Gaining Visibility and Working Effectively With the Media
Clif Boutelle
At the SIOP Conference in Orlando, Lucinda Doran of the Corporate Advisory Group in Boston,
Karla Stuebing of FSD Data Services in Houston, and Clif Boutelle, media consultant to the SIOP Administrative Office in Bowling Green, gave a presentation on the importance of SIOP members interacting with the media with the intent of gaining greater visibility for I-O psychology. All are members of SIOPs Visibility Committee. Following is a summary of their remarks.
It is no secret, at least to SIOP members, that I-O psychology deserves greater recognition for the vital role it plays in employing science to provide insight and understanding of work and the people who perform that work.
Unfortunately, much of the wonderful research and knowledge that I-O psychologists are creating is lost in the jargon of the profession and, sometimes, the uninteresting manner in which it is presented, especially to media reporters who broadcast and write the stories that people listen to and read.
I-O psychologists are trained to write for their peers. What is often needed is to make their discoveries and research results understandable to people outside the profession. (Having said this, it is important to acknowledge that there are many SIOP members who are media-savvy and do a wonderful job of employing their expertise to promote I-O psychology.)
I-O psychologists are steeped in the scientific method. It is their nature to be conservative in decision making. Often, that is in direct contrast to reporters, who are seeking comments and insights that are more definitive rather than couched in maybes and could bes.
We are not suggesting that I-O psychologists compromise their work in order to obtain mentions in the popular news media. Rather, we need to find ways to use their expertise to gain greater visibility for the field of I-O psychology. People find science very persuasive; thats why so many different studies are quoted in the media.
We need to better recognize the news value of what we are doing and disseminate it to the media in a format and style that captures the interest of reporters.
One challenge exists on our own campuses, where so many SIOP members teach and conduct their research. How many have contacted their news bureau about research they or their colleagues have done? Has the news bureau staff responded and written a story? If not, it is likely they do not understand what you are doing and that makes it difficult to write a story. It is not because they do not want to do a story; news bureaus are always looking for ideas that will help them publicize the work of faculty.
Sometimes we need to engage in a little bit of marketing. For example, I-O psychology faculty can put together a briefing and invite their news bureau people to attend. Explain in laymans terms what I-O psychology is all about and how the program and its faculty and students can help generate valuable publicity for the university. Give examples of how research being done has a bearing on real-world business. Tell them about graduates and their accomplishments in academia and in the consulting and corporate worlds. Ask them to use their contacts with the media to set up interviews and opportunities to explain what I-O psychology is all about and how it contributes to a better understanding of the workplace.
For those who work for an organization or company, making a contact with the local media can pay huge dividends. Learn who covers the kind of research you specialize in or the services you offer. Often it is a workplace reporter or a columnist. If you are not aware of anyone like that, try the business editor. Briefly, tell the reporter or editor about your expertise and how it could contribute to workplace-related stories by providing different perspectives and relevant experiences. They are always looking for fresh ideas.
If you are with an organization and have something important to tell the media and do not have a staff person who specializes in media and information, then consider hiring a public relations firm or a consultant who can work with you in disseminating your story. Once you have developed a working relationship with a journalist and you have appeared in several stories, then other reporters will be calling.
Above all, dont get discouraged! A baseball player who gets a hit three times in 10 at-bats is considered a success. If you have a .300 average with the media, you, too, will be a huge success.
Here are some thoughts and suggestions about producing a story:
1. First, find a news angle. Ask yourself what is really different about it; not that a study was done. Whats the point? A study that confirms what is generally known (the fleecing of America syndrome) is not going to attract any attention. But a study that provides some new information or disproves what has been popularly believed is going to attract attention. Pick your spots. Not all research is going to attract the media.
2. Cut through the jargon of the profession to produce news and comments that are timely, interesting, and unusual.
3. Its a competitive world. If you want recognition for the work you are doing and visibility for the kinds of things your firm can do, then you have to work at it. The media isnt going to show up on your doorstep. It requires hard work, creativity, and building relationships. If your competition is getting press coverage, chances are they have someone helping them and they have been successful in communicating why they are different.
4. Recognize the different media that is available. It doesnt have to be the
Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, or Time. Every industry has publications. The Internet offers excellent opportunities. There is a wide variety of Web sites that run stories that pertain to what you are doing. You can find those Web sites by surfing.
5. There are also organizations that can do the work for you...writing and disseminating stories, developing release outlets, and tracking usage. Rely on Web sites and inexpensive distribution methods, like Newswise, PR Wire, and Ascend. (Remember its difficult to do everything yourselfso seek help from people who know. In some cases that might mean hiring outside help.) Dont overlook the electronic media.
6. Use the Internet to develop a mailing list. Go online to Google (News), MSN, and other search engines and type in keywords about your workplace specialty. That will lead to stories on your subject. Make note of the writers and track them down, usually via e-mail addresses. That way you can build a list of targeted mediapeople you know are interested and writing about your area of interest. If you develop a list of 25, and about one-fourth to one-third show interest, it is worth the effort. The names that dont reply should remain on your list because they very well may later.
7. E-mail is perhaps the best way to get stories to reporters. But a word of caution. Do not flood reporters with stories. Be choosy. Make follow-up telephone calls. Ask reporters if they mind you sending them stories. (Generally, they will welcome your stories.) Attachments are not a good idea if you do not know the reporter. They are wary of attachments that could contain viruses or your format may not be compatible with theirsalthough most reporters have no trouble with Microsoft.
8. Put contact information (name, title, telephone number, e-mail) on the release.
9. If reporters call, be available to talk with them; they are usually working on a deadline. Go the extra mile to provide information and be helpful. There is some flexibility in their schedules, but not much. If you dont know something, tell the reporter you can find the answer or information and get back to him or her.
10. If you represent a company or organization, develop a media kit, including a company backgrounder, product information, executive bios, and any other information that journalists can use to tell the story.
11. Be a trend-spotter. Be a reader and listener of the media that affect your profession. Feed off the news and identify opportunities to make pitches to the media. Say something likeI see youve been writing about this but heres another angle to consider. Add a couple comments germane to the subject and a bit about your credentials and e-mail it. For example, at the height of the Enron, WorldCom, and other business scandals, reporters were looking for people who could talk about leadership and such qualities as integrity. Many SIOP members have expertise in the subject of leadership and ethics and many contributed to the spate of news stories that were written at that time.
12. A word of caution. Always be sure that your resource (if it is someone other than yourself) will be receptive to media calls. Theres nothing worse than giving out the name of an authority in a particular area and when the reporter calls, the expert says he/she is not interested, doesnt have the time, or doesnt really have the background to talk about the subject.
13. And a final note: when talking with the media always try to use the opportunity to identify yourself as an industrial-organizational psychologist.
There is much to be gained on behalf of I-O psychology by working with the media. If reporters can develop some understanding of I-O psychology and how it differs from other fields of psychology, then there are great dividends to be reaped. The results will be greater visibility for I-O psychology and that will benefit all SIOP members.
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