stakeholders as well 

as detractors will be interested in 

whether your campaign is working. If 

your results are positive, you’ll definitely 

want to spread the word. If your goals 

aren’t met, you will still want to share 

with your core partners the results as 

well as the reasons why you believe that 

the results were not as strong as hoped, 

so that your stakeholders can help you 

develop new directions and defend your 

efforts from attacks. 

Capitalizing on Media Opportunities 

Responding to attacks on your campaign is 

essential to maintaining its credibility and support from stakeholders. Be prepared to work 

quickly with reporters and to draft news 

releases, editorials, and op-eds in response to 

attacks. When you respond to the attacks, it is 

important to use the right tone. Sometimes a 

forceful approach is appropriate, while, at 

other times, you should present a calm, nonconfrontational response. In either case, don’t 

sound defensive and be sure that your 

responses are supported with appropriate 

data. If you’ve built good relationships with 

your partners, ask them to support your program by issuing their own responses to the 

attacks. Quick decision making and action are 

essential in these situations. 

As with Target Audience PR, you’ll also want to 

monitor the activities of the tobacco industry. 

Keep an eye out for fake grassroots efforts 

organized by the tobacco industry or other 

opponents. You should counter these efforts by 

exposing them as coordinated by the tobacco 

industry. For example, a smokers’ rights 

campaign may successfully cloud the issue of 

secondhand smoke by claiming that free 

choice is being threatened. If you have concrete 

evidence that these efforts are funded or coordinated either directly or indirectly by the 

tobacco industry, then you may provide that 

information to the news media to ensure that 

they have all of the facts. If you’re not completely sure of the information, don’t risk your 

credibility by speculating. 

Don’t forget to look for good news about 

counter-marketing efforts (even in other 

states) that support your campaign. 

Highlighting the successes of similar efforts 

will show stakeholders that you’re following a 

proven path. 

Involving Stakeholders in Your Campaign 

Once you have identified potential partners or 

stakeholders, directly involving them (especially local coalitions and advocates) in your 

counter-marketing effort can be an excellent 

method of retaining their interest and support. 

You’ll also gain the benefit of their insight and 

expertise. Stakeholder involvement may be 

valuable in: 

■ Campaign planning (especially when 

working with specific populations) 

■	 Research and evaluation planning 

■	 Key phases of implementation (for 

example, invite stakeholders to be part 

of your proposal review committee after 

you issue a Request for Proposals for 

work to be done by contractors) 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 211 
■	 Advertising development 

■	 Visibly supporting your campaign when 

it’s facing a threat from detractors 

■	 Planning and implementing media 

advocacy and grassroots events 

The more that you genuinely involve key 

stakeholders in your efforts, the more time, 

resources, and effort they’ll invest in protecting 

your program and ensuring its success. 

Defining the stakeholders’ role in your efforts 

helps them understand the rationale for their 

involvement and will motivate them to become 

involved and stay involved. These reasons will 

differ, depending on the interests and focus of 

each stakeholder. For example, the business 

and labor sectors have a significant interest in 

the health of local families and communities. In 

addition, private sector industries are interested 

in being “good neighbors” in the communities 

in which they operate, since the community 

supplies their workforce, and often, their 

markets. However, because each entity has a 

different agenda, you’ll need to tell them individually why they need to get involved with 

your cause and how they can help. Consider 

the ways in which the participation of partners 

will help them. What incentives and benefits 

exist or can be created to help win their support? Consider what these people and their 

institutions are already doing to help the community. Building community goodwill, for 

example, can be a motivating factor for 

some partners. 

Preparing for Implementation of 

Your Public Relations Program 

The first section of this chapter provided a 

conceptual framework for organizing your PR 

activities into Target Audience PR and Stakeholder PR. This section provides information 

on preparing for the implementation of your 

PR activities, including developing a PR plan 

and managing a PR firm. 

Developing a PR Plan 

Because your PR efforts should be conducted 

in the context of a strategic communication 

effort, you should develop a PR plan for each 

of your major tobacco control program initiatives. As you develop the plan, you’ll need to 

be mindful of what role your organization 

plays in tobacco control (e.g., public education, advocacy, lobbying, and health care). 

Outlining the goals, objectives and associated 

tactics, and timing for each effort will ensure 

that no steps are overlooked. Tracking the 

activities as they are implemented will provide 

you with a record of what was done, which will 

help you to evaluate your efforts and to 

improve future PR outreach. 

The PR plan should answer four basic questions for each outreach effort: 

1. 	 What do you want to accomplish? 

Describe your goal in as much detail as 

possible so you’ll be able to determine 

whether you are moving toward this goal. 

2. 	 How will you accomplish it? Detail your 

objectives and associated tactics, 

including activities that you plan to 

212 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

undertake, materials that need to be 

developed in support of those activities, 

a materials dissemination plan, a list of 

intended media contacts, follow-up 

contact plans, planned press events, and 

spokespeople. You may want to outline 

partners who will assist and what their 

roles will be. 

3. 	 When will you accomplish it? Create a 

timetable that shows when each of your 

activities will be completed. 

4. 	 How will you determine if your goals 

were met? Describe how you’re going to 

measure your effort. You should decide 

up front what indicators you’ll use to 

measure the results and how you’ll collect the information. Indicators may 

include the number of media “hits” that 

you received or the number of people 

exposed to your messages through the 

news media. Other key indicators 

include the focus, slant, and placement 

of news stories in which you’ve tried to 

communicate your key messages. For 

example, if the stories written have a 

pro-industry slant, then you may not 

have met your goal, even though you 

have received substantial media 

coverage. 

As part of your overall PR plan, you should 

develop a crisis communications plan that 

outlines the process for dealing with attacks on 

your campaign. Because you’ll have to 

respond quickly to such attacks, you may need 

to develop a shortened review process to 

replace the usual lengthy review process. Your 

shortened process may include having your 

head PR person craft a response and having it 

quickly approved by the program manager or 

the marketing director. Receiving a call from a 

reporter for your response to an attack is a 

valuable opportunity to convey your campaign 

messages that you will not want to miss. 

Planning ahead will allow you to include recommendations of experts and partners who 

can support your efforts. If you don’t develop 

such a plan proactively, you may find yourself 

being attacked without time to do the necessary planning to provide a strategic response. 

(Responding to negative news stories is covered later in this chapter.) 

Your program is likely to be scrutinized by the 

media, the public, and the tobacco industry. To 

help prevent criticism, you should proactively 

consider how your messages and activities 

may be perceived by these audiences. Hold 

yourself and your program to high standards 

of ethics, accuracy, and accountability about 

how you position your messages and what 

activities you choose to conduct. 

Managing a PR Firm 

PR firms provide a range of services and can 

be valuable for conducting target audience 

and stakeholder outreach in support of large 

campaigns. Although your PR firm will have 

staff who can handle most, if not all, of the 

communication functions, you should stay 

well informed about all PR activities so that 

you maintain the lead role in decision making. 

Many firms like to set a monthly retainer for 

their services that is based on the expected 

level of services to be provided, while others 

will establish a yearly budget for your program, 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 213 
then bill only the incurred labor and other 

costs each month under some maximum 

annual ceiling. With large counter-marketing 

programs, the latter arrangement may be preferred because each monthly invoice reflects 

the level of the work actually performed and 

allows for easier tracking of the specific costs. 

If you want to reach specific populations in 

your state (e.g., African Americans; Hispanics/ 

Latinos; Native Americans; the gay, lesbian, 

bisexual, and transgender community; and 

people with disabilities or other special needs), 

then you may want to look for one or more 

firms that specialize in reaching these populations. The firms may recognize specific communication challenges with these groups and 

may have stronger and broader relationships 

with the media and stakeholders that are 

important to them. Often, these specialty PR 

firms can subcontract with your primary PR 

firm, removing the need for separate competitive bids. 

If you do arrange for subcontractor PR firms, 

make sure that you can establish direct contact 

with each firm when needed and that you stay 

fully informed about their activities. Although 

most of the work may flow through the prime 

contractor to the subcontractors and back, 

there may be times when it’s critical to have 

direct access to a subcontractor. Keep in mind, 

though, that the prime contractor is legally 

responsible for all work done on the contract, 

even by subcontractors, so make sure that 

they’re aware of any contact that you have 

with subcontractors. 

To locate specialized firms in your area, you 

can review directories such as the Directory of 

Multicultural Relations Professionals and 

Firms, which is offered by the Public Relations 

Society of America. 

Key PR Firm Functions 

A PR firm can perform several functions for you: 

■	 Strategy—helping you to develop your 

overall image and supporting communication strategies to reach your goals 

■	 Counsel—giving you advice on how to 

handle issues and situations to maintain 

image and reputation and to support 

your messages 

■	 Research—conducting research on 

the target audience, messages, and 

public opinion 

■	 Message and materials development— 

developing messages to fit your strategies, developing materials for the news 

media and others 

■	 Media relations—working directly with 

the media to get coverage 

■	 Spokesperson training—identifying 

and training spokespeople who support 

your campaign 

■	 Stakeholder relations—facilitating 

meetings with partners and other key 

stakeholders 

■	 Issues monitoring—reviewing the 

news to see how your issue and campaign 

are covered 

214 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

■	 Event planning—creating events and 

holding press conferences to attract 

media coverage 

■	 Creative—creating “collateral materials” 

(items such as posters, brochures, and 

fliers that are given to your target audience), Web sites, and other communication tools to convey your key messages 

You may not need all of these services from 

your PR firm. For example, you may rely on 

your ad agency for strategy development and 

on a contract with a state university for 

research. However, you should be aware that 

PR firms offer a perspective that differs from 

most ad agencies or other vendors, so you’ll 

probably want to tap PR expertise when making crucial strategic decisions. If you are relying on multiple sources for support, make sure 

that all of the sources are coordinating their 

efforts while you maintain the lead for overseeing the work. Coordination among all of the 

individuals and entities involved is essential to 

avoid a PR crisis that could occur if everyone is 

not on the same page. 

Coordinating Your PR Firm With Your Ad 

Agency 

Many of the services offered by PR firms 

overlap with those offered by ad agencies, 

event management firms, and others. Be sure 

to designate a lead agency for certain functions, like establishing your overall strategy. 

Many people on the counter-marketing team, 

including those at the advertising agency, will 

have opinions on what will generate news 

coverage. Listening to these opinions is important because you may get some great ideas, 

but give special consideration to the advice of 

the PR firm staff on news media issues. They 

have worked with reporters and know what is 

more likely to attract coverage and how that 

coverage can be managed. Because you are 

ultimately responsible for the activities of your 

organization, it’s important that you consider 

all of the input and advice and make the final 

decisions on major issues yourself. 

Bring in your PR staff early in the development 

of the whole counter-marketing program. 

Involvement from the start will help PR agencies develop ideas and give them time to plan 

effective outreach and events to achieve your 

goals. Calling a PR firm a few days before you 

release a new ad campaign will not give you or 

the PR firm time to maximize media opportunities or to plan for other components of a 

comprehensive approach. Therefore, you may 

not have the necessary partner support and 

media relationships in place to complement 

an ad campaign. With these components in 

place, your campaign will be more likely to 

gain valuable media coverage and collaboration among partners. Involvement during the 

campaign’s development will also allow the PR 

experts to identify potentially negative or controversial issues and to develop contingency 

plans for them. 

Handling PR In-House 

Although PR firms are uniquely qualified to 

conduct outreach to media, stakeholders, and 

others, you can also handle the public relations functions in-house if you have the right 

staff and resources. You’ll need to designate 

someone to manage the PR tasks. Major 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 215 
tobacco control programs often employ fulltime staff solely to manage news media relations, especially in the program’s initial stages. 

In Florida, for example, the counter-marketing 

program employed a press secretary, a deputy 

press secretary, and two interns to manage the 

news media when the campaign was most visible. If you choose to handle all of your PR inhouse, you will need at least a press secretary 

and probably others to work with reporters, 

develop materials, train spokespeople, and 

develop strategies that include partnership 

building and special events planning. 

Working With the News Media 

The news media can be difficult to work with if 

you don’t understand their needs and if you 

don’t develop good working relationships with 

them. However, successfully working with the 

news media can greatly support your programs 

and enhance the image of your campaign and 

organization. To work 

effectively with the 

news media, you will 

need to consider: 

■	 What the 


media want
 

■	 What they 


consider 


newsworthy
 

■	 Who they are 

specifically and 

how you can 

reach them 

■	 How you might gain their attention 

and pitch a story 

■	 How to keep them interested in the program though press conferences, editorial board meetings, and Web-based 

“press rooms” 

■	 How to place your messages in the 

media through letters to the editor, 

op-ed pieces, and calendar items 

■	 How to respond to their unsolicited 

inquiries 

■	 How to develop spokespeople 

■	 How to develop the optimal materials 

for the news media 

■	 How to meet media deadlines, which 

often are short 

216 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Checklist To Determine Newsworthiness 

❑	 Is the story timely? Is new information being offered, perhaps newly collected data? 

❑	 Is the story distinct, unusual, or unexpected? Is the issue or some aspect of it new to the public? 

❑	 Does the story indicate a trend or relate to other breaking news? 

❑	 Is the information essential? Does it convey something people want or need to know? 

❑	 Will it affect many people in the community? Does it hit close to home? Localizing a national story 

by adding local statistics, spokespeople, and experts significantly increases a story’s chances of 

being picked up. 

❑	 Is the information useful to readers? 

❑	 Does the story have emotional appeal? A human-interest element? 

❑	 Do you have compelling visuals to accompany the story? Offering a reporter visuals may increase 

the appeal of a story and may increase its chances of being run. 

❑	 Does the story involve a national or local celebrity? 

Knowing What the Media Want 

Most media companies are in business to 

make a profit. They make money by developing and disseminating accurate, informative, 

and sometimes entertaining media content 

(for newspapers, magazines, TV programs, and 

radio stations) with two goals in mind: (1) 

attracting or retaining readers, viewers, or listeners; and (2) selling advertising. The more 

readers, viewers, or listeners that they have, 

the more they can charge advertisers for 

advertising space or broadcast time, and the 

more money they can make. Competition 

among media outlets for consumers is intense, 

as is the continuing search for compelling 

information and high-quality entertainment. 

Keep the media’s goals in mind when you’re 

developing stories that you want placed. 

Determining What Is Newsworthy 

To attract coverage of your issue, you must 

have something newsworthy to say. You’re 

competing with countless other issues and 

organizations for scarce space or airtime. 

Before you pick up the phone or write one 

word, put yourself in the place of a reporter, 

editor, or producer and ask yourself why 

people should be interested in your story at 

this time. The same facts can produce entirely 

different stories. You’ll need to have a new 

“hook” or “angle”—some piece of information 

that’s new or could be examined in a new and 

interesting way. To gauge the potential of the 

story idea that you want to pitch, check the 

proposed news hook against the criteria in the 

checklist provided. If your story is timely and if 

you answer “yes” to at least two other criteria, 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 217 
Typical Entries for a Media 

Contact List 

■	 Date when the information was 

most recently updated 

■	 First and last name and title of 

the reporter or the editor 

■	 Name of the media outlet 

■	 Complete mailing address: 

street, city, state, and ZIP code 

■	 Telephone, fax, and e-mail 

■	 Field of interest or beat 

■	 Deadline and schedule 

■	 Other relevant information, 

such as ABC network affiliate, 

radio, monthly magazine, or 

daily newspaper 

■	 Reach and circulation 

the odds are that the media professionals will 

consider it newsworthy. 

Developing and Maintaining a 

Media List 

Maintaining up-to-date media outlet lists for 

your area is key to a functioning PR program. 

Media lists contain key information about all 

of the journalists that you work with or would 

like to reach. 

If you are putting together a media list yourself, one easy way to get started is to look on 

the Internet for listings of media outlets in 

your area. For example, you can find listings of 

established media outlets at http://www. 

emonline. com/links/index.html and 

http://newsdirectory.tucows.com/news/press 

/na/us. Other sources for information about 

media outlets in your area include chambers 

of commerce and the yellow pages. You can 

also purchase publications that provide listings of media outlets. Don’t forget to perform 

searches for the media outlets that reach the 

various ethnic communities and diverse 

populations within your area. Your partner 

organizations may be able to provide you with 

the media lists that they’ve used. 

The PR firm or consultant with whom you are 

working should be able to identify the optimal 

media outlets for your target audience(s), 

based not only on audience reach, but also on 

the credibility of each outlet with your audience(s). Most PR firms have access to databases 

of reporters and editors and can generate 

media lists quickly. You will probably want 

your PR firm to develop a custom database 

and to track your contacts with key reporters 

and what they like to cover. 

Your media list will likely include: 

■	 Newspapers (dailies, weeklies, and 

monthlies) 

■	 Local trade and business publications 

■	 Other local publications, such as university papers, bulletins from places of 

worship, and community newsletters 

■	 Local TV and radio stations (including 

college and university networks) 

218 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Working with Minority Media 

Many state programs include a focus on specific populations disproportionately affected by tobacco 

use. (See Chapter 4: Reaching Specific Populations for more information.) To reach these populations, 

you often have to augment your general media selection with minority news media. Specialized PR 

firms can provide media lists and contacts for media that reach specific audiences. However, some 

minority media outlets may be less likely to publish tobacco control articles if they accept and depend 

on money from the tobacco industry for advertising, events, or promotions. When working with 

minority media, you must be aware of their position on the issue. 

When pitching a news story to minority media outlets, be sure to: 

■	 Highlight the toll that tobacco use has on their audience 

■	 Explain the positive role that they can play in solving the problem 

■	 Provide them with information on your efforts 

■	 Include members of the relevant stakeholder organization(s) on your team when holding 


in-person meetings
 

As mentioned, the minority media outlets that you’re approaching may be accepting advertising, 

event, or promotional dollars from the tobacco industry. Many minority media outlets are on tight 

budgets and rely on tobacco advertising as part of the revenue mix that supports their publications. 

You should sympathize with their situation so that they don’t feel chastised by you or your program, 

but you should not condone or support their receipt of this money. If your campaign includes paid 

placements in their media outlets, mentioning this when you meet with them may show that you 

value their outlets as paid media channels. 

■	 Local cable stations If you are conducting a paid advertising media 

buy, be sure to include all of the newspapers, 

magazines, TV and radio stations, and other 

media outlets in your advertising buy. 

■	 Freelance writers who may be looking for 

stories to feed to media outlets 

■	 Public broadcasting stations (which may 

have community-affairs programming) 

■	 Public information officers at military 

bases (many bases have broadcast stations and newsletters that reach service 

members and their families) 

Once you have collected the media listings, you 

must determine who your contacts are with 

these outlets. You will not have much success if 

you simply collect media outlet fax numbers and 

send unannounced news releases and advisories. You must call the media outlets and ask 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 219 
who in their organization covers topics related

to tobacco. Don’t limit yourself to health 

reporters, although they will be key. You may 

be interested in the reporters who cover stories 

related to restaurants and other businesses so 

that you can prepare them for your smokefree 

restaurants campaign. You may also want to 

know who covers education, family, recreation, 

and other relevant areas. Staff turnover is frequent at many media outlets, so update your 

contact list or database often. 

The next step is to contact the identified 

reporters to introduce yourself. Become a 

“source” for them—someone who can tip 

them off to news about tobacco, explain the 

context, provide background information and 

additional data, and connect them with relevant people for interviews or quotes. 

If you want your story to run nationally, you 

should know that many newspapers are members of one or more wire services (e.g., 

Associated Press [AP], United Press 

International [UPI], and Reuters), and rely on 

these services to provide their readers with 

national news and features. A story that goes 

over the AP wire is commonly picked up by 

200 or more newspapers. That’s a quick way to 

get national coverage of your story. Often, larger circulation papers feed stories to wire services. You can contact the services directly or 

develop media contacts with the larger papers 

in your area to gain access to these services. 

Another idea often used in larger media markets is to join a press association and network 

to find reporters who will competently cover 

your issue. 

Developing and Cultivating Good 

Media Relationships 

Reporters are inundated with information 

every day. You’ll need to take steps to attract 

the reporter to the information that you have 

to offer. Make it as easy as possible for the 

reporter to write the story that you want without having to contact you. Make your information concise and to the point. Be available to 

give the reporter direct quotes and additional 

information; the reporter is likely to need these 

for most major news or feature stories. When 

you talk with reporters, be sure to: 

■	 Treat reporters as respected individuals. 

Learn their beats and interests. Journalists 

are almost always pressed for time. To 

cultivate positive coverage, be courteous, 

concise, timely, relevant, and objective. 

Ask how they prefer to get information 

(e.g., by fax or e-mail) and abide by their 

request. Don’t send large e-mail attachments with big graphics. 

■	 Be prepared and credible. Have backgrounders, fact sheets, and lists of 

experts ready to discuss the issue, and 

fax the information to the media outlets 

before contacting the journalists. 

■	 Respect deadlines. All media outlets 

operate on deadlines. When you call the 

assignment editor to learn who covers 

what, find out when the deadlines are 

and respect them. Information sent too 

early may be forgotten. A hot, lastminute story can be pitched on the 

phone. In general, mail news releases so 

that they arrive three to five days before 

220 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

an event. This extra time will allow the 

editors to assign someone to your story. 

If you are phoning in a story, do so at 

least one day ahead of time. 

■	 Be polite. If the journalist just isn’t interested, accept it. The reporter may suggest that someone else at the media 

outlet cover the story, be interested in 

the next story idea that you offer, or 

learn that you are a source and come to 

you for information or ideas in the 

future. Don’t burn any bridges. 

Pitching Your Story to Reporters 

Pitching a story means contacting reporters to 

persuade them to cover a story or event. 

Journalists want to hear about good story ideas 

because your ideas can help them put together 

more compelling stories. When pitching a 

story to a reporter, you must: 

■	 Be succinct. Jot down a few sentences 

that clearly and briefly state what you 

want to tell the reporter. You can use 

these notes as a script to prompt you. The 

purpose of a story pitch is to pique the 

interest of a journalist, not to communicate everything there is to know about a 

subject. In most cases, less is more. 

■	 State clearly who you are and why you’re 

calling. Then convey the essence of your 

issue or event in the first 15 seconds. 

Think about what you’re pitching as 

though it were a headline that will grab 

the journalist’s attention immediately. 

The first sentence of the conversation 

should emphasize why people will care 

about this story. 

■	 Ask whether the reporter has time to 

talk. If the answer is “no,” inquire about 

a better time. If the reporter agrees to 

chat for a moment but is rushed, be 

brief and get to the point quickly. 

Journalists will elect to keep you on the 

phone longer if they’re interested in 

your story. They’ll also make themselves 

more available to you in the future if 

they feel assured that you will be 

respectful of their time. 

■	 Be sensitive to the time of day. Different 

media outlets work on different schedules and deadlines. Find out the best 

time to contact each outlet on your 

media list. A general rule of thumb is 

that newsroom editors are the most 

open to discussing story ideas after the 

morning meetings have concluded— 

usually after 10:30 a.m. Avoid calling 

newsrooms after 3 p.m. because journalists are often focused on meeting 

tight deadlines at the end of the day. 

■	 Position your story as one that is 

receiving attention right now. Then 

ensure that your pitch includes an angle 

that’s timely, topical, and pertinent to a 

current news peg. 

■	 Whenever possible, humanize a story. 

Providing compelling visuals, personal 

storylines, and interesting anecdotes with 

the initial pitch will afford journalists the 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 221 
luxury of acting on a story idea quickly 

without having to do a lot of homework. 

■	 Preserve your credibility. Avoid making 

claims about a story that won’t hold 

under further scrutiny. Making claims 

that can’t be substantiated will compromise your credibility and limit your success with future pitches. 

■	 Avoid repackaging the same old information. If a story does not reveal new 

information, do the necessary research 

to find a fresh hook, a recent statistic, or 

a different angle to justify running the 

story again. For example, if you’re pitching a story on smoking cessation programs that have been covered in the 

past, narrow your pitch to include a 

timely news peg, such as recent statistics on smoking among teenagers and 

adapt your message points to support 

that angle of your story. 

■	 Become an ally to the news media. 

News outlets want stories that will 

appeal to their audiences. Understanding the audience base of a news 

organization will help you to pitch stories that will interest them. 

Conducting a Press Conference 

Holding a press conference is a great way to 

get information to the media. Before planning 

a press conference, determine if there’s a compelling reason to have one, such as a release of 

new information or another significant event. 

If you can create a local angle for a story or 

create a local link to a nationally breaking 

story, you are more likely to get local media 

outlets to attend your press conference and to 

cover the story. To make sure that your press 

conference goes smoothly, take these steps: 

■	 Choose a location. If you choose a public location, make sure that you apply 

for any necessary permits or get permission from the appropriate person. 

■	 Set the date and time. Midmorning on a 

Tuesday or Wednesday is generally the 

best time to attract reporters. 

■	 Select speakers. Determine who will 

speak at the press conference, what 

each person’s topics will be, and how 

long the press conference will last (usually 30 to 45 minutes). Generally, you’ll 

want someone to make an opening 

statement (five to 10 minutes), followed 

by other speakers who can share different 

perspectives or secondary information 

(10 to 15 minutes). The remaining time 

should be used for a question-andanswer period. You should have a moderator who can direct the questions to 

the appropriate participants and can 

maintain order—especially if you are 

dealing with a controversial topic. 

■	 Invite public figures. Invite “VIP” 

guests, such as the governor, the mayor, 

or other public figures, well in advance 

to increase the likelihood that they can 

attend. Having such public figures in 

attendance can provide an implicit 

endorsement of your message. Follow 

up as the date gets closer in case there 

222 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

are cancellations. You don’t want to promote their attendance if they can’t make 

it. Make sure that you coordinate with 

their PR staff. 

■	 Decide which pictures or visuals will 

best convey your message. You can create enlarged photos or giant posters that 

show your findings. Use your logo and 

make your organization’s name visible 

on a big sign. 

■	 Prepare a news advisory. Include a 

point of contact and phone number on 

it, and mail or fax it to reporters on your 

media list early enough to arrive one 

week before the event. 

■	 Encourage reporters to attend. A few 

days before the event, phone the 

reporters to remind them of the press 

conference and encourage them to 

attend. 

■	 Assemble media kits or handouts. 

Include summaries of the topic that 

you’re presenting, prepared statements to 

be read, and photos and graphics illustrating the topic of the press conferences. 

■	 Set up the room. On the day of the 

event, leave enough space for TV cameras on the sides or in the back of the 

room. Be sure that there are functioning 

electrical outlets available where the 

reporters will set up. 

■	 Have all members of the media sign in. 

Give them a copy of your media kit 

or handouts. 

■	 Prepare an agenda. Give all attendees 

an agenda for the press conference that 

includes key speakers and timing for 

the event. 

■	 Be punctual. Start and end the press 

conference on time. 

■	 Say thanks. Thank the media and 

your guests for attending. 

■	 Follow up. Contact reporters who
 

request additional information.
 

Meeting With Editorial Boards 

One way to add to your program’s credibility is 

to encourage favorable editorials. Editorials are 

articles that express opinions and are usually 

not signed by an individual because they are 

seen as representing the official position of the 

newspaper. To educate a newspaper about 

tobacco control and to properly introduce 

major elements of your campaign, consider 

meeting with newspaper editorial boards. The 

editorial board sets the paper’s general editorial 

policy and includes the people who write the 

editorials that appear in the paper. The editorial 

board of a major metropolitan newspaper usually consists of the publisher, the editor, the 

editorial page editor, and some columnists and 

editorial writers. However, most editorial board 

meetings include only the editorial page editor, 

the editorial writers, and/or the columnists. At 

a smaller paper, a single person may handle the 

entire editorial page. 

Editorial boards each have their own schedules 

and procedures, so call the one that you’re 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 223 
Checklist for Press Conference Planning 

Facility Accommodations and Appearances 

Be sure to select a location with 

❑	 Adequate space for attendees and equipment, 

including tables and chairs 

❑	 Enough electrical outlets for equipment 

❑	 Adequate parking available 

❑	 Accessibility for senior 


citizens and people with disabilities
 

❑	 Adequate lighting 

❑	 Properly functioning air conditioning or 

heating 

❑	 Good acoustics for speaking and recording 

Be sure to have alternative plans in case of bad 

weather. 

Other accommodations and equipment that you 

may want to consider include: 

❑	 Lectern and/or platform and stage 

❑	 Reception area 

❑	 Videotape equipment 

❑	 Microphones and amplifier 

❑	 Recording equipment 

❑	 Audiovisual aids (e.g., screens, charts, easels, 

chalkboards, slide projectors, computers, and 

projectors) 

❑	 Photographer and video crew 

Test all of the equipment in advance and allow time 

to get any needed replacements. 

Before the Event 

❑	 Conduct a “walk-through” to determine the 

appearance of the facility 

❑	 Check the condition and location of the signs 

❑	 Before the press conference, test the equipment again with the actual material that you 

plan to use 

Materials 

Make sure that your spokespeople and staff are 

equipped with the materials that they need to 

effectively deliver your messages and to meet event 

objectives. Examples of materials include the 

following: 

❑	 Agenda, schedule, and program 

❑	 Gifts or awards 

❑	 Brochures 

❑	 Media kits 

❑	 Direction signs 

❑	 Name tags 

❑	 Host badges or ribbons 

❑	 Guest book or sign-in sheet 

❑	 Posters or banners 

❑	 Placards for speakers or guests of honor 

Staffing 

Make sure that staff are available to oversee these 

functions: 

❑	 Rehearsal 

❑	 Parking and traffic control 

❑	 Registration and guest sign-in 

❑	 Master of ceremonies 

❑	 Photography and/or videotaping 

❑	 Audiovisual arrangements 

❑	 Decorations and catering 

❑	 Setup/cleanup 

NOTE: If your event involves a presentation or demonstration, you may wish to have prepared questions for 

designated questioners in the audience to facilitate a 

question-and-answer discussion. 

224 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

targeting to find out how it functions. Many 

editorial boards hold regular meetings with 

outside groups. If you can get on the agenda for 

one of these meetings, make sure that you’re 

thoroughly familiar with the media outlet and 

its position on tobacco. Also, you should: 

■	 Attend the meeting with no more than 

three people 

■	 Prepare a 5- to 10-minute presentation 

(no longer) that states your main message and the importance of your issue to 

the community 

■	 Take materials to hand out, including a 

succinct explanation of the issue, a fact 

sheet on your issue, and the names and 

contact information of people who can 

be reached for more information 

■	 Be prepared for a pointed group discussion in which everyone asks questions 

and voices opinions 

If you can’t meet with the editorial board, you 

can write an editorial board memo. This 

memo will contain the same basic information 

that you would have presented in person. If a 

hot issue is in the news, you can use editorial 

board memos to target columnists by providing an interesting point of view on the issue. 

Letters to the Editor 

Letters to the editor are an effective way for 

you to voice an opinion to policy makers and 

to educate the community about your tobacco-related issues. Use these letters to correct 

facts in an inaccurate or biased news article, to 

explain the connection between a news item 

and your activities, or to praise or criticize a 

recent article. Your program may send the 

editor as many different letters on the same 

subject as you have allies to write and sign 

them. To increase your odds that your letter 

will appear with little or no editing by the 

paper, consider these guidelines: 

■	 Avoid general salutations. Whenever 

possible, use the actual name of the editor. If you don’t know the name, address 

your letter to Dear Editor. Do not use 

general salutations like “Dear Sir” or “To 

Whom It May Concern.” 

■	 Keep the letter short. A maximum of 

three to five short paragraphs or 200 to 

300 words should be sufficient. Some 

newspapers have length restrictions. 

Some newspapers also reserve the right 

to edit for length and may not edit a 

letter the way that you would want. 

Find out about these policies before 

submitting a letter. 

■	 Keep it simple and succinct. Make sure 

that your first sentence is short yet compelling. Don’t be afraid to be direct, 

engaging, and even controversial. 

■	 Get personal. Demonstrate local 

relevance with your letter. Use local statistics, personal stories, and names to 

make your point. If you are going to tell 

someone else’s personal story, be sure to 

get his or her permission in advance. 

■	 Be timely. Capitalize on recent news, 

events, editorials, and public-awareness 

campaigns. If you are responding to a 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 225 
recently published article, refer to the 

headline of the article and the date that 

it was published at the beginning of 

your letter. 

■	 Correct but don’t emphasize inaccuracies. 

If the letter is to correct an inaccuracy, 

very briefly mention the misconception 

or inaccuracy, but do not give it much 

space (you don't want to introduce the 

negative point to an even wider audience). Then set the record straight in no 

uncertain terms and back up your statements. In the last paragraph, draw a 

conclusion or ask for an action, such as 

“call a toll-free number for more information or visit a Web site.” 

■	 Don’t forget to give your full name, 

address, and telephone number. The 

editor may want to confirm your identity and organization/affiliation, or to 

clarify some point in the letter. Include 

a phone number where you can be 

reached in the evening, especially if your 

issue is urgent. 

■	 Follow up. Don’t be discouraged if your 

letter isn’t printed. Keep trying. You may 

want to submit a revised letter with a different angle on the issue at a later date. 

Op-Eds 

The op-ed (“opinion/editorial” or “opposite 

the editorial page”) expresses a forceful opinion on an issue, backed by well-researched 

and documented facts. While a letter to the 

editor often provides a concise and direct 

response to a specific article or broadcast, the 

op-ed may be more detailed. Here are some 

suggestions for content and format: 

■	 Be timely. Connect the op-ed to the 

release of a new survey, a recent article, 

or a community event. Timing is key for 

an op-ed. 

■	 Follow the standard format. Provide the 

author’s name, title, and occupation. 

Mention the author’s connection to your 

organization. Double-space the text and 

keep the article between 500 and 800 

words. Localize the article with statistics 

and stories that provoke discussion and 

provide practical solutions to the issue. 

End with an overview of your group’s 

mission. 

■	 Select a messenger. Identify the best 

author or signer for the op-ed. Selection 

of the most appropriate author is critical 

in getting the article published and 

maximizing its impact. Even if you collaborate on the research and writing, ask 

a board member or a local influential 

politician to sign the op-ed. The more 

prominent the signer, the more likely 

the piece is to be published. 

■	 Follow up. Call the paper three to 10 

days after sending your op-ed to ask if 

it is being considered for publication. 

The follow-up call is also an opportunity to educate your contact about your 

tobacco-related issue, even if the op-ed 

isn’t published. 

(See Appendix 8.3 for a sample editorial, 

Appendix 8.4 for a sample letter to the editor, 

and Appendix 8.5 for a sample op-ed.) 

226 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Calendar Items 

Newspapers, radio and TV stations, and local 

access/community cable TV channels often 

mention special events and meetings. This 

publicity is free and easy to obtain. When your 

event or meeting is open to the public, send 

the calendar editor a one-paragraph description of the program, plus information about 

the event’s time, date, place, and cost, along 

with a contact name and phone number. This 

information is best sent two to three weeks in 

advance of the event. Respect the media outlets’ deadlines. 

Developing a Web-Based Pressroom 

Making information about your program 

easily accessible to reporters will help you get 

more accurate coverage. Members of the 

media are increasingly turning to the Web for 

information about the topics that they cover, 

and creating a Web-based pressroom will 

make it fast and easy for reporters to get 

information about your effort. 

Although your general Web site may contain a 

wealth of useful information, it may not 

include your latest news or clearly address 

what a reporter will want to know. Creating a 

special section tailored to reporters’ needs can 

make it easier for them to get the story right. 

Some tips for creating your online pressroom: 

■	 Post the same elements online that are 

in your media kits. These include news 

releases, media advisories, fact sheets, 

backgrounders, speeches or articles by 

organization leaders, biographies of key 

people, an annual report, a calendar of 

events, photos with identifying captions, 

and contact information. (See the Media 

Kit section later in this chapter for more 

information on the contents of media 

kits.) 

■	 Put your ads online. Digitize your ads 

and put them on the Web site so that 

reporters can see them. Be sure to secure 

all of the necessary permissions and pay 

all of the required talent fees before you 

place any ad online. The Web version of 

the ad should be low resolution so that it 

can’t be downloaded to ensure that 

reporters or others don’t use the ad in a 

news program or for any other purpose 

without your knowledge and express 

permission. Provide information on the 

Web site about how a reporter can 

quickly receive a videotape with your latest ad(s) for use in a news story. 

■	 Include screen captures of your TV ads. 

Place screen captures (stills from a 

video) of the ads on the site so reporters 

for print publications can download 

them to use with their story. Screen captures should be of a high enough quality 

to be used in a publication. Contact your 

ad agency or the CDC’s Media Campaign 

Resource Center in advance to make 

sure that all of the permissions are 

secured and that the talent fees are paid. 

■	 Make the links easy to navigate. Make 

sure that the link to the pressroom is on 

the main page of your Web site. Don’t 

create several layers of links in the press 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 227 
area; every key piece of information 

should have a link from the first pressroom page. 

■	 Make it easy for a reporter to contact 

your organization. Each page should 

have a link where the reporter can send 

an e-mail to your organization’s media 

contact for more information. 

■	 Track usage. Use a log-in function to 

track who is using the pressroom and 

when. 

■	 Send automatic e-mail updates. 

Consider programming an automatic 

e-mail notification function that sends a 

message to reporters when new information is posted. 

■	 Keep the Web site current. All news 

releases and other information should 

be posted to the pressroom at the same 

time that they are distributed by fax, 

e-mail, or another method. 

■	 Continue your other media activities. 

Realize that the online pressroom only 

supplements—but doesn’t replace— 

regular phone calls, faxes, and other 

contact with reporters. 

Responding to Unsolicited 

Media Inquiries 

When you get a call from a reporter for information about your campaign, you should 

■	 Ask for particulars. Find out what news 

outlet the reporter represents, what the 

full story is about, when the story will 

run, what questions the reporter has, and 

who else he or she plans to interview. 

■	 Ask about deadlines. You are under no 

obligation to respond on the spot. 

However, it is important to respond to 

the reporter in a timely fashion. You may 

want to find out more or discuss the 

question with others before responding—before the reporter’s deadline. 

■	 Determine who is the best source and 

respondent. If it isn’t you, brief the 

person who is the best source and have 

that person return the call. 

■	 Note the reporter’s name, affiliation, 

phone number, and deadline. If you’re 

unfamiliar with the media outlet, do a 

little research, perhaps on the Internet. 

■	 Check the information. Check all the 

facts carefully and collect your thoughts 

before you return a call. 

■	 Always call back. Respect deadlines. Set 

a time to return the call, and make sure 

that you don’t keep a reporter waiting. 

Selecting and Training Spokespeople 

Selecting and training spokespeople who will 

carry your message to your audiences are 

essential for disseminating your messages and 

for creating and maintaining a positive image 

for your campaign and organization. Your 

spokespeople should be ready to speak on the 

record and on the air with reporters. Make sure 

that they understand that discussions with 

reporters should always be considered “on the 

record.” Many organizations have full-time 

spokespeople, although the role often falls to 

228 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Bridging Statements 

“Bridging” is responding to a question by answering the question that you want to answer, not the one that 

was asked. You should never have to say “No comment.” Bridging is a way to keep the interview on track, to 

control it, and to get your message out. Here are just a few examples of bridging statements: 

■	 “I think it’s important to know...” 

■	 “We see it from a different perspective...” 

■	 “What I’d like people to remember is...” 

■	 “Let’s talk about what’s happening...” 

■	 “Our perspective is...” 

the director of a program. When selecting 

spokespeople, you should choose spokespeople who have the following characteristics: 

■	 Represent the image that you want to 

project for your message, campaign, or 

organization. They may be friendly and 

energetic, scientific, or very polished or 

casual in their appearance. Your selection depends on the message and image 

that you are trying to convey. It helps if 

your spokespeople are viewed as likable 

as well as credible. 

■	 Represent your target audience. You 

want the spokesperson to be seen as 

credible. If your target is kids, you may 

want a youth spokesperson; if it’s policy 

makers, you may want a respected 

leader of a community organization. 

■	 Are well spoken, articulate, and fast 

thinkers. However, do not assume that 

people who are articulate in conversation will be “naturals” at being spokespeople. Make sure that you provide 

training and that they are prepared to 

deliver your messages. 

It is helpful to have a list of spokespeople that 

you’ve trained so that you can quickly refer 

reporters to them for quotes and interviews. You 

can record key information about your trained 

spokespeople by using a spokesperson profile 

sheet. (See Appendix 8.6 for an example.) When 

you want to refer reporters to your spokespeople, you can use these profiles to help select 

the most appropriate person to contact. 

All of your spokespeople should go through 

media training to perfect their on-air presence. 

Most PR agencies offer media training as a core 

service. Many independent media trainers are 

also available and can be hired as freelancers. 

Most media training sessions include videotaping mock interviews and then critiquing the 

performance. Most people improve significantly with just a few practice sessions. When 

reviewing a taped mock interview, look for: 

■	 Clear and believable answers 

■	 Main points repeated in quick, appealing sound bites 

■	 A relaxed and comfortable interviewee 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 229 
General Interview Tips 

■	 When working with reporters, try your best to correct factual inaccuracies; otherwise, they will 

be accepted as fact. 

■	 Pair the use of statistics with personal stories or case studies that bring them to life. 

■	 Repeat important information to reinforce key message points. 

■	 Know your campaign goals and objectives, and be prepared to provide information and answer 

questions in depth. 

■	 Don’t speak to issues that are not your area of expertise. If a reporter asks you about another 

unrelated health issue, refer the reporter to an appropriate subject matter expert if you are not 

knowledgeable on the subject. 

■	 Don’t speculate or lie to reporters. Always be honest and stick to the facts. If you don’t know an 

answer to a question, say so, and offer to find the answer or refer the reporter to someone who can. 

■	 Always make your own statement. If a reporter asks, “Would you say . . . ” and then adds a quote for 

you to agree to, don’t take the bait. Instead, succinctly state the main message you are trying to convey. 

■	 Assume that everything is on the record and that everything is for attribution. Don’t confide in a 

journalist. Say only what you would want to appear in a headline or lead of a story. 

■	 Don’t offer personal opinions when speaking on behalf of your organization. 

Tips for Print Interviews 

■	 Take notes during the interview, mainly about points that you want to address. Interviews are highpressure situations; don’t count on keeping it all straight in your head. 

■	 Smile, stand up, and move around. You’ll be more animated, and it will come through over the 

telephone. 

Tips for Radio/TV Interviews and Talk Shows 

■	 Before the appearance you should: 

– Become familiar with the show. 

– Role-play with a stand-in for the host. 

230 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

– Jot down likely questions and answers. 

– List three or fewer key points that you want people to remember. Keep them simple and be 

prepared to repeat them using varied wording throughout the interview. 

– Prepare anecdotes, examples, or research to support your messages. 

■	 During the appearance, you should: 

– Be confident, personable, and honest. If you don’t know an answer, say so. 

– Talk more slowly than usual and speak in short sound bites. 

– Dress for success. For TV, wear medium tones; don’t wear stripes, bold plaids, or wild prints. 

Stay away from bright white, too. Keep jewelry and ties simple. 

– Always assume that a microphone is live. Never say anything within earshot of a microphone 

or a reporter that you wouldn’t want to be broadcast or recorded. 

Developing Press Materials 

If you want to get your message in the news media, 

you’ll need to make your message—and your supporting points behind it—very easy for the media 

to find and use. Over the years, PR professionals 

have developed a standard way of organizing 

information into materials to suit this purpose. 

These materials are often packaged together in a 

media kit (also called a press kit, a press packet, 

or an information kit). 

Media Kit 

A media kit generally contains a lead or main news 

release and related elements (brochure, fact sheet, 

and photos) that tell a complete story. Effective media 

kits offer an appropriate amount of unduplicated 

information, arranged in the order of importance to 

the recipient. The most recent news release should 

be the first thing visible when the kit is opened. The 

contents should be compiled with the needs of the 

intended audience(s) in mind. 

Media kits usually take the form of a two-pocket 

folder with a cover label featuring the name of the 

organization providing the information. (Use a 

computer-generated label to identify your organization and the kit’s contents if customized printed 

folders are unavailable.) 

Media kit components include: 

■	 Table of contents 

■	 Pitch letter (described below) 

■	 Media advisory (described below) 

■	 News release(s) (described below) 

■	 Fact sheet or backgrounder on the issue and 

your organization (described below) 

■	 Photo(s) with identifying captions 

■	 Business card or label with contact information for your organization’s main media 

contact 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 231 
■	 Additional information, such as 


the following:
 

– Printed brochure 

– 	 Reprints of speeches or articles by 

organization leaders 

– 	 Biographies of key people 

– 	 Press clippings from previous coverage 

of the organization 

– Annual report 

– 	 Calendar of events 

– 	 Video news release 

Pitch Letter 

The pitch letter is designed to persuade reporters to 

cover a specific story. More than a phone call, a 

pitch letter or e-mail lets you outline what you’re 

doing and why it is newsworthy. A good pitch letter 

has staying power. (See Appendix 8.7 for a sample 

pitch letter.) If it doesn’t generate a story today, it 

may tomorrow. Here are some format and style 

suggestions: 

■	 Target pitch letters and news releases. Send 

correspondence to one journalist at each 

publication or media outlet. Avoid having 

two journalists at the same outlet compete 

for the same story. 

■	 Be timely. Play off recent or anticipated 

events. 

■	 Be concise. The pitch letter should be one 

typewritten page or less. Aim for no more 

than four or five paragraphs. 

■	 “Sell” the story idea’s newsworthiness. 

Propose a news hook, state why it’s a hot 

story, and suggest photos or other possibilities for visuals. Providing good visuals is 

especially critical to a TV pitch. 

■	 Skip the hype. Forget cute leads, flowery 

text, and self-congratulatory language. 

■	 Organize the letter like a news story. Don’t 

beat around the bush. Make the opening tell 

the story, then provide background information. 

■	 ALWAYS include a contact name and a 

phone number. 

■	 Advance the story. Offer the names of interview subjects and experts who complement 

the contents of the accompanying news 

releases or materials. 

■	 Localize. Generate local statistics and provide local anecdotes to tie your story to a 

national story on the same subject. 

■	 Conclude with your intention to follow up 

by phone. Include your phone number. 

■	 Follow up. Phone in a few days to explore 

different angles, but don’t be pushy. Your 

job is to let reporters know what's going 

on, and their job is to decide whether it’s 

newsworthy. Always thank reporters for 

their time. If the idea is rejected today, it 

may be more relevant tomorrow. 

■	 Use organizational letterhead and hand 

address the envelope. 

232 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Common Traps 

There are some common “traps” that people fall into when giving interviews. Sometimes, 

reporters will intentionally set up the interviewee to get a better quote; sometimes, these happen spontaneously. In either event, keep them in mind when being interviewed. Always keep 

your cool and never argue with or be condescending to a reporter. 

■	 Off the record. You are never off the record. Consider anything that you say to a
 

reporter as a potential quote.
 

■	 The long pause. Sometimes, a reporter will pause after you’ve answered in an effort to keep 

you talking. When you’ve finished answering a question, don’t feel compelled to fill a silence 

by continuing to talk. 

■	 The derogatory remark. If a reporter makes a derogatory remark, don’t take the bait. 

Ignore the comment and bridge to your key message. 

■	 The phantom authority. The reporter makes a vague reference to a study or a quote by 

an unnamed authority. Don’t respond unless the reporter can provide exact information 

about the study and author. 

■	 Badgering. The reporter asks the same question over and over or asks the same question in several different ways in an effort to get the response for which he or she is looking. Don’t concede the point. Bridge to your message. 

■	 Irrelevant questions. If a reporter asks a question that’s not relevant to the topic or your 

area of expertise, bridge to your message. 

■	 “A” or “B” dilemma. The reporter gives a dilemma, “Do you prefer X or Y?” Don’t let the 

reporter limit your choices. State what you think is best and don’t hesitate to state several 

options if that’s preferable. 

■	 Multiple or rapid questions. A reporter asks several questions in rapid order or asks 

questions with multiple parts. Respond by taking the issues one at a time. If the reporter 

has asked several questions, answer the one that you want to answer and ignore the 

other ones. 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 233 
Media Advisory 

A media advisory telegraphs basic information 

about an upcoming event and may catch a busy 

editor’s attention when a longer news release may 

not. It should be very simple and can even be written in bullet format, like an invitation showing 

who, what, when, where, why, point of contact, 

phone number, and date. Send media advisories to 

all local media outlets, as well as to the AP wire 

service, which maintains a daily log of events that 

is sent to all subscribing news outlets in a particular city or state. 

Be sure to indicate a time and a place for the interview or photo opportunities, especially if the event 

is an all-day affair. Make sure that you also provide 

a contact name and phone number on the advisory for reporters who want to get more information 

or schedule interviews. 

News Release 

The news release (also called a press release) is the 

workhorse of media relations. It communicates an 

issue’s newsworthiness in a matter of seconds. If it 

doesn’t, it will be tossed. Although news releases 

are sometimes used as submitted, they most often 

provide the foundation for a story or interview. 

Just as important as the content of the news 

release is the format or look. Neatness counts. 

Make sure that the release date, your organization’s logo, and the necessary contact information 

are shown clearly and prominently. Here are 

some guidelines for the format: 

■	 Style. Indent paragraphs five spaces. 

Double-space and leave wide margins. 

■	 Fonts. Choose one font. Don’t mix fonts or 

type sizes. 

■	 Length. Try to keep your news release to no 

more than two double-spaced pages, about 

400 to 500 words. 

■	 Pagination. For releases that run more than 

one page, type “more” at the bottom of the 

first page. Avoid carrying forward single 

words or lines of text. Make sure that the 

name of your organization, an identifying 

phrase (or “slug”), and the page number 

appear at the top of subsequent pages. 

■	 End. You can denote the end of a release in 

two ways: Type “—30— ”or “###” after the 

final paragraph. 

(See Appendix 8.8 for a sample news release.) 

Also note that you can prepare print news stories 

with images and pay to have them distributed to 

the media. Agencies that provide this kind of service include PR Newswire, North American Precis 

Syndicate, and News USA. 

Video News Release 

The video news release (VNR) is essentially a 

prepackaged 90-second TV news story sent to TV 

stations. You should ask your regular media contacts whether VNRs are useful before investing 

money in creating them. VNRs are useful when 

you’re conducting an event that TV stations can’t 

attend but would be interested in covering. TV stations often take sections of a VNR and use them 

with footage of their anchors. VNRs are often transmitted to TV stations via satellite. You can also digitize them and place them on your Web site so others can see the story. 

234 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Some major media outlets have a policy of not 

using VNRs because VNRs do not meet their 

broadcast standards. An alternative to a VNR is 

to send a satellite video feed featuring sound 

bites and background footage (B-roll) that the 

TV station can use to create its own story. This 

approach is more cost-effective and easier to 

put together because you supply just the raw 

materials instead of a fully packaged news 

story with a voiceover. To let the stations know 

about the feed, you can send a media advisory 

with the time and satellite information, then 

follow up with calls to the news editors. 

Criteria for an Effective News Release 

■	 Does it grab the reader’s attention from the start? 

■	 Does the headline inform the reader? Does it presell the story? 

■	 Does the lead paragraph single out at least two of the five “Ws” (who, what, when, where, and 

why) that explain why the story is important? 

■	 Does the second paragraph address all of the other “Ws”? 

■	 Have you put the most important information up front? 

■	 Have you put the most important quotes up front? 

■	 Have you clearly and accurately provided the title and affiliation of the people 


being quoted?
 

■	 Does it use the inverted pyramid style? Start by giving the reader the conclusion, follow with 

the most important supporting information, and end with background information. This 

allows editors to cut from the bottom and still retain the newsworthy kernel of the release. 

■	 Does the closing paragraph succinctly restate the purpose of your campaign or organization? 

■	 Is the text concise, readable, and easily understood? 

■	 Is the information accurate? Have you double-checked all of the facts and figures? Are all of 

the attributions and sources complete? Are the names, titles, and all of the text spelled correctly? 

■	 Does the release avoid jargon and spell out acronyms in the first mention? 

■	 Are quotations used properly to express opinions, offer ideas, and explain actions, and not 

merely to puff up the story? 

■	 Is a pertinent Web site or other reference information provided? 

■	 Have you provided a date and a point of contact with a phone number at the top of the 

release? 

■	 Does the release clearly indicate when the information can be published (e.g., “For release at 

10:00 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17” or “Embargoed until noon, Feb. 1”)? 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 235 
Fact Sheet 

The fact sheet or backgrounder provides basic, 

objective, and detailed information on an issue or 

subject. Fact sheets are usually a single page. A fact 

sheet supplements the information in a pitch letter 

or a news release. It adds credibility to any accompanying advertisements, media kits, op-ed pieces, 

or other timely materials. Follow the news release 

format guidelines to create your fact sheet. You may 

also want to use bullets or boldface for key points. If 

appropriate, use a question-and-answer format. 

(See Appendix 8.9 for a sample fact sheet.) 

Responding to Negative News Stories 

Sometimes, despite your best efforts to communicate accurate information and messages that support your program, a news outlet will run a negative 

or inaccurate story. It is important to respond calmly and strategically. 

Tip 1: Remain calm. 

■	 Stay calm and don’t take the negative story 

personally. When you talk to the media, you 

are speaking for your agency or organization. 

No matter how angry you are, reacting 

thoughtlessly or attacking the reporter will 

not only reflect negatively on both you and 

your organization, but it will also hinder your 

efforts to communicate your messages. 

■	 Try to understand the reporter’s point of 

view. Reporters do not always have the time 

to get all of the facts before their deadline, or 

they might fear that if they continue to spend 

time on research, a competing reporter 

might release the story ahead of them. 

■ Look at the situation as an opportunity. 

Always try to think in terms of educating the 

media, thereby building bridges to promote 

accurate stories in the future. 

Tip 2: Analyze the situation. 

■	 Look at your relationship with this reporter 

and media outlet. Following up on a negative news report is usually not the best time 

to work with a reporter or media outlet for 

the first time. Expressing your complaint to 

someone who knows you and knows that 

you’re credible is easier and more productive. 

■	 Keep in mind that reporters don’t work for 

you. Reporters have no obligation to report 

only positive stories for you—although they 

do have a responsibility to inform their audience with accurate information. You can and 

should appeal to their sense of community 

service if the stories that they’re running are 

inaccurate or not in the best interest of the 

public. 

■	 Remember whom you’re trying to reach. 

You’re not trying to win a contest with media 

representatives. You’re trying to reach your 

target audience(s). If the reporter or media 

outlet is unwilling to hear your position, consider trying to get your point across to your 

audience(s) through alternate news sources. 

■	 Determine whether the story you saw or 

heard attempted to express both sides of the 

issue. To many reporters, a balanced piece is 

one that examines the opposing sides of a 

story, even if you perceive one point of view 

as an extreme position and the other as the 

236 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

generally accepted point of view. As long as 

reporters attempt to present both sides, they 

will likely consider this to be fair reporting. 

■	 Determine whether there truly was an inaccuracy or if the reporter simply presented 

the facts with a negative slant. Correcting a 

factual error is relatively simple and straightforward. However, a difference of opinion 

about a subject isn’t as easy to counter. 

Statements that you may perceive as biased, 

uninformed, or sensational reporting may 

not be viewed by reporters as an error on 

their part. You can still respond to the piece, 

but your strategy will be different than if 

you’re simply correcting a factual error. 

■	 If the story is basically true with only minor 

factual errors, you may choose not to comment. Quibbling with a reporter over a minor 

point when a news item is otherwise accurate will not help you build bridges for future 

positive stories. However, you may still want 

to contact the reporter to establish a dialogue 

and offer yourself as a source, which may 

result in more positive stories in the future. 

Tip 3: Know what to request. 

Once you have analyzed the situation and have 

decided that action is necessary, know your 

options. Reporters only have a few possibilities for 

how to respond to your complaint. Decide ahead of 

time your ideal solution as well as your minimal 

solution. Think of this as a negotiation. Here are 

some actions that you may request: 

■	 Ask for a retraction or correction. This is 

reasonable when a grievous error has been 

made and you have supporting material to 

refute the facts or statements reported. Ask 

for a correction immediately, and request 

that it be run as prominently as the original 

piece. Al-though this is not likely to happen, 

you may be able discourage the editor from 

burying the retraction in a section that’s not 

widely read. 

■	 Ask for another piece to air that presents 

your perspective on the issue. A follow-up 

response is a reasonable request if your point 

of view was completely ignored or misrepresented in the original report. Reporters are 

not likely to present a follow-up piece that 

simply contradicts a story that they have 

recently run because they will not want to 

lose credibility. They will be more likely to 

work with you if you give them a fresh perspective or a new angle, or supply some “new 

information” (thereby giving them a way to 

maintain credibility). 

■	 Ask for an apology. Sometimes reporters 

make mistakes unintentionally. If the errors 

are not egregious enough that they will significantly hinder your communication efforts, 

perhaps an acknowledgment of the mistake 

over the phone by the reporter is enough. If 

this is the case, you may use this as an opportunity to develop rapport with this reporter 

and to establish yourself as a source that the 

reporter can contact to confirm the accuracy 

of information in the future. 

■	 Ask that a correction note be placed in the 

permanent record. Ask the reporter or editor 

to place a written correction on file with the 

original piece in the permanent record and 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 237 
to tie the correction to the original 

report. If the mistake is a factual one, 

you do not want to see it repeated. 

Reporters often go back to do research, 

and may report the mistaken information again if they don't realize a correction was made. 

■	 Ask that a letter to the editor or guest 

editorial be printed. A letter to the editor may be an effective response 

because these letters are widely read 

and publications are often very willing 

to print opposing views. Before releasing 

your letter, be sure to coordinate with 

your PR staff and seek concurrence from 

subject matter experts within your 

agency. See tips on writing letters to the 

editor earlier in this chapter. 

Tip 4: Know whom to contact. 

■	 Talk to the reporter first. Always give 

the reporter the first opportunity to 

respond to your concerns before moving 

up the chain of command. Give the 

reporter the benefit of the doubt. An 

editor may have changed a piece without the reporter’s knowledge. A producer putting together the nightly news 

teaser may have misunderstood the 

message that the reporter was communicating in the piece, or “sensationalized” an originally balanced report. Let 

the reporter have an opportunity to 

respond and explain. Know the 

reporter’s position before taking any further action. 

■	 If talking with the reporter doesn’t 

result in the desired action, then speak 

to the news editor or the producer. 

Keep going up the chain until you are 

satisfied with the response or until you 

are convinced that you will not get the 

desired action. 

■	 Consider going to an alternate media 

outlet. If you have doubts about the 

integrity of the media outlet that presented the negative or inaccurate report 

concerning your issue or organization, 

you can go to an alternate media outlet 

to present your information and point 

of view. Of course, go to the alternate 

source with a great story idea, not just a 

complaint about the other media outlet. 

■	 Consider reaching your public through 

many alternate outlets. If all else fails in 

your efforts to set the record straight 

with the original media outlet, redouble 

your efforts to get your message to the 

public through alternative means. For 

example, set up a public forum, make 

your presence known on the Internet, 

and invite partners to write letters or 

make phone calls. Offer articles for community newsletters. Work to establish 

contacts in competing media outlets. 

Tip 5: Know what you want to 

communicate. 

■ Remember who your ultimate audience is. You are ultimately trying to 

reach specific target audiences and 

238 Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

stakeholders. Keep them in mind as you 

craft your messages and responses. 

■	 Develop your message. Have your messages reviewed by advisors and subject 

matter experts in your organization and 

partner organizations. 

■	 Frame messages in a positive way. Don’t 

focus on criticisms or negativity. Don’t get 

distracted by the arguments or concerns 

of your critics unless they’re substantial 

enough to truly be creating obstacles to 

communicating your messages. 

■	 Include a call to action. If appropriate, 

include specific information about what 

audiences can do to respond or become 

involved in the issue. 

Tip 6: Prevent and plan for 

future attacks. 

■ Be ready to voice objections quickly. 

When a surprise negative news story 

hits that relates to your effort or attacks 

your program or tobacco control efforts 

in general, you need to respond very 

quickly (often the same day of the story) 

to take advantage of it. Thus, you may 

need to develop a shortened review 

process to replace the usual lengthy 

review process. Your shortened process 

may include asking your head PR person to craft a response, then having it 

quickly approved by the program manager or marketing director. Having a crisis communications plan on hand will 

facilitate your response. 

■	 Prepare responses in advance. Because 

you know the important issues as well 

as the basic arguments of your critics, 

you and your PR staff can prepare messages and responses ahead of time, 

especially for potentially controversial 

issues. Draft letters to the editor that 

could be altered slightly and sent within 

hours of the airing or printing of an 

inaccurate or negative story. 

■	 Attempt to prevent negative stories. 

Staying in contact with your media list 

and providing them with the most 

recent and accurate information will 

help keep reporters informed about 

your issue and will likely prevent inaccurate or negative stories. 

■	 Let the media outlets know that you’re 

paying attention. Because you are part 

of media outlets’ audience, they have a 

stake in responding to your needs. Let 

them know that you watch or read their 

stories. Maintain regular contact. For 

example, you may call a reporter to 

praise a good story. Build bridges with 

the media at every opportunity. 

■	 Let the media know that you’re a 

potential source for information. Invite 

reporters to call on you for interviews or 

information verification in the future. 

Make sure that you’re available to give 

credible and constructive interviews 

and information. Identify and train 

spokespeople that you can offer as contacts for reporters to interview. 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 239 
240 Chapter 8: Public Relations 

■	 	 Coordinate with your PR team. Make sure 

the team is aware of any ongoing issues with 

the media and are involved in planning 

responses. 

Evaluating Your Public 
 

Relations Efforts 
 

As discussed in Chapter 5: Evaluating the Success 

of Your Counter-Marketing Program, evaluation is 

an essential component of a successful countermarketing program. Evaluation will help you report 

to stakeholders about what you’re doing and will 

give you valuable insight into how to adjust and 

improve your efforts. More specifically, evaluation 

can help you answer questions such as the following: 

■	 	 How is the funding for PR being used? 

■	 	 What activities have you conducted? 

■	 	 What are the results of your efforts? 

■	 	 Did you identify, reach, and involve key 

stakeholders in the PR activities? 

■	 	 Did they view your campaign as effective? 

■	 	 Did you identify and reach your 
 


target audience(s)?
 


■	 	 How can you use the evaluation 

results to adjust your PR plan, reach more of 

the target audience, and 

contribute to the success of the 

counter-marketing program? 

How To Evaluate Your PR Efforts 

First, in a process evaluation, you’ll need to monitor your efforts by tracking exactly what you have 

done. As indicated in Chapter 5: Evaluating the 

Success of Your Counter-Marketing Program, you 

or your PR firm will need to regularly complete 

logs, call sheets, and other tools to track the activities that are linked to the goals and objectives of 

your PR plan. If, for example, one of your process 

objectives is to reach a specified list of journalists 

by a certain date, a call sheet should be created to 

allow you to document what journalists were 

reached and when. (See Appendix 8.10 for an 

example of a media contact record.) If process 

objectives specify that certain events (e.g., press 

conferences, radio and TV appearances, and meetings with editorial boards) will be held or materials 

(e.g., news releases, pitch letters, and a Web-based 

pressroom) will be developed and/or distributed 

within a certain time frame, event and materials 

logs should be designed and used regularly to document your efforts. This tracking system may be 

time consuming, but it’s important to have these 

data on hand. You can use the records to respond 

to inquiries from stakeholders and for planning 

purposes. 

Your process objectives may also specify your 

intention to achieve a certain amount and quality 

of media coverage and target audience exposure. 

To measure media coverage, you’ll probably need 

to use a clipping service, such as Burrelle’s, Bacon’s, 

or Luce. These firms search a list of publications 

that you identify for key words related to your 

efforts. They clip the stories that contain these 

words, compile them, and send them to you on a 

regular schedule. Each clip will contain a slip that 

indicates the source publication, the publication’s 

audience, and other information. You usually pay a 

set-up fee for these services, 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 241 

then pay for each clip. You can then analyze 

the clippings to determine whether the slant 

of each story supports your efforts. For an 

additional fee, some clipping services will 

provide reports analyzing the coverage for you. 

Larger newspapers are often available online 

and can be searched electronically, either by 

visiting their individual Web sites or by using a 

search service like Lexis-Nexis. 

You can also track video coverage through 

firms such as VMS and Bacon’s. If you know 

that your topic was covered by the broadcast 

media, you can tell them the name of the 

program and station, and they can get a tape 

for you. They can also search the transcripts 

and provide you with a report of all broadcast 

coverage, including the text transcripts of each 

“hit.” These broadcast-tracking services usually charge by each search, with tapes costing 

extra. You should consider using one of these 

services because it’s generally the only way to 

track your earned media efforts. 

Conducting an outcome evaluation to determine how your PR efforts have affected the 

target audience (i.e., change in awareness, 

attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors) requires considerable time and resources and may include 

surveying the audience exposed to the countermarketing messages. One cost-effective way to 

do that is to collaborate with those who are 

conducting a target audience survey to evaluate counter-advertising and include PR evaluation questions in that survey. 

Using Process Evaluation Results for 

Decision Making 

After you have compiled the news coverage 

that your PR efforts have generated, analyze it 

to see what adjustments and improvements 

you should make. Are certain reporters not 

covering your issue? Perhaps you should pitch 

a different reporter or a different media outlet, 

or perhaps you should consider using a different angle. Are your key messages not getting 

into the coverage? Maybe you need to retrain 

your spokespeople or try new PR tactics. After 

each PR opportunity, determine and then 

document what did and didn’t work so that 

your next opportunity will be more fruitful. By 

regularly evaluating your efforts, you’ll learn 

which stories will likely get good play and 

which approaches will most likely succeed in 

getting the maximum coverage in support of 

your messages and campaign. 
242 

Points To Remember 

■	 	 Create an annual PR plan. For both your Target Audience PR and your Stakeholder PR, create a 

yearly calendar of all the PR opportunities that you plan to pursue. Include national events that 

you’ll tie in to (e.g., Great American Smokeout, World No-Tobacco Day, and Kick Butts Day), holidays and times of the year that lend themselves to certain stories (e.g., New Year’s for cessation and 

back to school and spring break for youth prevention), and your own campaign events. See what 

gaps are in your calendar, and decide how to fill them so that you maintain a high level of coverage 

year-round. Create a PR plan for each activity that indicates the target audience(s), specific objectives, key messages, media channels, tactics, and timeline. 

■	 	 Stay on message. Getting news coverage helps only if the coverage promotes your message. To 
 

make sure that you stay on message, create a limited set of standard talking points and key mes­
 

sages that will be used in all PR activities, whether planned in advance or done in response to an 
 

unplanned PR opportunity. 
 

■	 	 Respond quickly to unplanned PR opportunities. When a surprise news story hits that relates to your 

effort, you will need to respond very quickly (often the same day of the story) to take advantage of it. 

This means that you may have to skip the campaign’s usual lengthy review processes and let your 

head PR person craft the response and have it quickly approved by the program manager or marketing director. In many cases, you may receive a call from a reporter for your reaction. These opportunities require quick thinking, quick decision making, and quick action. 

■	 	 Integrate PR with other counter-marketing activities. PR is most effective when it works in synergy 

with other components of your program. For this to happen, the PR staff must know everything 

about the campaign well in advance so that they can plan the appropriate outreach. Involving PR 

staff in the planning of advertising, grassroots activities, and other efforts will allow them to identify 

potential PR issues, both positive and negative, and to plan appropriately. 

■	 	 Evaluate your PR efforts. For each event or activity, track the coverage you get. You’ll learn quickly 

what works and what doesn’t in getting the coverage that you want. Modify your annual PR plan 

accordingly. If you have the resources, perform a formal content analysis of the coverage to document the campaign messages to which your audiences are being exposed. At a minimum, review all 

of the key news stories to make sure that they reflect your campaign messages. 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 
Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Campaign 

Chapter 8: Public Relations 243 

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