How to Create a PR Plan

Suggestions For An Effective Public Relations Campaign

An institution with a basketball program should consider the following suggestions for developing a public relations campaign.  

Set Goals and Objectives 
Determine what is to be accomplished by the public relations campaign and plan to meet these goals and objectives, such as:

• Increase fan participation/attendance                     
• Enhance reputation of the sport and its student-athletes                     
• Generate awareness and enthusiasm for related (but non-competition) activities, such as youth clinics               
• Enhance reputation of the institution/community

Make all public relations actions relevant to meeting the goals and objectives initially determined.  

The public relations campaign should be integrated with the overall marketing plan, which might include advertising and grassroots or "word-of-mouth," among other practices.  It is important to consider how public relations fits with these other marketing initiatives and opportunities to maximize their collective impact.

Identify PR Experts Who Can Help
If you're not a PR pro, that's okay.  There are numerous experts you can tap, including officials at your institution. You might even want to form a PR committee to offer and/or help implement ideas.

Put the Campaign in Writing
Putting the public relations campaign in writing provides a roadmap for implementing activities leading up to and through the season.  It is a guide, but it also helps hold you and your team accountable for assignments.  Also, it is easier to evaluate the impact and success of a plan that is in writing.  Sections for the plan might include:

Objectives

• Target audiences                     
• Tactics                     
• Timing                     
• Measurement

Sample Public Relations Planning Process

Select Target Audiences 
Identify key audiences - fans, student-athletes, alumni, the public at large, commercial entities (current or future) and the like - that should be reached and what will interest them.  These audiences should match those in the overall marketing plan, although PR might not reach all of them.

Identify Tactics to Communicate to Key Audiences  
Communication tactics may include traditional channels, such as media (television, radio, newspapers and magazines) and Web sites, as well as non-media channels, such as grassroots or "word-of-mouth" by groups that are naturally enthusiastic about the sport or those who have had a positive personal experience with it. Tried and true media tactics include:

• News releases - develop a series of news releases that you can distribute to media prior to and during a season      
• Media kit - in addition to a news release, include background on the sport, a biography on the coaches, student-athletes, etc., and a fact sheet that includes event schedules and locations         
• Guest articles/op-eds - submit articles written by you or the host institution's athletic director to local papers                     
• Deskside visits - you or the coach visit local media to create connection and dialogue, and generate coverage                     
• Local radio and/or local TV media tours - offer to go on air and talk about the sport to build excitement                     
• Public service announcements - develop 30- or 60-second announcements for on-air personalities to read over the radio      
• News conference - gather media for a pre-season look at the team

Don't underestimate the importance and potential impact of non-media channels.  Word‑of‑mouth can be considerably important in generating enthusiasm for a team, especially in a campus setting. Non-media channels might include:

• Civic organizations                     
• Chambers of commerce                     
• Booster clubs                     
• Athletic clubs and associations                     
• Campus and community leaders

Spokesperson: Appoint a knowledgeable spokesperson who can talk with media about the team and season.  This person should be available for news conferences, phone interviews, on-air interviews, media conference calls, etc.  

Implementing the Campaign

Media Relations
Create awareness and interest in the championship by actively promoting the team to the media.  

Media Selection:  Compile a list of media contacts that includes radio, television, Web, and local publications.  When selecting media contacts, consider your target audiences and the time it will take media to cover the team; give yourself ample time to "pitch" your story and the media outlet ample time to write/publish or air it.

General Tactics:

• Call or e-mail media contacts to introduce yourself.  Ask for a phone or in-person briefing to review/discuss each outlet's interest and plan for covering the season and how you can be a resource for them.  Also ask for details on deadlines, needs, procedures, including how they prefer to receive news about the team.  Listen to their ideas - and offer your own.  For instance:
  • A menu of story opportunities regarding student-athletes, anticipated milestones, records, etc., economic impact, ancillary events that each outlet can consider for coverage of the team.  Your local newspaper might consider enhancing its coverage throughout the sport's regular season to help educate its readers about the sport and some of its top collegiate teams and players.  This is especially beneficial for sports that do not receive a lot of media coverage.
  • A media kit that summarizes the event, participants, schedule, etc.
  • Topics for guest articles or on-air interviews by your designated spokesperson.
  • Public service announcements that could be published or aired regarding the championship.
  • News conference schedule.
• Keep each media outlet's goals in mind.  If the outlet focuses on men's sports, do not pitch a women's soccer student-athlete for an interview.  If the outlet focuses on general news, relate your event to the community, (e.g., the economic impact of the team on the city).  Make sure whatever you pitch is news!                     
• When emailing media, be concise. Shorter is better. Never send attachments. unless they are requested; embed the copy in the body of your email.                     
• Do not call to criticize media.  Remember how many people, organizations and interest groups are "battling" for space or airtime.

Press Releases
Press releases help inform media of team-related news and events and can serve as a summary prior to news conferences in order to help them frame questions.  If a press release contains a great deal of background statistics, then the release is a great tool for journalists who may need additional information to write a complete story.   Follow these guidelines when preparing a press release:

1. Think of the press release as a quick look at the highlights of the event or announcement.                     
2. Never write longer than two pages.  Keep sentences short.  Keep paragraphs short.                     
3. Include the five W's - Who, What, Where, When, Why - in the first or second paragraph.  The rest of the press release covers "How."                     
4. Spell every name correctly.  Names are misspelled in press releases all too often.                       
5. Every press release must be typewritten.  Leave one-inch margins and double space.                     
6. Include the name of the contact person at your organization.  In case more information is needed, include more than one telephone number and an email address.                     
7. Do the press release NOW.  Old news is useless news.  Write it immediately.  Email and/or fax it.                       
8. Find an angle to make your press release unique.                     
9. If the media outlet chooses to read your news release on the air, or publish it in the newspaper, they probably will shorten it by eliminating the information found at the bottom of the release.  So, be sure that vital details are not at the bottom.  Rule of thumb: only the first two paragraphs may make it in the newspaper.  Make sure the most important information is at the top.                       
10. If photographs accompany a press release, include a brief caption.  Include names, dates and locations for EVERY photograph.  Do not write with markers, grease pencils or other substances that may rub off (or smudge onto other photos).

Post-event Activities
Fax or email results from the event to The Associated Press, Sports Ticker, USA Today and your local media contacts to increase media coverage of the team.

Preparing for Crisis Communication

Develop a plan for communicating with the media in the event that the sport becomes involved in some type of public relations crisis (i.e., an accident involving players or spectators, illegal use of banned substances by players/coaches, etc.)  Although the crisis communication plan may not be utilized, it is better from a public relations standpoint to be proactive rather than reactive if such a circumstance should occur.  The following guidelines are suggested to prepare for communication with the media during a crisis:

1. Identify the Type of Crisis that Might be Encountered.  A crucial step in the formation of the crisis communication plan is to identify the crisis situations that the event is most likely to face.  Successful event management includes thinking worst-case scenarios and preparing for them.                     
2. Develop a Strategy.  Identify a broad philosophy for dealing with a crisis if it does happen.  Have a number of focused strategies in place to deal with specific types of crises.  A strategy should be set in advance for management of the crisis and the primary goal of this strategy should be the protection of participants, spectators and participating institutions.  Having a strategy set in advance will allow for quick action, which will decrease the time the media is out looking for answers on their own.  This means the public relations staff must have access to high-level university officials and other key people in the event of a crisis.  Frequent media updates must be made regardless of whether a resolution to the crisis is complete.  Also, the most knowledgeable and appropriate people when providing explanations to the media must accompany the spokesperson.                     
3. Form a Committee to Provide Leadership.  A small group of key decision makers who represent the institution and the athletics department should be made familiar with the crisis communication strategy.  This group should be comprised of individuals who will be at the events and deal with potential crisis situations.                     
4. Identify a Single Spokesperson.  A single spokesperson should be identified to disseminate pertinent information to the media and the public in the event of a crisis.  The designated spokesperson should always be available to respond to the media in an attempt to prevent the media from approaching other sources for information.  Ask other staff members to refrain from comment and forward all media inquiries to the appropriate spokesperson.  Brief an alternate spokesperson to take over in the event that the main spokesperson is called away from the event.                     
5. Avoid Saying "No Comment."  This phrase raises suspicions and could cause mistrust toward the institution.  It is also better to release negative publicity before someone else does.  To allow an outside source to release negative information is to lose control of the story.                       
6. Monitor Media Attention.  Evaluate how the media is covering the crisis in order to prepare for additional media inquiries.  By keeping up to date and well informed, the institution will be prepared to better manage the crisis and provide information to the public (via media) in a timely and straightforward manner.  This will help give the institution an honest and positive image, regardless of the crisis situation.                        
7. For additional information regarding principles of communication during a crisis, please visit:
   
   Principles of Communication During a Crisis

Evaluating the Campaign

Not only should the campaign be evaluated at the end of the season, but also the campaign should be monitored throughout the entire implementation process to ensure that the goals and objectives of the plan are being met adequately.  A successful plan will be reviewed constantly and updated to meet the changing needs of the sport. Evaluation techniques could include:

• Interviews conducted - How many interviews have been secured/conducted for the designated spokesperson?                     
• Media impressions - How many stories have been placed, and how many people read, saw or listened to them (add up the newspaper circulation and TV/radio audience)?                     
• Key message pull-through - Are your key messages included in those stories?                     
• Team advocates - If conducting grassroots or word-of-mouth campaign, how many of your targeted organizations/groups have you secured to talk up the team?                     
• Ticket sales/attendance - How do this year's numbers compare to last years?

Determining Demographics in Your Community

Through on-site sampling during your athletics competitions, your athletics department can obtain information that will assist you with shaping future marketing plans for the various teams on your campus. Survey instructions and a demographics survey template are available below for your use.

On-site Survey Administration Instructions
Demographics Survey

NCAA member institutions can use this database file to enter the data in and analyze if you have access to SPSS. If you do not have access to SPSS, the data can also be converted to other data analysis programs by your campus research department. 

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