I like to be called by my First Name

Hi everyone!

Blog post number two and I am excited because I had my first ever media release sent through to publish in one of my local newspapers! and I can thank it all to personalisation - Please Read Below:

It had been drummed into my head at university over and over again.  Tailoring your message and approach when delivering media releases to journalists or the media – It’s all about personalising your message and creating relationships, but most importantly showing that you took the time to click your mouse a few extra times and find the right name and email to deliver your release. Giving a damn really does get you places it turns out – crazy huh?

Anyway back to the start, now my article itself isn’t life changing but here it is:

My exact Release printed in The Mandurah Coastal Times - 28 May 2014

As you can see it is on bicycle theft a particularly dry topic, which is where I believe personalising my approach got my release over the line! One fine day on my internship Andrew forwarded me an email from the Brand Manager General Insurance & Life, Chantelle, with some interesting bicycle theft statistics and facts. Andrews task for me was to create an interesting enough media release with the sole focus of promoting HBF’s home and contents insurance, but obviously in a sneaky-sneaky professional type of way, not ‘salesy’ ;)

Some interesting facts I learnt from writing my story is that:

• Bicycle theft is carried out more by adults than those under 18; and
• Bicycle theft happens more around the home than out and about.

Pretty interesting! Back to my point – the way I tailored my approach to get my story noticed by the right people was more research. Another marvellous talent university not only taught me well but thankfully drummed into my brain cells. Given that my story was on theft, targeting those who experience what I was preaching was an obvious solution.

I went on my jolly way researching the West Australian Police Department site for crime statistics and data. Analysing which suburbs across WA had the highest theft rates from multiple PDF documents. From this data I then established which newspapers corresponded with the high theft suburbs and began drafting email cover letters. The successful email wrote:

                  “Good morning Jill,

         Latest crime statistics from the West Australian Police Department indicate that the peel district has the second highest crime rates in the metropolitan region, the first being the south east district.

         The attached media release on bicycle theft may be of interest for the ‘Near you’ section of the Mandurah Coastal/Pinjarra Murray Times. The release details an alarming statistic that just over half of bicycle thefts occur around residential properties. And theft by adults is higher than those under 18.

                           Thank you”

And that’s that! My own little piece published for the whole of the Mandurah community to read.

Speak to you all soon – be safe and happy!

Kiara Natasha xx