Sports PR: How to Form a Winning Team with the Media
John Mooney Media Relations New Orleans Zephyrs 6000 Airline Drive Metairie, LA 70003 P: 504-734-5155 ext 219 F: 504-734-5118 jmooney@zephyrsbaseball.com John is entering his third season with the New Orleans Zephyrs, the Class AAA Pacific Coast league Affiliate of the Houston Astros. His responsibilities include writing and distributing press releases, managing game day press box operations, initiating media coverage, handling media requests, and overseeing the production and content of the team’s website and publications including media guide and game program. John previously worked at the University of New Orleans in the Athletic Department where he received a degree in Sports Management. The native of Metairie resides in Kenner with his wife Misty and daughter Megan who was born in June. I) Different types of sports teams to work for A) Four Major Sports: NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL B) Minor league baseball, MLS, Minor league hockey, College Sports, etc… C) Talk about the differences 1) Major sports: better resources and more specialized 2) Houston Astros: PR department has four full time plus an intern a) One person does just non-sports releases 3) Minor league baseball I do PR plus sales, tarp duty, pick up trash, etc… Figure out what you are trying to accomplish A) What is the definition of Public Relations? 1) PRSA definition is “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” 2) You are trying to get the word out about the organization you work for. 3) Keep your organization front and center 4) Believe in the product you are trying to sell B) What are the end results you are looking for? 1) Owner/General Manager has expectations of you Formulate a plan
A) B) C) D) Sit down with co-workers and come up with a tangible plan Have realistic goals How are you going to get the word out about your team and or players? Need to have a plan of attack 1) Make sure your press releases are clear and to the point 2) Use all resources available e-mail, fax, internet 3) Build a data base of all media that you think will cover the team 4) Don’t just fax or e-mail press releases a) follow up with phone calls b) keep documentation of everything c) give example of the process 5) Don’t turn away media but be careful of who they claim be a) Everyone these days has a website or show
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Meet with the head coach or manager and explain what is expected of them A) Set down with him or her and explain to him what is expected of him or her
B) Know the policies and procedures for interviews
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If you are not the Community Relations Director make sure you know about all player appearances A) Make sure you are aware of all player appearances, donations, etc… B) This is very important Get to know the media on a personal basis A) Identify the media who will be covering the team on a regular basis B) Once you start the job call an invite certain members to lunch 1) Media loves a free meal 2) If your organization won’t pay for the meal try to get a trade C) Monthly luncheons during the season with selected coaches and players 1) Talk about what UNO does D) Ask them “How can I make your job easier” 1) What worked in the past and how can you improve on that E) Some markets have multiple teams for the media to cover: Saints, Hornets, Zephyrs, LSU, Tulane, UNO, Loyola, Voodoo, etc… Earn their trust A) Don’t make promises you can’t keep 1) Don’t say I’ll have a player available at noon for an interview and then he’s not available B) Communication is the key C) Ed Daniels story about Morgan Ensberg D) Talk to player and media and confirm interview time Go the Extra Mile Call them with story ideas A) Prepare them for interviews 1) Make sure they know some facts about the person they are interviewing If you hadn’t seen them in awhile at your game A) Call them to make sure everything is okay B) Don’t forget about us C) See if they need anything Know the difference between sports and non-sports stories A) Player appearances at hospitals is not a sports story B) Get to know assignment editors and news directors 1) Work with Marketing director at your organization for tie ins with media Determine who the decision makers A) News directors, assignment editors get to know them also when dealing with non-sports stories You can’t control the product on the field A) Team may stink but that doesn’t mean you stop getting the word out about your team The End Results A) Keep clippings from newspapers and log of stories that ran B) Hopefully you will meet your goals How to get started in the field A) Internship: paid, non-paid, college credit B) COSIDA C) PBEO: Job fair at winter meetings plus you can contact them through minorleaguebaseball
D) Short Season A and Rookie Ball teams hire interns (mainly college students just for the summer)
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E) College Summer leagues like Cape Cod, Alaska and Valley F) Baseball America book listing all teams Conclusion
A) B) C) D) Figure out what you are trying to accomplish Have a plan: be organized Get to know the media on a personal basis Go the extra mile