Maximise your media impact

More people read local papers than national papers. Students are joining the Strident Tent State and Summer Blockade from all over the country. The potential for local coverage is huge.

Follow these simple steps and make sure everyone in your group does too. Not only will our actions at the camp have a huge impact but our media work before, during and after the camp will too!

Before the camp

1. Compile a list of local media you should approach. Include media in your university town and home town. Make sure you cover: student papers, local papers, local free papers, local radio (BBC and commercial), local TV (BBC and commercial), news websites. If you have personal contacts, use them!
2. Edit the local press release to be specific to you and your group. Make sure you add one or more contacts who will be able to answer their phones during office hours and that these contacts are on different networks to increase the chance that they will have signal at the base (O2 is good for signal).
3. Send out the press release (by email, or failing that, by fax). This can be a good few weeks in advance of the camp. You want to give them time to get their arses in gear to interview you, take pictures of you etc.
4. Once you're happy your news release has arrived, pick up the phone and check it's got there safely. This is mainly to say 'hey, read our news release, it's a great story and you'd be foolish to miss it'. While you're on the phone, get a name of someone you can contact, ask them if they're clear on the detail, and whether they want to ask any questions.
5. Hopefully by this stage you'll have had a few people pick up on the story. No worries if not though, there's still time.

Just before the camp

1. About a week before you travel, get in contact with them again. If you got a contact name or some interest in your last ring round, call that person, ask if they'd like an interview, the press release resent, to call you when you're in Scotland or to have some photos emailed to them during the camp.
2. If you didn't get a contact name last time, resend the press release and follow it up in the same way as last time.

Very soon after the camp

1. Write a new press release following the same format with updated information about your activities. Send this out with one or two photos of your action to the same contact list.
2. If you have time, follow up.

Interested in helping with national press work?
This will involve some time commitment at the camp itself and may involve taking on a non-arrestable role. If you've got relevant skills and would like to help out get in touch.