An introduction to PR presented by Action PR

1. An Introduction to PR
Presented by

2. What is PR?
• The practice of managing the flow of information
from your centres to the public
• Persuading the public to have a particular opinion
about Everyone Active
• PR is an effective, low-cost marketing tactic. It can
be used in your marketing plans to support all
activity

3. Why use PR?
• To improve awareness of your centre / facilities
• To build a positive perception of the centre
• To showcase success / achievements to key
stakeholders
• To encourage more people to visit the centre
• To grow the Everyone Active brand

4. What makes a good story?
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New and timely
Exciting, bizarre or out of the ordinary!
Affects the local community
Topical / ‘hot trend’
Is something being offered for free?
Is money being raised for charity?
Prominence - link with an NGB, local sports club, sporting hero
or celeb?
Human interest – has someone connected with the centre
achieved something extraordinary or exceptional?
Superlatives and milestones
Does it involve an award?
Is there an environmental angle?
Images!

5. News or Snooze
What makes a good PR story?
Some of these headlines make great PR
stories and others are red herrings. Can
you spot which are most like to get column
inches and which will send news editors to
sleep?

6. Photos, photos, photos!
• A photo can turn a snooze story into a news
story
• It can mean the difference between a few lines
and a whole spread
• Who are the key participants?
• Staged photos to camera are preferable to
action shots
• Set up shots with branding
• High quality photos only!
• Get permissions, names and details

7. Member case studies
• Have they lost weight?
• Are they completing a charity challenge?
• Have they completed / are completing an extraordinary
fitness feat?
THEN….
• Do they want to share their story? (in the media)
• Are they happy to be photographed?

8. News Articles
Can you identify the news hooks in these
published articles about Everyone Active?
For what reasons did the newspapers
consider them to be newsworthy?

29. Giving your event the best shot
at getting some free publicity
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Make it open to all
Add a charity angle
Throw in a free activity
Ask someone ‘exciting’ to attend
Get an NGB or local sports body involved
Offers prizes / goody bags
Get local heroes / members with success stories involved
Appoint someone to take photos at the event
Give us the ‘after’ story quickly – with all the facts and photos

30. Reactive PR
• Make accurate notes of the press request
• Don’t be tempted to answer questions over the
phone
• Inform the DM / CM
• They will inform us
• DM / CM will source all the facts (speed and
accuracy)
• Action PR will use these facts to formulate a
response
• Action PR will check the response with centre
manager, contract manager, Alison Ford &
Duncan Jefford

31. Sharing your stories
• Complete a PR framework form
• Give us plenty of notice
• Take photos

32. Good example
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
What
Is the story about? Please give
as much detail as possible
THE FACTS
Max Alden, 25, from Stotfold,
personal trainer at Hitchin Leisure
Centre, is running 26.2 marathons
in one year to raise funds and
awareness for CLIC Sargent, the
children’s cancer charity (
http://www.clicsargent.org.uk/).
So far he’s completed seven
marathon distances and he has
three races planned for November
as well.
Raised £700 so far, wants to raise
as much as possible. Can donate
online at
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/maxalden
.

33.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
Who
Who are the key people
involved in this story – please
give names, where they are
from, contact details etc.
Who at Everyone Active is the
key contact for this story?
(please provide contact details)
Please provide contact details
for any third party organisations
involved
THE FACTS
Contact Max for more
info/pictures on
max@hotmail.co.uk.
Centre Manager Andy Jones is
a key contact for this story. He
would be more than happy to
provide a quote. His email
address is
andy.jones@gmail.com and his
phone number is 07744556601.

34.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
Why
Why is this story of interest to
the general public?
What about this story do you
think is most interesting /
exciting?
THE FACTS
Several of Max’s friends were
diagnosed with the disease and
helped by CLIC Sargent, so he
wanted to raise money for the
cause to giving something back.

35.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
Where is it taking place?
THE FACTS
Max trains at Hitchin Leisure
Centre but his 26.2 marathons
In the centre? Which centre and will take place all over the UK.
whereabouts?
So far he’s completed seven
marathon distances: Brighton
Marathon, London Marathon,
ran 26.2 miles (equivalent
distance) on treadmill at the
centre and participated in the
Cotswold Way Ultra Race
(August 2013), in which he ran
four marathons in four days.

36.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
When
Date/time of event or launch
date of project/scheme?
Is this a one off or recurring
event?
Does it run for a continuous
period of time?
THE FACTS
April 2013 – April 2014

37.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
THE FACTS
How
How can people find our more?
Can they get involved? How?
Is there a cost?
Max increased his training
regime at Hitchin Leisure
Centre to prepare for the
challenge 6 months in advance.
He used the gym to complete
interval training and strength
training sessions to boost his
fitness and stamina and
increased the frequency of his
training runs.
Can keep up to date with Max’s
training and races at
www.liketorun.co.uk and
www.twitter.com/MAlden2

38.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
Photo
Is there a photo opportunity?
THE FACTS
Yes. Max takes photos at all his
races so I will forward a
selection of high resolution
images shortly for you to
choose from.

39. Bad example
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
THE FACTS
What
Is the story about? Please give
as much detail as possible
Letchworth Leisure Centre is
running a 12 hour Spinning
marathon to raise money for the
British Heart Foundation.

40.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
Who
Who are the key people
involved in this story – please
give names, where they are
from, contact details etc.
Who at Everyone Active is the
key contact for this story?
(please provide contact details)
Please provide contact details
for any third party organisations
involved
THE FACTS

41.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
Why
Why is this story of interest to
the general public?
What about this story do you
think is most interesting /
exciting?
THE FACTS
To raise money for and to
support chosen charity (BHF)

42.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
THE FACTS
Where is it taking place?
Letchworth Leisure Centre
In the centre? Which centre and
whereabouts?

43.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
When
Date/time of event or launch
date of project/ scheme?
Is this a one off or recurring
event?
Does it run for a continuous
period of time?
THE FACTS
Saturday 30th November 12:0000:00

44.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
THE FACTS
How
How can people find our more?
Can they get involved? How?
Is there a cost?
Spinning Marathon running at
Letchworth Leisure Centre, all
money raised will be donated to
BHF.
£5 per bike per hour, £60 for a
team.

45.
PR FRAMEWORK FORM
Photo
Is there a photo opportunity?
THE FACTS

46. We want your stories
• Reminder email at start of each month
• Generate as many stories as possible
• Identify members or colleagues with
stories to share
• Remember photos
• PR opportunities can be ‘before’ and
‘after’
• Be cool in a crisis
• Stay in touch

47. Stay in Touch
Emma@actionpr.co.uk
Cheryl@actionpr.co.uk
Dawn@actionpr.co.uk
020 7300 7380
07969 880132