Don’t Announce Negative News

It seems obvious, but don’t put out a news release unless you have news. In a previous post I talked about not using the same document for internal communications and for reaching out to the media. In several previous posts I have talked about the importance of understanding what constitutes news. Both of these errors contribute to a common mistake. That mistake is announcing something that gives the media an opportunity to write a negative story.

People within the show jumping community might be awaiting the results of a particular competition, no matter what those results are. When it comes to show jumping, the general public in North America is not. However, if the result is good or it becomes part of a bigger story, then it is news. Then it can be made into a story of public interest. It does not warrant a news release if it is not news.

The same organizations who would be the first to complain about “bad press” often unknowingly create it. For example, a news release that announces an athlete was the best Canadian at an international competition, then goes on to say that “best” performance was actually 27th or 28th place, is inviting negactive coverage. Yet, this happens. This “news” is appropriate for internal communication. Members of the equestrian community wants to know this. But, it feeds the media an opportunity to say the athlete “failed, “faltered”, or “choked”.   

I will talk more about how “bad press” happens in future posts. There are many things that cause negative publicity and many come from within an organization. The results of an international competition are usually in the public domain. Any journalist who is following the sport can access the results. Any athlete should be ready to be under media scrutiny. But don’t invite it by putting out official announcements of something that is not news.     

Every Win is Not News

Show jumpers compete more often than many athletes. That’s true even if you exclude lower-level competitions for young horses. A top rider and a top grand prix horse compete more frequently than other Olympic and professional athletes. While this is necessary due to the training and development of the horses, it means that every win is not newsworthy – at least not to all news organizations.

News for mass-market media, like newspapers, must be of public interest. Whether or not something is of public interest is a subjective decision. That decision will be made by their editor. However, they will appreciate it they don’t get spammed with news that will clearly not interest their readers or viewers.  If you have the courtesy to do that, they are more likely to read your news release when you send them something that will interest them.

For example, the winner of the Welcome Stake at a tournament in a small city is not news to the major daily papers in big cities. But, it probably would be to the newspaper in the city or town where it took place. And it probably would be to the newspaper in the town where the rider lives. 

Even with a big win, it is more newsworthy if you find a strong “hook” to make it a story. Whenever possible, tailor that hook to the type of media outlet you are targeting. One of the biggest mistakes people make in an attempt to get media coverage is having one standard e-mail list. The same rider winning the same competition can constitute two or more entirely different stories for different media outlets. It’s up to you to present it to them in that way. They may not find those stories without a guide.

If you are involved in organizing tournaments and have been disappointed that every day’s winner isn’t covered by some media outlet, don’t be. What’s news in the equestrian community is not always news of public interest. But it can be more often if good stories are recognized and targeted in the right way. It’s all part of learning how the media works.   

 

News and Internal Communications Should be Separate

Increasingly in the show jumping community and other “niche market” groups, I see the same documents being used simultaneously as news releases and internal communications. In the show jumping community, these internal stakeholders might be horse owners, riders, members of the national federation, sponsors, or other interested parties. This approach makes it nearly impossible to satisfy the needs of all recipients.

I frequently see newsletter-style documents, complete with an invitation to subscribe, being used as news releases. Without question, the stakeholders and other interested parties in any sport want to hear promptly of anything that is newsworthy. But their needs are not the same as that of the media. It is hard to make a single document fill both needs.

A news release should be written in the language of sport, not in the lingo of a particular sport. It should contain only the essential information needed by a journalist, and not a lot of extraneous detail that will deter them from reading further. That extraneous detail, however, may be of great interest to those who understand the intricacies and want to know exactly how the news unfolded.

Maintaining an appropriate e-mailing list is one of the biggest tasks facing anyone who generates news releases. But that list should be targeted based on your publicity goals. Any interested party with an e-mail address is not good criteria for establishing your target market.